Canadian senators urge prime minister to ban sports betting advertising

Percy Downe and Marty Deacon have sent a letter to Mark Carney backed by 40 senators.

Canada.- Some 40 senators have backed a call for a ban on sports betting advertising in Canada. They’re support a letter sent by senators Percy Downe of Charlottetown and Marty Deacon of Waterloo to Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney.

In the letter, the senators argue that the growth of betting since amendments to Bill C-218 legalised single-event sports betting in 2021 creates a public health concern. They call for the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to be directed to impose a nationwide ban on advertising.

The letter reads: “We are asking for a ban on all advertising for sports gambling apps and websites. Such a measure would be similar to the advertising ban for cigarettes, and for the same reason: to address a public health problem.”

It continues: “A decision by Parliament helped create this problem, which means further action might minimize the damage that is already being done. We urge your government to correct this situation and ban all sports betting ads.”

In June, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) provided igaming operators with new guidance on practices to identify and support players at risk of harm. The regulator said operators must have an effective mechanism for monitoring player behaviour to identify those who may be at risk of harm and offer timely support once signs of risk emerge. It said the mechanism should address the different ways in which gambling-related harm can occur and that identifying such players is a key part of an operator’s responsibility to minimise gambling-related harms.