# Can you trust sportsbook review sites, or are they paid to rank operators? > What a reader can see about payment on sportsbook review pages: where the disclosure sits, what the Competition Bureau and CGA Code say, and how to check. Source: https://reviewstandings.com/are-review-sites-paid-to-rank/ Updated: 2026-11-13 As of 2026-11-13 a reader cannot see from a page whether a sportsbook review site is paid, but can see where it discloses a commercial link. The Competition Bureau says material connections should be disclosed, and a link or promo code alone is not enough. The count of reviews with disclosure near the top is not yet published. ## What a reader can and cannot see A page cannot prove that money did or did not change a ranking. It can show four things: whether a commercial relationship is disclosed, where the note sits, whether the wording names a commission, and whether a method is linked. We therefore do not call any review "paid" or "unpaid". We record placement. A note at the top, before the first link to an operator, tells you something before you act. A note in the footer tells you after. **Verdict:** not yet determined, because the placement count across the reviews we read is not complete. ## Placement across the reviews we read The count is filled from [the reviewer matrix](https://reviewstandings.com/reviewer-matrix/). We take "top" to mean the upper third of the page and "bottom" anything lower. **Disclosure placement in the reviews read · source: the review pages · status as of 2026-11-13** | Placement | Number of reviews | Share of N reviews | |---|---|---| | Near the top, before the first operator link | Not published | Not published | | At the bottom of the page | Not published | Not published | | No disclosure found | Not published | Not published | | Reviews read in total (N, at least 12) | Not published | Not published | Placement is a snapshot. A page can add or move its note, so each count carries the date it was read. ## What the rules say - **Competition Bureau Canada.** It advises disclosing material connections, and says a link to an affiliate page or a promo code is not by itself enough. Source: its page on influencer marketing and the Competition Act, dated 2022-01-19. - **CGA Code.** The Code for Responsible Gaming Advertising, in force from January 2026 and administered by Ad Standards, treats an affiliate as an advertiser. - **AGCO.** On 2025-03-26 the AGCO issued a decision on BetMGM Canada about inducements offered through affiliates. The decision is explained, once, on [what Ontario's advertising standards mean for readers of review sites](https://reviewstandings.com/agco-advertising-rules-and-review-sites/); the amounts and counts stay there. Whether these rules apply to a given review site is a question for a lawyer, and we do not state it here. **Verdict:** the sources agree that connections should be disclosed; whether a given page does so is for the count above to show. ## Our own funding Review Standings is subject to the same questions. How this site is funded: [how this site is funded: to be supplied by the owner]. The advertising disclosure sits on [the advertising disclosure page](https://reviewstandings.com/advertising-disclosure/). Commission does not set the order of any table on this site. The order follows published criteria. ## What we could not check - Contracts between a review site and an operator: they are not public. - Whether a ranking would differ without commissions. - Pages behind a login or a regional block as of 2026-11-13. ## How to check this yourself 1. Before you click any operator link, scroll to find a note about commissions. 2. Read whether it says plainly that the site earns when you register. 3. Look for a method page that explains how the order is decided. 4. Check whether the same brand sits first in many lists at the same site. 5. Take any brand to the registry of your province before you open an account. A longer list is in [ten checks for a sportsbook review](https://reviewstandings.com/ten-checks-for-a-sportsbook-review/). How sites earn is in [how review sites make money](https://reviewstandings.com/how-review-sites-make-money/). Gambling involves risk. Play responsibly. ## Sources - Competition Bureau Canada, influencer marketing and the Competition Act (2022-01-19): [https://competition-bureau.canada.ca/en/deceptive-marketing-practices/types-deceptive-marketing-practices/influencer-marketing-and-competition-act](https://competition-bureau.canada.ca/en/deceptive-marketing-practices/types-deceptive-marketing-practices/influencer-marketing-and-competition-act) - CGA Code for Responsible Gaming Advertising, Ad Standards: [https://adstandards.ca/wp-content/uploads/CGA-Code-for-Responsible-Gaming-Advertising-2025-10-24.pdf](https://adstandards.ca/wp-content/uploads/CGA-Code-for-Responsible-Gaming-Advertising-2025-10-24.pdf) - AGCO news release of 2025-03-26 on BetMGM Canada, explained on our AGCO page. ## What changed - 2026-11-13: first version; the count of placements is still to be filled. ## FAQ **Can you tell from a page whether a review site is paid by the operators it ranks?** Not directly. What you can see is whether the page discloses a commercial link, where that note sits and how plainly it is worded. We count these placements across the reviews we read. **What does the Competition Bureau say about disclosure?** It says material connections should be disclosed, and that a link to an affiliate page or a promo code alone is not enough. Its influencer marketing page is dated 2022-01-19. **How does the CGA Code treat affiliates?** The CGA Code for Responsible Gaming Advertising treats an affiliate as an advertiser. It applies from January 2026 and is administered by Ad Standards. **Did the regulator act on affiliate marketing?** On 2025-03-26 the AGCO issued a decision on BetMGM Canada about inducements offered through affiliates. The detail and the figures are on our AGCO advertising page. **Is Review Standings paid by sportsbooks?** How this site is funded will be stated on the advertising disclosure page. The funding fact is to be supplied by the owner and is not yet published.