Affiliate advertising rules in ten regulated markets

The one rule that applies everywhere

In all ten of these markets the licensed operator, not the affiliate, is the party the regulator pursues. The affiliate publishes the breach. The operator pays for it. Ontario made this concrete in March 2025 when the AGCO fined BetMGM Canada CAD $110,000 for inducement advertising run by its affiliate, Above the Street.

If you need to check this across every market at once, see how Kaspero handles gambling affiliate compliance.

Bonus advertising is where most affiliate pages fail

Bonus and inducement rules diverge more sharply between markets than any other category, and they are the rules affiliate content breaks most often. A page written for the UK will fail in Ontario, Brazil, Spain and Italy without a single word changing.

United Kingdom, Gambling Commission

Instruments: Gambling Act 2005, LCCP, CAP Code (non-broadcast) and BCAP Code enforced by the ASA.

• HIGH. Every operator named must hold a remote operating licence. Cross-reference each brand against the public register. One unlicensed operator on the page is enough. Gambling Act 2005, s.33.
• HIGH. No appeal to under-18s, and watch under-25s. Imagery, language and placement. Under-25 appeal is a specific ASA enforcement focus. CAP 16.3.12, BCAP 17.4.5.
• HIGH. Significant bonus terms must be visible with the headline. Wagering requirements, restrictions and withdrawal limits. Tooltip-only or asterisk-buried terms fail. CAP 16.
• HIGH. "Free bet" and "risk-free" claims are heavily restricted. The ASA has ruled repeatedly against "no risk" and "free of charge" claims where conditions attach. CAP 16.3.5.
• MEDIUM. Affiliate content must be marked as advertising. #ad or Sponsored, enforced aggressively in the influencer space. CAP Code and CMA hidden-advertising guidance.
• MEDIUM. GAMSTOP and BeGambleAware references. Helpline 0808 8020 133. More serious on an operator-controlled page. LCCP social responsibility code 5.

Liability: the licensed operator is strictly liable for affiliate marketing carried out on its behalf. LCCP 1.1.2.

For a monitoring routine built on these rules, see UKGC affiliate compliance.

Germany, GGL

Instruments: Gluecksspielstaatsvertrag 2021, GGL Werberichtlinie, UWG, TMG section 6.

• HIGH. Operator must appear on the current GGL whitelist, checked per product type: sportsbook, virtual slots or online poker. Section 5 Abs. 7 GluStV 2021.
• HIGH. Affiliate links must resolve to the licensed German storefront. A .com mirror is a breach, a mixed set of links is a partial one.
• HIGH. Mandatory BZgA addiction-help reference. check-dein-spiel.de and the hotline 0800 1 37 27 00. Footer placement is acceptable if visible without deep scrolling. Section 7 GluStV.
• HIGH. No promise of winnings or easy-money framing. Section 5 Abs. 2 GluStV.
• HIGH. 18+ marker must be prominent. Section 4 Abs. 3 GluStV.
• MEDIUM. Superlatives need a disclosed methodology. "Beste Wettanbieter 2026" requires transparent criteria on the page. Section 5a UWG.
• MEDIUM. Werbekennzeichnung. Commissioned content must be marked "Werbung" or "Anzeige". A footer disclaimer does not cover a comparison table that reads as editorial. Section 6 TMG.
• MEDIUM. Do not contradict the cross-provider deposit cap. Bonus headlines must not imply the 1,000 euro monthly cross-provider limit can be avoided. Section 6c GluStV.

Ontario, Canada, AGCO and iGaming Ontario

Instruments: Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming (amendments effective 28 February 2024), Criminal Code s.201 to 207, Ad Standards Canada.

• HIGH. Public advertising of bonuses, inducements and credits is prohibited. Permitted only on the operator's own gaming site, or by direct marketing to a player who gave active informed consent. A comparison page publishing "100% up to $500" or an exclusive bonus code fails. The inducement is legal, publishing it is not. Standard 2.05.
• HIGH. Only AGCO-registered operators may be advertised to Ontario players. Registration plus a live iGO operating agreement. Standard 1.21.
• HIGH. Athletes may not be used in gambling advertising, active or retired, with a narrow exception where the athlete appears exclusively to advocate responsible gambling. Celebrities and influencers likely to appeal to minors are also prohibited, with no follower threshold. Standard 2.03.
• HIGH. No appeal to minors, high-risk or self-excluded players. Cartoon or gamified styling, youth-skewed slang, placement beside youth content. Standard 2.03.
• MEDIUM. Responsible-gambling messaging and ConnexOntario, 1-866-531-2600.

Liability: the registered operator is responsible for its third-party suppliers, marketing affiliates included, and must contractually bind them to Ontario standards. Standard 1.21.

Outside Ontario, online gambling is a provincial monopoly. A private operator advertised to players in British Columbia, Quebec or the Atlantic provinces has no lawful basis to advertise there at all, which becomes the lead finding. Alberta is building a comparable open market but it is not yet live.

Brazil, SPA and Ministerio da Fazenda

Instruments: Lei 14.790/2023, Portaria SPA/MF 1.231/2024, CONAR Anexo X. Regulated market opened 1 January 2025.

• HIGH. Welcome and sign-up bonuses may not be advertised. "Bonus de boas-vindas", "bonus de cadastro" and first-deposit matches all fail. Incentives to existing registered users are treated differently, so the failing signal is the acquisition framing.
• HIGH. Betting may not be presented as income, investment or success. "Renda extra", "invista", "ganho garantido". The most common affiliate breach in this market. Portaria SPA/MF 1.231/2024, CONAR Anexo X.
• HIGH. Only SPA-authorised operators, on a .bet.br domain. A .com or offshore brand promoted to Brazilian players fails. Lei 14.790/2023.
• HIGH. No targeting of minors or vulnerable groups, including channels where under-18s are the majority audience.
• MEDIUM. 18+ mark and responsible-gambling messaging on every communication.

