A Senate-led campaign to prohibit online sports betting advertising in Canada has gained fresh momentum after Sen. Kristopher Wells (St. Albert, Alberta) joined more than 40 senators urging Prime Minister Mark Carney to work toward a nationwide ban and to involve the CRTC in implementing restrictions.
The pressure campaign runs in parallel with Bill S-211 (National Framework on Advertising for Sports Betting Act), which cleared third reading in the Senate on October 21, 2025, and was introduced in the House of Commons on November 5, 2025, where it has not yet advanced further.
Senators backing the push argue that gambling ads have become pervasive in sports broadcasts, pointing to claims that up to one-fifth of televised sporting content now includes betting advertising, and framing the issue as a consumer-protection and youth-exposure problem.
For operators, the timeline risk is twofold. First, a federal ban would tighten acquisition channels nationally, not just provincially. Second, even without a full ban, the direction of travel is toward stricter marketing standards—Ontario’s regulator, for example, already implemented rules effective February 28, 2024 prohibiting athletes in iGaming ads and tightening celebrity/influencer use, with limited responsible-gambling exceptions.
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Opponents, including some provincial officials, continue to warn that a hard ban could unintentionally push bettors toward offshore and unregulated options. If S-211 is revived in the Commons, it would require the federal government to develop a national framework and have the CRTC review whether its rules adequately reduce harms linked to ad proliferation.
