Canadian Senator’s Bill to Curb Sports Betting Ads Sparks Industry Pushback
Canada faces a looming showdown over sports-betting ads as Sen. Marty Deacon’s Bill S-211 pushes youth protections while the industry argues for tighter provincial, data-driven rules and warns of offshore migration.
A renewed push to restrain sports gambling advertising in Canada is drawing a sharp response from the industry. It also sets up a policy clash over how far lawmakers should go to protect young people from problem gambling.
What Bill S-211 Proposes
Independent Senator Marty Deacon, who represents the Waterloo region, advocates for Bill S-211. The legislation would significantly limit the visibility of sports betting promotions across television, digital platforms, and in-venue placements. Deacon argues the current ad environment “normalises a known harmful behaviour” among youth and calls for a unified national standard akin to restrictions governing alcohol and tobacco marketing.
Public-Health Concerns
Public-health voices have amplified those concerns. Writing in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), Dr. Shannon Charlebois cited clinical cases involving teens who used parents’ credit cards to wager online, underscoring the risks for adolescents predisposed to risk-taking. Deacon’s bill would ban the use of celebrities and athletes in gambling ads and tighten rules around when and where promotions can run, including during live sports broadcasts.
Industry Response
The Canadian Gaming Association (CGA), representing online casino gambling operators, pushed back this week against the CMAJ editorial and the growing calls for a federal framework. In a statement, the association said robust safeguards are already in place. It argued that prohibition-style measures would only drive Canadians toward unregulated offshore sites that offer no consumer protections. “While gambling can have risks, its impact depends on regulation and individual circumstances,” the CGA said, adding that it has urged provinces to strengthen frameworks to address unlicensed operators.
Pointing to Ontario, the CGA noted that the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) requires compliance with more than 20 gambling advertising rules. Meanwhile, broadcasters and leagues have limited how and when spots appear.
Deacon, for her part, says the combination of always-on betting apps and pervasive incentives is producing societal harm that warrants swift legislative action. Bill S-211, she added, is awaiting committee consideration following a federal election pause, with hopes to re-table it in the Senate in early October.
The advertising debate is unfolding alongside heightened federal scrutiny of compliance across the sector. The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre (FINTRAC) recently issued a series of penalties, including a $1,175,000 fine to the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority for alleged reporting and compliance failures under anti-money-laundering rules.
What’s at Stake
As lawmakers weigh next steps, the policy choice is narrowing to two competing narratives: a public-health-first push for national ad limits versus an industry case for tighter, data-driven regulation within the existing provincial framework. The outcome will shape what Canadians see on their screens and how young people encounter gambling in the months ahead.