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Charlottetown Sen. Percy Downe and Waterloo Sen. Marty Deacon recently called for a nationwide ban on sportsbetting ads.
In their letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, the two senators urged the federal government to direct the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to impose a nationwide ban on all advertisements for sports betting websites and apps. The petition, backed by 40 other Canadian senators, cites constant exposure to these ads as a public health concern. The petition says the ads encourage people of all ages to gamble and transform smartphones into what the senators call a ‘pocket-sized casino.’
“People of all ages (are) exposed to a constant stream of advertisements promising a ‘premium gaming experience’ and urging them to turn their phone into a pocket-sized casino,” the petition letter says. People of all ages (are) exposed to a constant stream of advertisements promising a ‘premium gaming experience’ and urging them to turn their phone into a pocket-sized casino,” said the petition letter.
“We are asking for a ban on all advertising for sports gambling apps and websites. Such a measure would be similar to the advertising ban for cigarettes, and for the same reason: to address a public health problem.”
Sports Betting Ads Overload
Since 2021 when Bill C-218 legalized single-event sports wagering in Canada, sports betting ads have saturated sports broadcasts. Proving this, a recent study from CBC Marketplace revealed that sports betting ads account for about 21% of sports broadcast runtime.
Another study from CBC Marketplace and UK researchers highlights that sports fans watch sports betting ads about three times every minute during televised matches. Further escalating the risk of problem gambling is the ability to bet on smaller-scale events rather than the standard game results.
Now, you can bet on who will score in the next five minutes or even who will be the next substitution in a match. This level of access lures even more people to gamble, with some experiencing negative consequences.
What is the New Bill S-211 Proposing?
Sen. Marty Deacon introduced Bill S-211 earlier this year after a previous version, Bill S-269, failed on the Order Paper in the House after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned back in January 2025.
Introduced in June 2023, the previous bill sought that the Minister of Canadian Heritage would create the new gambling advertising framework after working with the cabinet, provinces, and other stakeholders. This would include, in addition to banning participation of personalities in such ads, restrictions on the scope, number, and location of sports betting ads. It passed in the Senate in November 2024, before it died on Order of Paper after Parliament prorogued.
Deacon reignited these discussions again with Bill S-211 during his legislation in the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications. The bill consists of the very same recommendations that the previous bill had. That includes:
- The federal government should create a tighter framework around sports betting ads.
- A national approach to promoting safer play and preventing problem gambling.
- A CRTC review of its policies in terms of reducing harm related to widespread sports betting ads.
Owing to previous discussions held last year, Bill S-211 moved to the third reading in the Senate.
“We need a common approach, a national standard similar to alcohol, similar to tobacco ads, that is not patchwork. And that’s why the government has to take the lead on this,” Deacon said in an interview on the Morning Edition with host Craig Norris.
Mental Health Professionals Chime In
Sen. Deacon is using a new editorial on the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) to further advance Bill S-211—not that it needs any further promoting, as Canadians and politicians are tired of the rampant sports betting ads every other minute.
The new editorial says Canada’s youth, as young as Grade 7 students, are being harmed. It says the aggressive ads associated with sports betting aim to normalise a harmful activity. Despite official age restrictions, the youth are participating in gambling and are actively using betting platforms.
Further highlighting the risks posed to young people by the saturation of sports betting messages, Halifax counselling therapist Elizabeth Stephen says professional sports are completely associated with gambling nowadays.
“Youth, I mean, their brains and their interests are developing, they’re highly influenced. I don’t know how you could possibly watch sports and not be influenced, ” said Stephen on a Zoom call.
She also noted that one client told her, “I can’t watch sports, it’s too triggering. It’s just constant exposure.”
Framework or Ban
Even though not an outright ban, Stephen suggests guidelines around sports betting advertising should be put in place with immediacy. Agreeing with the petition, Sean Casey, Charlottetown MP, said that while Bill S-211 seeks to create regulations around sports betting advertising, the petition from Downe and Deacon proposes a complete ban on sports betting ads within Canada’s state lines.
“I’m not opposed to it being eliminated altogether, but if it could be reduced by 90 per cent so that they don’t advertise sports betting any more than they advertise cars or breakfast cereal, I’d be fine with that,” said Casey.
What This Means for Alberta’s Soon-to-Launch iGaming Rollout
Sports betting advertising in Canada has been facing a lot of backlash over the years. And with Alberta set to open its commercial online gambling scene early 2026, legislators are forced to take into account a possible gambling advertising overload before this happens
Truth is, it would probably be in the best interest of Alberta lawmakers to limit the volume, time, and content of gambling ads. And given the current state of gambling advertising in Canada, the odds that they will do so are highly probable.
We’re likely to see the provincial government, through the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) Commission, establish proactive laws to protect their players as well as vulnerable groups from the unintended consequence of predatory ads. As much as big players might complain about it, slowing down or banning the ads will ultimately benefit the industry and, more importantly, Albertan gamblers.
