- A House of Commons committee votes next week on S-211, a bill to create national rules for sports betting ads.
- Ontario and Alberta, the only provinces with open online betting markets, oppose it.
- U.S. states limit what betting ads say but have not banned them during live games.
OTTAWA – Canadian lawmakers are a week away from deciding whether Ottawa should limit sports betting ads nationwide. The two provinces with open online markets want no part of it.
The House of Commons Heritage committee is set to vote next week on Bill S-211, CBC News reported. If approved, the legislation goes to the full House for a final vote.
S-211 will not ban sports betting ads. It would require the federal heritage minister to write national rules that could limit how many gambling ads run, where they run and how they use celebrities and athletes.
The Senate passed the bill in October last year and MPs voted 291-28 in April to send it to committee.
Per legal Ontario sports betting ad rules, athletes can appear in sports betting ads only if they promote responsible gambling.
Both provinces say ad rules should be left to them, not Ottawa.
Supporters point to TV. CBC and the University of Bristol counted about 3,000 gambling logos and messages across seven 2026 NHL playoff games with Canadian teams. And 95% had no warning about gambling harm or age limits.
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The US controls what ads say and who sees them, not how many run. Ohio bans the words “free” and “risk-free” on offers that require a deposit. In 2023, its regulators proposed a $350,000 fine against DraftKings for sending promotions to people under 21. Since 2024, New York has required sportsbooks to include its problem gambling hotline in every ad.
No U.S. state has banned legal sports betting ads during live games. The federal SAFE Bet Act would, but it has not passed Congress.
