Campaign welcomes unanimous Senate passage of Bill S‑211; calls on the House to act.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE · October 21, 2025 · Toronto

The Campaign to Ban Ads for Gambling today welcomed the Senate's unanimous passage of Bill S‑211, An Act respecting a national framework on sports betting advertising — the second time the Senate has unanimously endorsed the framework, after its predecessor, Bill S‑269, died at prorogation in January 2025.

Sponsored by Senator Marty Deacon, an Olympic sports leader, the bill requires the federal government to develop a national framework on sports-betting advertising: it may restrict ad volume, placement, and the use of celebrity and athlete endorsements, and would set national standards for addiction prevention and support.

The need is urgent. The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction reports that 9.9% of Canadian adults are likely to experience the symptoms of problem gambling — a six-fold increase since single-event betting was legalized in 2021 without advertising guardrails. Among young adults who gambled online in the past year, 69.4% met the criteria for problem gambling.

The bill now moves to the House of Commons. The campaign calls on Members of Parliament from all parties to pass Bill S‑211 without delay, and invites Canadians to write their MP at banadsforgambling.ca.

The Campaign to Ban Ads for Gambling is a national, non-partisan, volunteer-led campaign of Olympians, public-health experts, researchers, and community leaders. It takes no money from the gambling industry.

Media contact: info@banadsforgambling.ca