Deepfake Davies Ad Steers Albertans to Unlicensed Casino

A deepfake Instagram ad built around the family of Canadian soccer player Alphonso Davies sent viewers to Oxibet, a gambling site based in Comoros that isn’t registered in Alberta. The province has 31 registered online gambling sites, and Oxibet isn’t one of them.

The ad was posted on Friday, September 11, by an advertiser calling itself Prime Spin Zone, and the Edmonton Journal reported it the following Monday. It shows an AI version of Davies’ father being arrested by Edmonton police, then a vault full of cash, then his release once officers supposedly realize the money came from legal gambling. The fake father then tells viewers to play at the same casino. An AI Drake adds his own endorsement.

Davies’ Camp Calls It Lies

Nedal Huoseh, Davies’ agent, called the ad “lies” and said he wants to go after whoever made it. “They don’t gamble,” Huoseh said of the family. “And Alphonso does not do anything with betting or gambling sites whatsoever. As well, nothing with alcohol and cannabis.”

He was just as blunt about the technology. “It’s a big problem we have to deal with,” Huoseh said. “The problem with AI is that there are no regulations in place.”

It isn’t the first time the Davies name has been borrowed. In June 2023, TSN reported that Huoseh demanded the removal of an Instagram ad featuring Davies without consent, and said his image was “routinely used” without permission. That one was a photograph. This time it’s a talking deepfake of his father.

Regulators Point Players to the Logo

Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis, the provincial regulator, said it knows about this kind of scam. An AGLC spokesperson said: “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.” The regulator reviews incidents like this case by case and may refer them to law enforcement.

A spokesperson for the Alberta iGaming Corporation confirmed it knew about the ad. “This type of illegal activity is why it’s so important for Albertans to understand the regulated market, and to be able to identify a regulated iGaming site should they choose to gamble,” the AiGC spokesperson said. Registered operators have to display the AiGC logo in their advertising, and their marketing has to point people to responsible gambling support, including 211 Alberta.

Why Davies Couldn’t Legally Front an Ad Anyway

The ad breaks a rule a licensed operator couldn’t break either. Alberta bars celebrity athletes from promoting casinos or sportsbooks. They can only appear in ads about responsible gambling, which is why Connor McDavid’s “mullet over” campaign for BetMGM Alberta is about thinking twice before a bet rather than placing one.

A Market Built to Pull Players Onshore

Alberta opened its regulated online market on July 13, the second Canadian province to launch a regulated iGaming market. The registered sites pay 20% of their revenue to the province. Before the Alberta iGaming launch, Dale Nally, Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, estimated that Play Alberta, then the only legal site, took in only about 30% of the money Albertans spent gambling online.

The offshore sites haven’t gone quiet since. Gravira, a Curaçao site, has run attack ads against bet365, which is legal in the province, and another Curaçao site, Lucky Falls, claims it pays out faster than the licensed operators. Nally didn’t hold back. “These are predatory, illegal gambling sites that are trying to take advantage of Albertans,” he said. “They play by no rules, offer no protections and should be avoided at all costs.”

Fake Ads Came Before the Market Did

Alberta’s fraud problem predates legal iGaming. In January 2024 the AGLC warned about fake apps and social media ads impersonating the province’s land-based casinos, noting that none of Alberta’s 29 casinos or racing entertainment centers was licensed for online gaming at the time. In 2025 an ad aimed at River Cree Resort & Casino used digitally altered video of former CityNews journalist Baily Nitti.

“To see yourself on that, being used in a way where your voice is saying something you never said is scary,” Nitti told CityNews at the time. Chuck Keeling, executive vice president at Great Canadian Entertainment, called the fight against fake ads “a game of Whac-A-Mole.”

The province can’t turn off the internet, so the advice is simple. Look for the AiGC logo and check the AGLC’s list of approved operators before you deposit. Oxibet isn’t on it.