Senator Percy Downe from Prince Edward Island is supporting a bill that would require Ottowa to regulate sports betting ads. He believes these companies need to face regulations in the market. Similar to the ones in the alcohol and tobacco industries. Percy Downe hopes that a “national framework” can be put in place to help regulate gambling advertising in Canada. Sports betting has been legal since 2021 and there are not many rules on the regulation of advertising. Senator Downw has this to say about how advertising gambling is affecting Canada.
“My particular concern is the impact on young people. These ads [feature] a lot of sports heroes, a lot of celebrities. Young people may be aspiring for that lifestyle, thinking, ‘Oh, I can make some easy money.’” – Senator Percy Downe
Other provinces in Canada are working to have regulations for their sports gambling ads
In April 2022, Ontario launched its competitive online gaming market. With the legalization, sports gambling ads started to appear on TV screens. Since then, Canadians all across the country have been overwhelmed with sports betting ads for Ontario. Why would these other provinces be seeing sports gambling ads for Ontario if it would be illegal to bet on?
Marie-Noëlle Savoie is the chief compliance officer for the British Columbia Lottery Corporation. Additionally, she is also a spokesperson for the Canadian Lottery Coalition. Savoie said that they’re in a fight against those who operate illegally. In Canada, there is a “grey market” where illegal gambling markets take the profits from regulated entities.
That is what Savoie and the British Columbia Lottery Corporation are trying to stop. Right now, 75 platforms are considered regulated entities in Ontario. However, they are still technically part of this “grey market” in other provinces that limit their gambling website options. They believe Ontario-based ads should only be seen in that specific province and nowhere else.
Additionally, Senator Marty Deacon represents Ontario’s Waterloo region. She introduced Bill S-269 to help create a national framework for sports betting advertising. Deacon said they want to limit or ban the use of celebrities and athletes in betting ads. On top of that, they want to limit the number of ads in a given or shown in a specific place. Finally, her Bill wants to stop these ads from being broadcast at all. The bill passed a second reading in the Senate last week. It needs to pass a third reading before it goes back to the House of Commons so MPs can weigh in.
