Canada's chamber of sober second thought is about to take another hard look at imposing nationwide restrictions on online sportsbook advertising.
- Legislation proposing to put national restrictions on advertising for online sportsbooks is making progress in Canada's Senate.
- The bill, similar to one that made progress last year, would identify ways to limit sportsbook ads, instead of banning them outright.
- S-211 is now headed to the Senate's transport and communications committee for further study.
Ontario Sen. Marty Deacon’s Bill S-211, the National Framework on Sports Betting Advertising Act, received its second reading last Thursday and was referred to the chamber's Standing Committee on Transport and Communications.
While Deacon has said a total ban on ads was her “initial aspiration, approach and dream,” legal questions about whether the potential harm of marketing mobile sports wagering approaches something like that of tobacco prompted a more nuanced approach with the legislation.
Zero chill (allegedly)
Even so, the proposed law would require the federal government to craft Canada-wide restrictions for the marketing of online sportsbooks, including ways that the amount of such advertising could be limited.
“I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that today in Canada, it is impossible to watch a sporting event without being encouraged to gamble at moments,” Deacon said on June 3.
S-211 is essentially the same as Bill S-269, which passed the appointed Senate last November and was awaiting action in the elected House of Commons before a federal election wiped the legislative slate clean.
Both bills are in response to the advertising for online sports betting in Canada that has been thrown at residents following the decriminalization of single-game sports betting in 2021 and Ontario’s launch of a competitive iGaming market in 2022.
You missed a spot
Senators who were supportive of single-game wagering, such as Deacon, are now trying to correct what they see as an oversight to that decision.
“The saturation of ads … was an issue that should have been dealt with from the start,” Deacon said. “For instance, Bill C-45, the bill that legalized cannabis, had a provision that banned advertising outright. I regret something similar was not included when single-sports betting was legalized.”
Whether S-211 receives the same support as S-269 in the Senate remains to be seen, but it looks very possible. First, though, S-211 must head to committee for further study.
It was at the committee level last year that the debate about S-269 really warmed up. Supporters urged senators on and opponents warned about over-regulation and unintended consequences, such as curbing efforts to combat the “grey market” of online sports betting.
Another step toward a competitive iGaming market in another Canadian province: https://t.co/iW3XIoP6sP
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) June 10, 2025
It’s likely a similar debate breaks out this time around. It will also play out as Alberta is preparing to launch an Ontario-like market for online sports betting and internet casino gambling, the advertising rules for which have yet to be set.
The Alberta sports betting launch, either late this year or early next, could prompt another burst of advertising by private-sector operators looking to win market share in the Western Canadian province. That could spark complaints similar to the ones heard when Ontario launched its market in April 2022, becoming the first province to permit private operators to take bets.
“As we all know, there is a renewed sense of provincial and federal cooperation as we face an ever-changing geopolitical landscape,” Deacon said. “Cooperation is in the air with federal leadership at the fore. There is no better time to try and harmonize national advertising standards as there are with marijuana and alcohol.”
