Federal baseline (Canada-wide)
• Gambling is governed federally through the Criminal Code, which generally restricts “lottery schemes / gaming and betting” unless it falls within lawful exceptions (most commonly, conducted and managed by a province). 
• Practically, that means the legal route is provincial (lottery corporations and, in some cases, regulated private operators under provincial frameworks).
Provincial reality (what this means in practice)
• Each province/territory controls how legal gambling is offered locally (e.g., provincial lottery/casino products, sports betting frameworks, etc.).
• Ontario is the most developed “open” model for private operators via iGaming Ontario and AGCO oversight (and it is where a lot of the advertising compliance detail is most explicit). 
Ontario (AGCO / iGaming Ontario) advertising “gotchas”
• Public advertising of inducements (bonuses/credits) is prohibited in Ontario, with limited exceptions (on the operator’s own site/app, or via direct marketing to players who gave active consent). 
• Ontario’s standards also emphasise responsible gambling, avoiding misleading messaging, and avoiding youth appeal. 
Direct marketing (email/SMS/DMs) in Canada
• Canada’s anti-spam law (CASL) requires consent rules + clear identification + an unsubscribe mechanism for commercial electronic messages. 
• This lines up neatly with Ontario’s “active consent” approach for direct marketing of inducements. 
New (industry) advertising code coming in 2026
• A Canadian Gaming Association (CGA) Code for Responsible Gaming Advertising was published 9 Oct 2025 and is described as taking effect 1 Jan 2026, administered by Ad Standards (voluntary industry standard intended to complement law/regulators).