Canada Sports Betting Ad Ban Clears Senate Committee
A federal bill aiming to restrict sports betting advertising in Canada has taken a step forward after being passed by the Senate transport and communications committee. The committee’s approval, which came during a brief, 45-second hearing without debate, brings the proposed legislation closer to becoming law, despite opposition from major sports leagues.
Bill S-211 mandates that the government investigate measures to restrict Canada sports betting advertisements nationwide. It is also not the first time the Senate has considered such a bill. A similar version passed last November, but lapsed following the prorogation of Parliament in January 2025.
Senator Marty Deacon, who introduced the bill, expressed concern about the consequences of the federal government's 2021 decision to legalize single-event sports betting, stating that it makes no sense for the government to wait until the problems worsen before taking action. She added that the surge in advertising has exceeded her expectations.
If passed, the legislation would represent the first coordinated federal effort to rein in gambling and sports betting promos in Canada, an area currently regulated at the provincial level. Currently, the only large-scale regulated scene with access to our best sports betting sites is the Ontario sports betting market. Alberta sports betting may become a reality, as the government has looked into expanding its model to match Ontario's.
Health experts warn of impact on youth
The bill’s progress comes against a backdrop of growing concerns about the health impact of gambling, particularly among the young.
In a recent editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), Dr. Shannon Charlebois and Dr. Shawn Kelly argue that the current advertising environment is contributing to an emerging public health issue.
“The legalization of online gambling has made every smartphone a potential betting platform,” said Charlebois, who works as a family physician.
Dr. Kelly, an adolescent addiction specialist, shared his own concerns, noting that even if gambling ads aren’t aimed at youth, children still absorb their messages. In the editorial, he explains that he has been seeing increasing numbers of young patients involved in gambling behaviours, including using their parents' credit cards to place online bets.
A recent report by the McCreary Centre Society also found an uptick in youth gambling activity since 2018. Kelly says the stigma around gambling addiction means many cases go unnoticed, but associated harms, including substance use, delinquency, and suicidality, are growing.
Another medical expert, Dr. Nigel Turner, a scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, told a Canadian news channel that most people who have gambling problems later in life start before the age of 19.
