MPs study Senate bill to restrict sports betting ads as provinces object

A House of Commons committee heard testimony on Wednesday on Bill S-211, a Senate bill that would restrict sports betting advertising across Canada, and a Liberal MP on the panel said he hopes it leads to a complete ban on such ads.

"I hope this legislation gets to a point where we can ban (sports betting ads) completely across this country," said Liberal MP Michael Coteau. His remarks followed testimony from Sen. Marty Deacon, who introduced the bill in May 2025, and Liberal MP Bardish Chagger, its House sponsor. The bill is before the House standing committee on Canadian heritage.

Deacon cited a University of Toronto study that found gambling-related emergency room visits in Ontario had nearly doubled since single-event sports betting was legalized in 2021 and private online gambling markets expanded in 2022.

"For a gambling addiction it takes literal seconds between seeing an ad and placing a bet at one of the casinos in our pockets," Deacon told the committee.

Chagger pointed to studies showing young men and boys are disproportionately affected. She said gambling-related calls to ConnexOntario, the province's 24-hour mental health and addictions helpline, rose 161 per cent among males aged 15 to 24 over the past five years, since Ontario introduced its private online market in 2022.

Eleven briefs were submitted from experts and organizations for and against the bill. Renze Nauta, a researcher at the think-tank Cardus, proposed three amendments, including a complete ban on sports betting ads. He said that, failing that, ads should at least be banned during sports broadcasts, as in the United Kingdom.

Ontario and Alberta are the two provinces where dozens of private operators, including FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM, can operate. Both oppose the bill. In letters to the federal government, Alberta's Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Dale Nally said it creates a two-tier regulatory system and threatens future provincial revenues. Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey said the province should be left to regulate ads.

Bloc Québécois MP Martin Champoux, a committee member, said he cannot support the bill in its current form because it conflicts with existing Quebec legislation. Quebec oversees gambling independently through Mise-o-jeu.

"When I hear that the gambling industry itself through different provinces brings up concerns and does not agree to the idea, I think that should already bring a red flag," Champoux said.

Kevin Desjardins, president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, recommended Ottawa work with provincial regulators and stakeholders before proceeding. He said broadcasters compete with global platforms that do not face the same restrictions.

The committee was to vote on the bill Thursday, but the meeting was adjourned after Conservative members introduced two other debates, one on Canada's association with the EU and one on a motion for a report on attacks on places of worship. Liberal MP Bienvenu-Olivier Ntumba moved to adjourn because he had questions for witnesses who had already left.

The committee is set to go through the bill clause by clause on Tuesday.