BetMGM has renewed its partnership with Connor McDavid, keeping the Edmonton Oilers star in responsible-gambling advertising across Canada. McDavid, a three-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner, joined the operator’s ambassador roster in March 2022.
Under the agreement, he will appear in content on broadcast, digital and social platforms promoting BetMGM’s player-protection tools. The company said the campaign would seek new audiences and markets while continuing to highlight deposit and stake limits, time-outs and self-exclusion options, which are available in its app.
The renewal follows BetMGM’s “Mullet Over” campaign, launched in December 2025 and featuring McDavid alongside former NHL player and actor Terry Ryan. The hockey-themed advertisements urged disciplined wagering habits. BetMGM said the campaign contributed to a 27% year-over-year increase in the number of accounts with deposit limits.
The company did not disclose the number of accounts with limits before that increase. GamblingHarm.org also said the announcement offered no evidence that the campaign had reduced gambling-related harm, including whether customers lost less money, encountered fewer financial problems or meaningfully cut their gambling.
BetMGM described the growth in limit-setting as evidence that messaging can encourage players to use controls within their comfort level. It also offers GameSense, a responsible-gambling resource developed and licensed by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation and integrated into BetMGM’s mobile and desktop platforms.
The broader evidence on limit-setting is more qualified. A comparative policy review of 30 European countries found that 27 had some form of gambling limit, with deposit limits available in 18. It concluded that limits can reduce money and time spent gambling among people who set them, but said the long-term effects had not been established and that effectiveness depends on policy design and implementation. Deposit limits cap the amount a customer may deposit over a defined period.
Critics have also challenged athlete-led responsible-gambling advertising. GamblingHarm.org said the World Health Organization and Canadian medical experts have criticized such messaging, and cited a Canadian Medical Journal Association article referring to a systematic review of 166 studies that found warnings to gamble responsibly ineffective. The same article said Ontario’s Alcohol and Gaming Commission banned online gambling advertisements featuring athletes and celebrities in 2024, while advertisements featuring celebrity athletes promoting responsible-gaming features appeared within days of the ban.
BetMGM is available in 31 markets through mobile and retail products. A third responsible-gambling advertisement featuring McDavid is scheduled to begin airing soon.
