A Canadian lawmaker is renewing his efforts to implement a national Canada sports betting ad framework.
Sen. Marty Deacon last week reintroduced Bill S-211, “An Act respecting a national framework on sports betting advertising.” A previous effort stalled after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned, marking the end of the legislative session.
The bill would require the establishment of a national framework for sports betting ads in Canada.
Previous Canada sports betting ad effort
Deacon previously introduced S-269 in 2023. That bill passed the Senate in November and moved on to the House of Commons.
There were multiple hearings on the legislation in the summer and fall on the issue.
“Let’s start with what this legislation won’t do,” Sen. Marty Deacon told the chamber at the first sitting. “It will not ban gambling ads completely … What this bill would do instead is require the Minister of Canadian Heritage to develop a national framework on the advertising of sports betting.”
The framework could include restrictions on the number, scope and location of sports betting advertisements. It could also limit the use of celebrities and athletes in the ads.
Ads already shrinking
During hearings last year, industry stakeholders told lawmakers the ads were already shrinking in size.
Research group ThinkTV said out of 28,000 ads reviewed in 2024, 189 were gambling-related. In 2022, there were 442 gambling-related ads.
The Canadian Gaming Association and the nonprofit Ad Standards also said they are working on a code for operators.
There was growing opposition to Deacon’s legislation, including letters from the NFL and NHL.
Ontario provides advertising model
Ontario sports betting already has some of the strongest advertising guidelines in North America. Regulators also fine-tuned those rules, banning the use of celebrities and athletes.
Ontario regulators fined multiple operators for violating advertising rules after the April 2022 commercial online gambling launch in the province.
Alberta, which is preparing to be the second open gambling market in the country, is modeling its industry framework on Ontario, so it will likely carry similar advertising restrictions.
