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Canada may soon take a step closer to federal restrictions on sports betting advertising. Sen. Marty Deacon’s Bill S-211 is now being reviewed by the Senate’s Standing Committee on Transport and Communications, following its second reading last Thursday.
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While Deacon once aimed for a full ban on sportsbook ads, legal boundaries pushed her to take a more balanced route. The bill now asks the federal government to develop consistent nationwide restrictions on how online sports betting can be promoted, including limits on how often and where ads appear.
“Today in Canada, it is impossible to watch a sporting event without being encouraged to gamble at moments,” Deacon said earlier this month.
The renewed push comes as a response to the spike in marketing seen after Canada legalized single-game sports betting in 2021 and Ontario opened a competitive iGaming market the following year.
Supporters of Bill S-211 say the absence of ad restrictions was a mistake when single-game betting was legalized. Deacon referenced the cannabis law as a missed example, which included an advertising ban from the start.
Whether the new bill gets the same Senate support as its predecessor remains unclear. But it will be debated again at the committee level, where Bill S-269 sparked concerns over whether national rules could restrict efforts to control illegal betting platforms.
As Alberta prepares to launch its own online gaming market, the absence of ad guidelines could lead to another wave of sportsbook marketing. A similar surge happened in Ontario after its 2022 launch, drawing criticism over ad saturation.
Deacon said now is the time to establish a national framework: “There is no better time to try and harmonize national advertising standards as there are with marijuana and alcohol.”