Our History

The U.S. opens sports betting

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal prohibition on state-level sports betting. North American professional leagues — until then strongly opposed to gambling — rapidly reversed course and signed sponsorship agreements with sportsbooks. The pressure on Canada to legalize single-game betting grew immediately.

The pressure reaches Ottawa

With legal sportsbooks spreading across U.S. states, Canada's professional leagues, provincial lottery corporations, and the betting industry pressed Parliament to follow. Canadians were already wagering billions each year on single events through offshore “grey-market” websites, and legalization was pitched as the way to bring that money into a regulated — and taxable — market. Earlier attempts had failed: single-event betting bills passed the House in 2012 and were reintroduced in 2016, but died without becoming law. By 2021 the political resistance had evaporated — and the harms of the advertising that would follow were barely discussed.

Bill C‑218 legalizes single-game betting

The Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act (Bill C‑218), a private member's bill introduced by Conservative MP Kevin Waugh, amended the Criminal Code to permit provinces to license betting on single sport events. It received Royal Assent on August 27, 2021. Fewer than a dozen MPs opposed it, and there was no parliamentary debate on the possibility of extensive advertising or the harms it might cause.

Ontario launches the private iGaming market

iGaming Ontario, a subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), launched the first private online gambling market in Canada on April 4, 2022. By the end of its first year, it reported 1.6 million active player accounts and $35.6 billion in total wagers¹. The growth since has been alarming: by spring 2026, 46 licensed operators were running some 80 gambling sites², Ontarians wagered $9.6 billion in March 2026 alone², and the market's cumulative operator revenue passed $10 billion³. Until July 13, 2026, when Alberta started licensing private operators, Ontario was the only province with private operators — and ads produced for Ontario audiences reach every other province and territory.

Bill S‑269 introduced in the Senate

Senators Marty Deacon (Ontario) and Brent Cotter (Saskatchewan) introduced Bill S‑269 — An Act respecting a national framework on advertising for sports betting. The bill called on the federal government to develop a national framework regulating sports-betting advertising and to set national standards for prevention and treatment.

The campaign begins

The Campaign to Ban Ads for Gambling formed in response to the unchecked proliferation of sports-betting advertising. On August 5, 2023, it published White Paper No. 1 — "The Impact of Advertising for Gambling", arguing that Canada should ban gambling advertising the way it had restricted advertising for tobacco and cannabis.

Building the evidence base

March 27, 2024 — The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) released its Gambling Policy Framework, calling for a public-health approach and stronger advertising limits, particularly to protect youth.

May 14, 2024 — The campaign published White Paper No. 2 — "The Case for Banning Gambling Advertising", with updated research and a more detailed legislative ask.

August 12, 2024 — Olympian and BAFG committee member Bruce Kidd published an op-ed in The Globe and Mail arguing that "responsible gambling" policies normalize risky behaviour.

Bill S‑269 unanimously passes the Senate

After hearings before the Senate Committee on Transport and Communications — with witnesses including CAMH, the Canadian Psychological Association, Lord Michael Grade (former British broadcasting regulator), and Olympian Bruce Kidd — the bill passed third reading unanimously and unamended. Days later, The Globe and Mail's editorial board endorsed it, urging the House of Commons to enact it before Christmas.

Setback: Bill S‑269 dies at prorogation

With the House of Commons gridlocked over an unrelated standoff, Bill S‑269 had not been formally introduced in the lower chamber when Parliament was prorogued in January 2025. Under Canadian parliamentary procedure, prorogation kills any bill that has not received Royal Assent. The campaign and Senator Deacon committed immediately to reintroducing the legislation.

A new government, a new push

Following a federal election, the newly appointed Secretary of State for Sport — four-time Olympic medallist Adam van Koeverden — publicly supported treating gambling advertising the way Canada treats tobacco and cannabis advertising. Senator Deacon began work to reintroduce the framework as a new bill.

Bill S‑211 passes the Senate

The reintroduced legislation — now Bill S‑211 — An Act respecting a national framework on sports betting advertising — passed third reading in the Senate, unanimously, and moved to the House of Commons.

Ontario: Lee Fairclough's private member's bill

At Queen's Park, MPP Lee Fairclough introduced Bill 107, the Stop Harmful Gambling Advertising Act — a bill that would have banned all online gambling advertising in Ontario, not just sports-betting ads. Although it was supported by all three opposition parties, the Ford Government voted it down. Because the legislative change in 2021 passed the responsibility for licensing online betting platforms to the provinces, provincial action complements the federal framework that Bill S‑211 would create.

Alberta launches its private online gambling market

On July 13, 2026, Alberta became the second province to license private online gambling operators — extending the market, and the advertising that comes with it, beyond Ontario.