Curated coverage of gambling advertising and regulation — what’s moving federally, in the provinces, and around the world. We highlight the main themes rather than attempt an exhaustive archive.
The House of Commons Heritage Committee begins public hearings on Bill S‑211 on October 29. We’re asking it to widen the bill to all online gambling and immediately prohibit gambling ads — and urging Canadians to write their MPs.
Read Bulletin No. 20 →An editorial in support of the federal framework. CBC research found nearly three pro-gambling messages a minute during NHL game broadcasts, and 49 gambling companies were operating 72 gambling websites in Ontario in December 2023.
Read the editorial →The Canadian Mental Health Association’s public-service campaign confronts the normalization of betting in sport — including around the 2026 World Cup.
Visit the campaign →The provinces license gambling operators — which means they hold real power over advertising, too.
MPP Lee Fairclough put forward a bill that would have banned all online gambling advertising in Ontario. Although it was supported by all three opposition parties, the Ford Government voted it down.
Ontario context →FIFA’s international gambling/gaming sponsorship would obligate host cities — including Toronto — to execute the agreement. The City declined to debate the issue.
Read Bulletin No. 19 →Alberta has become the second province to license private online gambling operators — with the same power Ontario has to restrict advertising as a condition of its licences.
Read our Alberta analysis →Dr. Iris Gorfinkel, a Toronto family physician and clinical researcher, on a 17-year-old patient’s gambling problem — the ads, the harm to young people, and what the provincial government should be doing.
Read the Star column →Steve Paikin profiles the campaign — Bruce Kidd and Robin Campbell on prop bets, the abuse of athletes, and why the ads should go the way of tobacco advertising.
Read the TVO analysis →Countries with a longer history of legalized betting show where Canada is headed — and what works.
In June 2023, an Australian parliamentary committee recommended a complete, phased ban on gambling advertising within three years. Australia has since imposed some restrictions, though far short of what its own committee recommended.
How Australia compares →Three European countries have gone further than anything proposed in Canada, banning most gambling advertising outright — and their experience is shaping the debate everywhere else.
How Europe compares →Every U.S. state sets its own rules. The federal SAFE Bet Act, introduced in late 2024, has not advanced — leaving advertising largely unrestrained.
How the U.S. compares →Campaign volunteers track developments federally and in the provinces, along with regulatory milestones abroad. We surface the items that best explain where the issue stands — this page is a set of highlights, not an exhaustive news archive. For the campaign’s own updates, read our newsletters.
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