Key Takeaways
- A key House of Commons committee debated Bill S-211 (“An Act respecting a national framework on sports betting advertising“) on Thursday.
- Federal legislators opined that betting ads need federal oversight because, amid health and addiction concerns, they bleed from regulated iGaming markets across borders into provinces that haven’t authorized commercial operators.
- The committee reconvenes on Nov. 3 for a full clause-by-clause review ahead of a potential final floor vote on S-211, which already passed the Senate last year.
The sponsors of the Canadian federal legislation that would establish a national framework for sports betting advertising say the bill is necessary because the spread of ads nationwide means it is no longer a purely provincial issue.
Bill S-211 (“An Act respecting a national framework on sports betting advertising“), which passed the Senate in October 2025, is scheduled for a full clause-by-clause review in the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
On Thursday, the committee spent portions of a two-and-a-half-hour hearing debating the legislation. As it did in 2024, 2025, and earlier in 2026, much of the debate focused on whether or not the federal government should have some control over advertising of provincially regulated online sports betting.
Sports betting advertising ‘not restricted by borders’
“It’s a very fair question,” acknowledged Sen. Marty Deacon (Independent Senators Group), who sponsored S-211 and its 2023-24 predecessor S-269 in the Senate.
Deacon argued that the spread of online gambling since the legalization of single-event sports betting in 2021 and the opening of Ontario’s regulated iGaming market in April 2022 resized the playing field.
“This leads to a situation where each province and territory becomes quite limited in its ability to control advertising to its residents,” she told the committee. “It has become a patchwork, and it’s not restricted by its borders.”
“It stopped being provincial when Ontario’s online gambling began to seep across Canada … When we look at this question of jurisdiction, it’s already being neglected and cast aside by these betting operators.”
Sen. Marty Deacon
Currently, Ontario and Alberta are the only two Canadian provinces that regulate commercial iGaming, having chosen to end their respective crown corporations’ monopolies on authorized online gambling. The governments of Ontario and Alberta are both on record as opposing Bill S-211.
Alberta’s minister responsible for iGaming, Dale Nally, called it “another case of federal overreach into provincial jurisdiction” in late September, although the province’s Premier Danielle Smith acknowledged more recently that “it is a problem nationally, which is why I think it’s come onto the radar of the federal government.”
What happens if other provinces regulate iGaming, asks sponsor
Government lottery corporations in provinces that have not authorized commercial sports betting maintain that something needs to be done to curb national advertising. The likes of British Columbia, Manitoba, and the Atlantic Lottery Corporation have long taken issue with how advertising from Ontario-licensed operators reaches their residents.
Bill S-211’s House sponsor, Liberal MP Bardish Chaggar, told the committee on Thursday that sports betting advertising already reaches “far beyond Ontario’s provincial borders.”
Meanwhile, other provinces are considering following Ontario and Alberta by allowing commercial online iGaming. Quebec’s new Premier supports the idea and New Brunswick’s government is reviewing its options.
“If we think there’s an abundance of online advertising at the current time, when more provinces are entering that space, what will that look like?” asked Chaggar. “I can’t foresee it being better. I think it would be worse…
“There are ample provinces complaining about getting Ontario ads in their provinces, and perhaps tomorrow looks like other provinces complaining about other provinces’ ads coming in. So clearly, there’s something that needs to be done.”
Does Canada have a policy gap around sports betting advertising?
Chaggar added that the fact that sports betting advertising “seeps” into other provinces demonstrates that there is “a policy gap in the current approach.”
However, gaming and broadcast industry leaders have pushed back against the idea that there isn’t enough regulation of sports betting advertising.
Groups including the Canadian Gaming Association argue that federal government intervention into regulating sports betting advertising would be an overstep into provinces’ rights under the Criminal Code of Canada to conduct and manage gaming as they see fit.
Kevin Desjardins, President and CEO at the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB), also disputed the idea that federal regulation is needed.
“Our concern is that the bill before you appears to assume that there is a significant regulatory gap that needs to be addressed without first establishing whether such a gap actually exists,” Desjardins said during witness testimony on Thursday. “Sports betting advertising in Canada is already subject to substantial regulation.”
Desjardins pointed to requirements in Ontario and Alberta that ban things like using imagery that may appeal to minors or the use of athletes for anything other than the promotion of responsible gambling tools, as well as the National Code for Responsible Gaming Advertising developed by the CGA and independently administered by the self-regulatory body Ad Standards.
“The bill is written as though more restrictions on advertising are a given, rather than first assessing whether the current regulations work.”
Canadian Association of Broadcasters President and CEO Kevin Desjardins
Desjardins said that CAB recommends that the federal government work with provincial regulators and industry stakeholders before establishing any additional requirements.
He also cited a concern shared by the CGA: that implementing heavy-handed restrictions may inadvertently push advertising to less regulated offshore and unauthorized iGaming platforms.
What restrictions could sports betting advertising Bill S-211 bring?
For federal politicians, meanwhile, the biggest concern continues to be how the spread of sports betting advertising might have negative impacts on Canadians, particularly on vulnerable demographics like minors and potentially at-risk gamblers.
Deacon and Chaggar reeled off what Deacon called “a steady drumbeat of studies” that suggest that as betting ads have increased, so too have:
- Rates of problem gambling
- Outreach to addiction supports
- Emergency room visits
- Gambling-related suicides
In Parliament, there is a general consensus that something needs to be done. The proposal has already passed the Senate twice, as S-269 in 2024 and in its current form last year, and members of the House of Commons advanced it to committee review by a 291-28 vote in April.
The question is what needs to be done, and how?
Chaggar said that Bill S-211 is “a non-prescriptive bill.” She and Deacon emphasized that it is intended as a legal mechanism to allow greater federal review of sports betting advertising and deeper consultation with various stakeholders, including the gaming and broadcast industries.
“The framework group could ask for a full ban.”
Sen. Marty Deacon
Asked by Liberal MP Zoe Royer on Thursday what kind of restrictions could ultimately be on the table if the legislation passes, Deacon cited several possibilities, including:
- A whistle-to-whistle ban on ads during sporting events
- Bans based on the time of day, to minimize the likelihood of children being exposed to advertising
- Greater restrictions on the use of celebrities
“If we had all the power and all the stars aligned, I would love a full ban on advertising,” Deacon said. “The framework group could ask for a full ban. That’s beyond my purview … The framework is important because we want a minimum standard across this country.”
