Casino

Avoiding Scams: How To Identify Fake Online Casino Ads

By Drew Ellis

Published: Jul 31st, 2026 · 3:11 PM EDT

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As technology has advanced, so have the creative nature of scam artists.

When it comes to online casinos, more and more scam artists are trying to lure unsuspecting people into their trap by promoting fake iGaming ads or fake online casinos altogether.

These false promotions are efforts to get financial information from users, or get someone looking to play an legal online casino to their unregulated and offshore casino platform.

Clicking on these fake ads can lead to identity theft, phishing attacks, viruses and more.

If you’re in a legal online casino state, there’s some important characteristics to look for before looking to click on an ad that comes across your social media feed.

What are the Legal Online Casinos?

The first step to avoiding a scam is knowing what is actually legal in your state.

If you are looking for available Pennsylvania online casinos, there are 24 legal and regulated operators. You can find the full list through the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s list of approved operators.

The same applies for New Jersey online casinos. The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement lists 29 different approved and legal operators for online gaming on their website.

What Fake Online Casino Ads Tend to Promote

Now that you know what online casinos are legal in the respective states, here’s some of the key characteristics scam artists try to use to fool you online.

Creating a Fake Online Casino

One thing scam artists will do is promote an online casino that doesn’t actually exist.

They will take a real casino in New Jersey or Pennsylvania and claim that they have now opened up their own iGaming platform.

These ads will then ask for your financial information, or take you to an offshore online casino that doesn’t provide protections for players.

An example would be if an ad promoting a new Valley Forge Casino Resort online platform popped up. Valley Forge already has an online casino partner in Stardust Casino. Valley Forge will not offer its own iGaming platform in its own name as long as it has this partnership.

Unrealistic Bonus Offers

Welcome offers are a big part of online casinos and there’s plenty of great PA online casino bonus codes and NJ online casino bonuses.

But, scam artists will look to hook a unsuspecting user by promoting an over-the-top bonus offer to a real online casino that doesn’t exist.

If you see anything that seems too good to be true, it probably is.

These fake ads usually offer large amounts of bonus cash without any wagering requirements, or thousands of free bonus spins.

With the evolution of AI, these fake bonus ads look more and more realistic each day.

Promoting Legal Gambling in a Non-Legal State

There are only eight states that have legalized online casinos and only seven currently offering iGaming. Those states are Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island.

Any ad promoting legal online casino gaming in a state other than these seven is a scam.

How to Spot a Fake Online Casino Ad

Aside from those two big characteristics, there are some other little things to look for in an iGaming ad that will help you determine if it is fake or not.

• Look for regulator/licensing info: Each online casino ad that is real and legal will be required to feature the symbol of the regulator in that given state. Look for the state logo. If it is missing, it’s not real.
• Responsible Gaming messaging: Similarly, each ad promoting online casinos is required by its state to have certain responsible gaming messaging that details the dangers of gambling and providing a hotline to call if you’re exhibiting signs of problem gambling. If the ad doesn’t include this, it’s a scam.
• Proper grammar: Scam artists will make a slight spelling error within the name of the online casino to try and fool people. Make sure nothing looks suspicious. If DraftKings is spelled “DraftKinngs” that can be a big red flag.
• Check the link: Before clicking on any advertising link, hover over the ad and see what that ad lists for the web address you will be taken to. If the link doesn’t include the name of the online casino, or doesn’t match up to what is listed on the ad, it’s likely a scam.

If you’ve checked all these boxes and you still aren’t sure if an ad is real or not, DON’T CLICK ON IT. You can always go directly to visiting the online casino website or app and see if they list the offer there. You don’t need to be in a hurry. One simple click can lead to some big mistakes if you aren’t paying attention.