Canadian MP introduces bill to curb “pervasive” sports betting advertising nationally

Ontario Senator Marty Deacon has introduced new legislation into the Canadian parliament calling for the creation of a ‘national framework’ to regulate sports betting and wider gambling ads across Canada.

Read into the Canadian Senate roll yesterday afternoon, bill S-269 creates the framework, while also setting national standards for the prevention of risks related to gambling advertising where vulnerable individuals are concerned.

Further, it calls on the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to review its own regulations and policies to “assess their adequacy and effectiveness” in reducing the incidence of harms resulting from the proliferation of advertising of sports betting.

This includes identifying regulatory measures with a slant towards restricting or limiting the scope or location of advertisements, or banning celebrities and athletes from promoting sportsbooks, something currently under consultation by Ontario’s regulator, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Canada (AGCO).

Specifically, S-269 also requires the identification of measures to promote research and intergovernmental information-sharing on problem gambling and support measures.

To support this process, the legislation calls for ministerial consultation across departments both at a Canadian Senate level and provincially, with advice sought from stakeholders, indigenous groups, and provincial gaming regulators.

Bill S-269 mandates that a report on both a national framework and strategy be presented to the Canadian Senate within one year of its passage into force, with its publication subject to a deadline of 10 days after being initially read in parliament.

In addition, the legislation calls for a subsequent report on the success or failure of that regulatory framework within five years of the initial report being tabled.

With respect to any measures included in the national framework that were not implemented, the report must include a rationale on why they have not been implemented and any timeline for their subsequent implementation where applicable.

In a preamble accompanying the legislation, Senator Deacon suggested that gambling advertising had become a “pervasive” element in Canadian society and that a national framework was required over the non-standardized patchwork of intra-province rules.

“Parliament recognizes the need for a reasonable and standardized approach across Canada to reduce the incidence and risk of harm that could result from the proliferation of advertising and promotion of gambling activities for both minors and others who are at risk of such harm,” S-269 states.

In a separate interview with Canadian news website CTV News, Senator Deacon took aim at what she branded a “torrent” of gambling advertising across Canada, suggesting the Canadian government should move to get ahead of the issue now, before it spirals out of control.

“The reality is, you cannot sit down in this country to enjoy a sport without being exposed to a barrage of such advertising,” she said.

“These ads, though, are much more than just annoying, and they can lead to addictions and other harms, through gambling problems.

“I think it’d be foolish to wait and see if these same problems arise in Canada and then react to them only when so many lives have been ruined by problem gambling as a result,” the Senator continued.

Despite her vitriolic attack on gambling operators, Senator Deacon walked back from any suggestion of an outright ban on gambling ads, citing implementation concerns paralleled in the Canadian government’s ban on tobacco advertising.

However, she suggested that the government look for a happy medium, and to “find a way to advertise to Canadian without creating addicts”.

A second reading of S-269 is next on the agenda, but the date for this has not yet been confirmed.