A new bill introduced by two senators in Canada will attempt to create laws to limit sports betting advertising in the country.
The bill S-269 was introduced and sponsored by Senator Marty Deacon, and Senator Brent Cotter. Both previously supported the legalization of single-event sports betting in Canada in 2021.
Since single-event sports betting was made legal in Canada there has been a tremendous increase in sports betting ads broadcast on Canadian TV, especially during sporting events. This increase in ads has not only led to the new bill introduced by the Senators but also to a provincial proposal to ban sports betting ads in Ontario.
Bill S-269 would create a framework very similar to the one developed to curb tobacco advertising in Canada. It also pointed to sports betting ad regulations being developed by several European countries including Spain, the UK and Belgium.
Some of the rules proposed in the bill include:
Limiting or banning celebrities and athletes from appearing in ads
Limiting the number of ads that can be played or shown in a specific location
Restricting the use of non-broadcast advertising
Establishing national standards for the prevention and diagnosis of gambling addiction.
Several high-profile Canadians have backed a University of Toronto led campaign called “Ban Ads for Gambling. They include former Olympian Clara Hughes, former Toronto Mayor John Sewell, children’s entertainer Raffi, and Karl Subban, father of former NHL players P.K., Malcolm, and Jordan Subban.