Liability: the licensee is fully accountable for all affiliate and influencer advertising under its brand. CONAR cannot fine, but has repeatedly ordered removal of non-compliant betting ads through 2025.

Sweden, Spelinspektionen

Instruments: Spellagen (2018:1138), Marknadsforingslagen, Spelinspektionen guidance on mattfull marknadsforing.

• HIGH. Bonus offers are limited to the first welcome offer. Recurring offers to existing customers are heavily restricted. Spellagen 14:9.
• HIGH. Every operator must hold a Spelinspektionen licence.
• HIGH. No appeal to minors or vulnerable groups. Spellagen 15:2.
• MEDIUM. Advertising must be moderate. The mattfull standard, sharpened in the 2023 and 2024 amendments. Hard CTAs, oversized bonus headlines and "best of" superlatives push past it. Medium alone, high in combination. Spellagen 15:1.
• MEDIUM. Spelpaus and Stodlinjen references. spelpaus.se and 020-81 91 00.

Netherlands, Kansspelautoriteit

Instruments: Wet op de kansspelen, Besluit Krk, Regeling werving reclame en verslavingspreventie, KSA beleidsregels.

• HIGH. Untargeted online advertising is banned. Advertising must be targeted, with a 95% non-vulnerable audience filter and 24+ targeting. An open affiliate page with no audience filter is a default breach. This is the rule that catches most affiliate content in the Dutch market. art. 2 lid 1 Besluit Krk.
• HIGH. Role models, athletes and celebrities are prohibited for risky games of chance. art. 2 lid 3 Besluit Krk.
• HIGH. Prescribed addiction-prevention text, "Wat kost gokken jou? Stop op tijd. 18+", with the Loket Kansspel reference.
• HIGH. Cruks self-exclusion reference. art. 4 lid 5 Besluit Krk.
• MEDIUM. The 18 to 24 group is treated as vulnerable. Targeted advertising must filter that band out.

Context: the KSA ran a sweeping crackdown on untargeted online advertising through 2024 and 2025, with fines into seven figures for major operators.

Spain, DGOJ

Instruments: Ley 13/2011, Real Decreto 958/2020 (RDCC), Ley 34/2002 (LSSI).

• HIGH. Bonuses may only be advertised to customers registered 30 days or more. Any "bono de bienvenida" or "bono sin deposito" aimed at the open public is a default breach. This makes a conventional affiliate landing page non-compliant by construction. art. 13 RDCC.
• HIGH. Celebrity and athlete endorsement is banned, any figure of high public recognition. art. 25 RDCC.
• HIGH. Prescribed responsible-gambling disclaimers, including jugarbien.es and the addiction helpline. art. 26 RDCC.
• HIGH. No appeal to minors. art. 8 and 11 RDCC.
• MEDIUM. Commercial communication must be identifiable, plus an RGIAJ self-exclusion reference. LSSI art. 20.

Italy, ADM

Instruments: D.L. 87/2018 (Decreto Dignita) art. 9, TUSMA, AGCOM regulations.

• HIGH. Gambling advertising is banned in any form, direct or indirect. The strictest regime in the EU. An affiliate review page naming operators and bonus offers sits inside the prohibited scope by default. The page is the violation. Narrow carve-outs exist for state lottery games and where professional rules require, neither of which reaches private operators or affiliate content. art. 9 D.L. 87/2018.
• HIGH. Only ADM concession holders may operate. Naming a non-licensed operator compounds the breach.
• MEDIUM. RUA self-exclusion reference on lawful product pages.

Denmark, Spillemyndigheden

Instruments: Lov om spil, Bekendtgorelse om markedsforing af spil, Markedsforingsloven.

• HIGH. ROFUS self-exclusion reference. Absence is a high-severity finding and one of Spillemyndigheden's stated priorities. Section 30 lov om spil.
• HIGH. Bonus terms at the same prominence as the headline. Also an active enforcement priority.
• HIGH. Licensed operators only, and a visible 18+ restriction.
• MEDIUM. StopSpillet helpline 70 22 28 25, and affiliate disclosure.

France, ANJ

Instruments: Loi 2010-476, Code de la securite interieure, Decret 2020-494.

• HIGH. Online casino is not a licensed product in France. Only sports betting, horse racing and poker are licensable. Any page promoting an online casino brand to French players fails before a single content rule is applied. Loi 2010-476.
• HIGH. The prescribed health warning must appear verbatim, including the 09-74-75-13-13 helpline. art. 7 decret 2020-494.
• HIGH. No targeting of minors or under-25s. An active ANJ focus. art. 7 loi 2010-476.
• MEDIUM. Bonus advertising restrictions and affiliate disclosure, plus a Joueurs-info-service reference.

Three things that follow from the table

1. One page cannot serve every market. A UK-compliant bonus page is a Standard 2.05 breach in Ontario, an art. 13 breach in Spain, a banned welcome offer in Brazil and an art. 9 violation in Italy. Geo-targeting is a compliance control, not a marketing preference.
2. The expiry date on an offer is a compliance question. In every market here, an affiliate advertising a bonus the operator no longer runs is a misleading-advertising finding, on top of whatever bonus rules apply.
3. Contractual language is not a defence. The UK, Ontario and Brazil all state explicitly that delegating advertising to an affiliate does not transfer the operator's responsibility for it.