Federal Sports Betting Ad Bill Clears Committee With Amendments

^{Bill S-211 moved to report stage after the Heritage committee extended its framework deadline to two years and rejected an in-game ad ban. (Image: Associated Press/Alamy)}

A federal bill to set national rules for sports betting advertising has cleared a House of Commons committee with amendments, moving Bill S-211 a step closer to a final vote.

The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage presented its report on the bill to the House on Wednesday, Nov. 4. 

The bill now sits at report stage, with third reading still to come.

Sen. Marty Deacon, who sponsored the bill in the Senate, told the committee on Oct. 29 that she would “love a full ban on advertising.” Waterloo MP Bardish Chagger is the bill’s House sponsor.

What the Committee Changed

The amendments extend the deadline for the federal minister to deliver the national framework and strategy from one year after the act takes effect to two years.

The original text required the minister to consult other federal ministers, provincial and territorial governments, and industry and advocacy groups. 

Under the amended version, the minister may consult rather than must, and the list of who can be consulted has widened to anyone the minister considers appropriate.

Conservative MP Andrew Lawton, a member of the committee, proposed adding an in-game betting advertising ban. The committee rejected it.

“This is a bill that creates a report, it’s not a ban on sports betting advertising,” Lawton said.

What the Bill Does and Does Not Do

S-211 does not ban or restrict any advertising on its own. 

It orders the minister to develop a framework that could limit the number, scope or location of sports betting ads, or limit or ban the participation of celebrities and athletes in them. 

Those are the same options Deacon outlined to the committee.

The bill also directs the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to review its own regulations and policies on the issue.

Chagger has said she hopes the bill eventually leads to bans on gambling promotions on sportswear and during live sporting events, limits on the hours ads can run, and a ban on celebrity and athlete partnerships with gambling companies, CBC News reported.

Saturation of Gambling Ads 

A CBC News analysis with the University of Bristol of seven televised 2026 NHL playoff games featuring Canadian teams counted about 3,000 gambling messages. Of those, 95% included no information about harm reduction or age restrictions.

Lead researcher Raffaello Rossi said logos and banners appeared two to three times every minute, on rinks, jerseys and helmets as well as during commercial breaks.

Provinces Remain the Sticking Point

Gambling is regulated provincially, and both Alberta and Ontario have formally opposed the bill.

In a letter to Ottawa, Alberta’s Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Dale Nally said S-211 creates a two-tier regulatory system and threatens future provincial revenues. 

Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey wrote earlier this year that the province should be left to regulate ads.

“Ontario has already established comprehensive and modern regulatory framework for online gaming and sports betting, which came into force in 2022. Advertising standards and protections were a central component of this work,” Downey wrote.

Ontario has banned athletes and celebrities from betting ads since February 2024, unless the ad’s central message is responsible gambling. Alberta, which launched its own iGaming market on July 13, has set a near-identical set of advertising rules.

CRTC Secretary General Scott Hutton told the committee that sports betting falls under provincial jurisdiction.

“Ontario seems to be ahead of the pack when it comes to broadcasting and advertising standards,” Hutton said.

The Canadian Gaming Association, which represents 80 companies, has also filed a submission opposing the plan. It wants the government to assess the “underlying health challenges” of gambling addiction and to let provinces set advertising standards themselves.

Public Health Groups Push for National Action

On the other side, a coalition of a dozen mental health organizations, including the Canadian Mental Health Association and Public Health Physicians of Canada, and 28 addictions researchers have sent submissions to Parliament asking for national action.

“The real challenge right now is that we have a regulatory regime that is built upon physical borders, but a product that doesn’t respect physical borders,” said Matthew Young, a gambling researcher at Greo Evidence Insights.

The provincial and industry objections remain the main case against S-211, and the amendments do not change the bill’s central structure.

The House sits until Dec. 11 before breaking for the holidays and returning Jan. 25, 2027. Whether S-211 can clear report stage, third reading and a final vote before the break is not yet clear.