Canada advances legislation to regulate sports betting ads

Added: May 15, 2024

Senator Marty Deacon of Ontario has introduced Senate Bill 269, which is currently making its way through the Parliament.

With the passage of this proposed law, a nationwide framework governing sports betting organizations’ online and in-person advertising methods will be established.

The law has a number of important provisions. It advises preventing athletes and celebrities from participating in sports betting commercials entirely or severely restricting their appearances. It additionally aims to limit the quantity of advertisements that can be shown during athletic activities and forbid these advertisements from being broadcast live during sports events on television.

The Senate has successfully gathered support for this measure during its first readings, and it is anticipated to pass there. The House of Commons will review it after it passes the Senate.

The legalization of single-game sports betting in Ontario in 2022, which has since spread to the majority of Canadian jurisdictions, highlights the increasing demand for these kinds of controls. The provincial lotteries and alcohol and gambling commissions now oversee the sports betting sectors in these provinces.

This bill’s motivation comes from worries about the effects that unregulated sports betting advertising is likely to have on the general public. The bill’s supporters argue that in addition to being annoying, excessive advertising has the potential to lead to gambling addictions in vulnerable groups of people. Senator Percy Downe of Prince Edward Island expressed particular worries about the impact of these commercials on youth, since they may be influenced to perceive gambling as an easy method to make money after watching celebrities promote it.

Additional information from the Canadian Center on Substance Use and Addiction suggests that language used in sports betting advertisements frequently appeals to masculine ideals and implies that betting increases the joy of being a sports fan. Senior researcher at the center Matthew Young has noted that less of this kind of ads can result in fewer people participating in gambling and the risks that come along with it.

Canada