QMRA For Affiliates With A Focus on Ontario, Canada

The practices described below are specifically aimed at Ontario online casino affiliates who focus on entering into partnerships with in Ontario licensed gambling providers. The online casino affiliate is required to comply with all the points below.

1.     Channelling objectives

• The affiliate shall not advertise or promote the offer of in Ontario unlicensed operators.
• The affiliate shall not advertise bonusses, not have call-to-actions, not rate, and shall not directly link or show an URL of the website of in Ontario unlicensed operators.

2.     Responsible advertising

• The affiliate shall never aim their advertising activities at persons that have not reached the age of 19 and shall be mindful of the design of their marketing activities, as not to directly or indirectly target persons that have not reached the age of 19.
• The affiliate shall add a 19+ characteristic to every webpage of their website and to any marketing activities on social media. The characteristic shall be clearly identifiable and visible to the visitor and must be accompanied with a responsible gambling message.
• The affiliate shall not aversely influence excluded persons or high-risk persons in a way that may convince or encourage them to gamble, discourage them from self-exclusion or target them in any marketing activity advertising games of chance.

3.     Careful and balanced design

• The affiliate shall not advertise gambling in uncertain or mislead terms and shall be clear about the nature, workings, prizes, risks and odds of a gambling offer.
• The affiliate shall not imply or state that the consumer may have a predominant influence on the outcome of a game of chance, or that the outcome may be influenced in any other way other than chance (with the exception of where this is possible such as poker and blackjack), this includes in any case not implying that the chances of winning increase the longer one plays or the more one spends.
• The affiliate shall not use aggressive or coercive tactics to pressure visitors, such as using high-pressure sales tactics or showing advertising with a countdown.
• The affiliate shall not claim that gambling is risk free and will not downplay any fees or charges associated with gambling.
• The affiliate shall not encourage excessive or irresponsible gambling behavior.
• The affiliate shall not claim that gambling can serve as a remedy for financial, personal issues or social issues.
• In case an opt-in for direct advertising is provided by the affiliate in regards of advertising gambling, a clear opt-out must be given. This opt-out must always be easily accessible and may not be unnecessary cumbersome to withdraw consent for the opt-in.

4.     Contributing to responsible gaming

• The affiliate shall share information and the means to get help with gambling addiction. This information must be accessible from every webpage of the website of the affiliate, and must include:

• How games work and about common misconceptions;
• Lower risk gaming behaviors including how responsible gambling tools work;
• Gaming harms;
• Information about financial and time-based gaming limits and self-exclusion programs;
• The variety of support services available to players, including information and support services available to players that may provide specialized information (e.g., self-assessment, and play management tools).