MPs moving to restrict gambling ads in Canada amid mounting harms
Ontario and Alberta oppose the federal bill
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Ontario → move → bill
This story is part of a CBC News series examining the public health impacts of online gambling.
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story → examine → gambling
For T.S., a 22-year-old Ontario man recovering from a gambling problem, widespread advertising for online casinos and betting during sports broadcasts is "frustrating."
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advertising → recover → broadcasts
"Imagine you're an alcoholic and there was a beer ad during every show you watched," he told CBC News.
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he → imagine → News
His gambling started three years ago as a fun Friday night activity with friends, but escalated.
One night last year he found himself locked inside a bathroom, losing it all — having bet away $14,000.
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himself → start → 14,000
T.S., who CBC has agreed not to name, says he quickly sought treatment and hasn't gambled since.
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he → agree → treatment
But during his spree, all those ads fuelled him to gamble more.
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ads → fuel → him
"It certainly … would trigger me to go back and place another bet."
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It → trigger → bet
Politicians in Ottawa are moving to curb the widespread advertising currently seen across sports broadcasts, social media and online video games.
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Politicians → move → broadcasts
The federal standing committee on Canadian heritage meets next week to vote on Bill S-211, a law that proposes to rein in the ads across the country, amid new findings of increased addiction and gambling-related suicides in Ontario.
2-3 ads per minute
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that → meet → minute
A new analysis for CBC News shows Canadians continue to be bombarded with betting promotions during sports broadcasts.
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Canadians → show → broadcasts
CBC partnered with the University of Bristol to assess the 2026 NHL playoffs to count the numbers of logos and gambling messages.
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CBC → partner → logos
Across seven televised games featuring Canadian teams, viewers faced 3,000 gambling messages.
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viewers → televise → messages
Ninety-five per cent of those instances included no information about harm reduction or age restrictions.
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cent → include → reduction
Raffaello Rossi, the lead researcher and a senior lecturer in marketing at the University of Bristol, says by reviewing every second of the game, his team found ads or logos appearing two to three times every minute.
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ads → say → times
Ads appeared on stadium rinks, jerseys, helmets and during commercial breaks.
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Ads → appear → breaks
"Advertising via logos around the stadium, on the jerseys, on the helmets is much more efficient, because you've got a lot of knock-on effects," he said.
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he → advertise → effects
"For example, if a news broadcast shows the highlights of a match, you will see these logos all across the sporting event.
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you → show → event
If somebody shares something on their social media, you will see those logos."
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you → share → logos
He says viewers are additionally seeing the emergence of ads for prediction markets.
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viewers → say → markets
The new analysis also confirms little has changed since a CBC Marketplace study with Rossi's team in 2024 revealed viewers were bombarded with thousands of ads and product placements in five NHL games (up to three per minute).
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viewers → confirm → minute
Rossi says that's because Canada is behind other countries in passing legislation to curb gambling advertising.
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Canada → say → advertising
"Multiple countries since then have introduced quite strict regulations and restrictions on gambling marketing in sports.
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countries → introduce → sports
"
Proposed Canadian ad standards
If Bill S-211 is approved at committee next week, the legislation — which has already passed the Senate — would be presented for a third and final reading in the House of Commons.
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which → propose → Commons
"It is a national framework around sports betting advertising," says the bill's sponsor, Bardish Chagger, the MP for Waterloo.
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sponsor → say → Waterloo
She says limits on advertising are a way to address emerging harms, including growing rates of gambling addiction and suicide deaths, like those witnessed in Ontario after the province allowed private online casinos and sports betting in 2022.
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province → say → 2022
MP Bardish Chagger is sponsoring a bill launched by Sen. Marty Deacon to restrict gambling ads.
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Chagger → sponsor → ads
The standing committee on Canadian heritage is set to vote on the bill in late October.
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committee → set → October
"People are being impacted in a very harmful way.
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People → impact → way
They are losing their livelihoods, they're losing their homes, they're losing their savings, they're losing their lives," Chagger told CBC News.
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Chagger → lose → News
Sen. Marty Deacon first spearheaded the bill in the Senate and says it is time Canada tackles some of the negative public impacts of online gambling.
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Canada → spearhead → gambling
"These ads are ubiquitous across the country, especially in national broadcasts that are sponsored by betting companies, with logos plastered across broadcast desks, arenas and fields; this encourages Canadians in every province to gamble, even in those provinces who have held back," she wrote in an email to CBC News.
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she → sponsor → News
"We know where this is going, but we're allowing it to happen anyway."
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it → know → ?
Sen. Marty Deacon first spearheaded the bill in the Senate, where it has passed.
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it → spearhead → Senate
Current Canadian regulations are supposed to restrict gambling advertising targeting minors, at-risk people and gamblers who have asked to be excluded from the sites.
But the code doesn't go as far as some European countries, which have outright banned televised promotions on sportswear and during events.
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which → suppose → events
Belgium, the Netherlands, the U.K., France and Germany have imposed time-of-day bans on gambling advertisements, restricting them to after 9 p.m.
In France, companies have to get approval for their promotional strategies from the regulatory authority and submit an annual action plan to curb addiction.
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companies → impose → addiction
While Canada's Bill S-211 isn’t prescriptive, it asks the federal government to acknowledge the harms of online gambling and hold consultations to craft stricter regulations.
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it → ask → regulations
Toronto Maple Leafs celebrate a goal flanked by advertising for Jackpot City online casino.
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Leafs → celebrate → casino
Chagger says she hopes her bill will eventually lead to a ban on gambling promotions on sportswear and during live sporting events, outlaw ads during certain hours and prohibit celebrities and athletes from collaborating with gambling companies.
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bill → say → companies
Ontario and Alberta oppose the federal bill.
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Ontario → oppose → bill
…and 15 more, not listed.
The Aporia
