An Instagram ad using AI-generated footage of Alphonso Davies’ father falsely being arrested has directed Alberta consumers to an unlicensed offshore casino, reigniting regulatory concern over deepfake gambling ads in Canada’s newest regulated market. The advert, posted by an account called Prime Spin Zone, funnelled viewers to Comoros-based Oxibet, an operator with no authorisation from Alberta, Ontario or any other Canadian provincial regulator.
The incident lands at a sensitive moment for Alberta, which opened its regulated online gambling market on 13 July and is trying to persuade bettors to move away from offshore sites.
What happened
The Instagram advert, posted last week,
purported to show the father of the Bayern Munich star being arrested by Edmonton police
. The clip then
suggests that police officers discovered a vault filled with cash, but claims the arrest was a misunderstanding because the money came from legal gambling winnings, before an AI-generated version of Davies’ father encourages viewers to play at the same online casino
. A deepfake of Canadian rapper Drake was also used to lend the campaign credibility, according to multiple reports.
Clicking through the advert directed users to Oxibet,
a Comoros-based gambling site that lacks authorization from Alberta, Ontario, or any other provincial regulator
. Davies’ agent, Nedal Huoseh,
rejected the claims in the advertisement, saying the Davies family has nothing to do with gambling, and said he plans to pursue those who created the material
. It is not the first time Davies’ image has been misused this way: an earlier 2023 promotion used only a photograph of the player without his consent, before this latest campaign escalated to a full AI-generated likeness of his father.
Alberta’s gaming regulator confirmed it is tracking the problem.
“AGLC is aware of the risks posed by fraudulent online gambling advertising, including scams that use misleading or manipulated content to direct Albertans to offshore or unregistered gambling sites,” said a spokesperson for Alberta’s gaming regulator.
A separate statement from the Alberta iGaming Corporation stressed the importance of consumers being able to identify a properly registered site.
Why it matters
Deepfake gambling ads are no longer a fringe nuisance; they represent a direct commercial threat to licensed operators competing for the same players. Alberta now has
31 registered iGaming operators
paying levies and complying with advertising rules designed to protect consumers, yet a single convincing fake advert can redirect traffic and deposits straight to an unregulated competitor that carries none of those costs or obligations.
For affiliates and performance marketers, the episode is a reminder that trust signals now matter as much as reach. Platforms hosting these ads, and the affiliate ecosystems that sit around legitimate operators, face growing pressure to demonstrate that traffic sources and creative content can be verified. Search and social channels that fail to filter AI-manipulated gambling ads risk regulatory scrutiny spilling over onto the wider advertising supply chain, including paid social partners that legitimate operators rely on for acquisition.
The case also shows why regulators increasingly expect licensed brands to make their authorisation status unmistakable.
Registered operators in Alberta must display the Alberta iGaming Corporation logo in advertising, and their marketing must also reference responsible gambling and support services, including 211 Alberta.
Compliance markers like these become a competitive differentiator when fraudulent operators are actively mimicking celebrity endorsements to look credible.
The bigger picture
This is not an isolated case.
Canadian regulators and gambling organizations have reported similar fake advertising involving the Canadian Gaming Association, AGLC, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan, and Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, with fraudsters often using the names, images, or likenesses of licensed operators and public figures to create an appearance of legitimacy.
A 2025 advert used altered footage of a former television journalist to promote an unlicensed betting site tied to a real Alberta casino brand, showing the tactic has been escalating for years.
What has changed is the sophistication of the fakes.
Old scams usually used stolen photos or logos, but deepfake technology has now advanced to the point where it is possible to produce believable video and audio that makes a person appear to endorse a service they never have.
That shift raises the stakes for platforms such as Meta, which have previously faced pressure from Canadian regulators over fraudulent gambling ads circulating on Instagram and Facebook.
As more provinces open regulated iGaming markets and compete for the same bettor pool currently split between licensed and offshore sites, expect enforcement bodies to push harder on advertising verification, and expect legitimate operators and their affiliate partners to lean more heavily on visible compliance branding to distinguish themselves from convincing fakes. Readers looking at how regulatory shifts reshape acquisition strategy more broadly can see our related analysis in Affiliate SEO Under Regulation: Who Wins Each Wave.
Sources
- GamblingNews – AI-Generated Ad Featuring Alphonso Davies Promotes Unlicensed Alberta Casino
- Canadian Gaming Business – Alphonso Davies’ Family Targeted in Fake Offshore Sportsbook
- iGaming Express – Deepfake Ads Target Canadian Bettors
- Casino.org – Fake Alphonso Davies Gambling Ad Puts Spotlight on Alberta’s Illegal iGaming Fight
- Yahoo News Canada – Offshore casino targets Alphonso Davies’s family with deepfake ad
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