Each week, Canada Sports Betting recaps all the top sports betting and iGaming news in Canada.
Bill S-269 passes to House of Commons
Bill S-269, the National Framework on Advertising for Sports Betting Act, has now been passed to the House of Commons after a third reading in the Senate on Tuesday.
The bill, which was introduced by Senator Marty Deacon in June of last year to establish a new national framework on advertising for sports betting in the wake of the legalization of single-event sports wagering, will now undergo a similar legislative process in the House of Commons before it can potentially receive royal assent.
The proposed legislation would require the Minister of Canadian Heritage to develop a national framework on the advertising of sports betting that would include potential measures to regulate ads, restricting the volume of sports betting ads, and potentially further limiting or banning the use of celebrities and athletes to promote sports betting products.
The Canadian Gaming Association, a national trade association that works to advance the evolution of Canada’s gaming industry, represented by President and CEO Paul Burns, appeared in Ottawa last month to testify at the Standing Committee for Transportation & Communications regarding the Senate’s study of Bill S-269.
Burns introduced facts and evidence with the aim to make it clear that the measures outlined in the bill aren’t necessary because provincial management and oversight of gaming activity in Canada already exists, as the country already has a very effective regime of advertising compliance thanks to ThinkTV and Ad Standards Canada, who for decades have provided pre-clearance services to advertisers.
- Compared to all other activity in Canada, online gambling has only represented 2% of all TV ad occurrences in 2022 and 2023.
- When compared to other key categories, online gambling represents an 8% share of total media ad spend.
- Only 6% of NHL hockey game occurrences were for online gambling ads, and 4% for NBA basketball game occurrences.
Ontario’s sports betting regulatory body, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, recently amended its standards on sports betting advertising, banning the use of celebrities and/or current and former athletes from endorsing operator products unless it pertains to a responsible gambling message. Senator Deacon sees this as a positive step in that jurisdiction, but she would like to take it a step further and completely ban celebrities and athletes from appearing in any of these ads on a national level without the loophole of responsible gambling.
The bill circulated around the Senate for over a year, and it could be subject to a similar timeline in the House of Commons, assuming the bill isn’t amended at some point and then sent back to the Senate for further review. In short, this bill will continue to be discussed well into 2025 before a determination is made on the issue.
In Canada, the provinces currently regulate commercial gambling in their respective jurisdictions, not the federal government. Ontario is currently the only province to regulate its online sports betting space, but Alberta is also interested in embracing private operators to compete in its local marketplace with its provincial lottery corporation. We could see another boom of sports betting advertisements when that market launches, depending on the advertising regulations established by the province. There’s momentum towards the launch of a regulated market in Alberta by early 2025.
MCK ends partnership with Entain
The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (Mohawk Online Limited) has ended its longstanding partnership with Entain (Avid International), the Council announced in a statement last week.
That means Entain is now the sole operator of Sports Interaction, one of Canada’s oldest and most established sportsbooks. SIA was licensed by the Kahnawà:ke Gaming Commission (KGC) back in the 1990s. Entain purchased Avid Gaming in 2022 for $300 million.
“Due to the change in the regulatory landscape for gaming in Canada and economic reasons, we have made the decision to part ways with Entain PLC and look forward to maintaining a cordial relationship in the future,” said Ohén:ton Í:rate ne Ratitsénhaienhs Cody Diabo in the release. “The end of the partnership with Entain will certainly bring forth new opportunities, as the conclusion of the partnership also releases MCK from its obligations of exclusivity. MCK is now free to pursue other opportunities in online gaming, under a new brand.”
MCK launched a legal challenge with the aim to abolish Ontario’s new regulatory model, which launched in April 2022, but the Ontario Superior Court ruled in favour of the provincial iGaming regime. MCK essentially challenged on the premise that the province and iGaming Ontario were not “conducting and managing” iGaming in Ontario, but the courts felt satisfied that those “conduct and manage” requirements were in fact being met as it pertains to Section 207 (1) of the Criminal Code.
Mohawk Online Limited was created as a socio-economic initiative for and on behalf of the MCK. Sports Interaction was operated by MOL and licensed via the Kahnawà:ke Gaming Commission (KGC) based on Kahnawà:ke’s Aboriginal right to conduct and manage gaming. Avid was a B2B supplier to MOL.
Sports Interaction is licensed with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission in Ontario and operates in other jurisdictions across Canada using its KGC license. The user experience will not be affected despite MCK being no longer involved in the operation of the gaming site.
RGC announces new CEO
The Responsible Gambling Council has appointed Sarah McCarthy as its new CEO, effective Jan. 6, 2025, it announced to industry stakeholders in a memo.
McCarthy will take the reins of the Toronto-based organization from the outgoing Shelley White, who announced her retirement plans in June. After previously serving as the former Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the Rick Hansen Foundation for over nine years, McCarthy also assumed Executive Director roles with several organizations in the science and medical fields.
“As Sarah McCarthy steps into her new role as CEO, we pause to honour and express our profound gratitude to Shelley White for her distinguished tenure at the Responsible Gambling Council. Shelley’s leadership has been transformative, steering the RGC through significant initiatives that have expanded our reach and deepened our impact,” said Board Chair of the RGC Yvon Lemire. “Her strategic foresight was instrumental in launching groundbreaking programs that have set industry standards in responsible gambling.”
White has served as the RGC’s CEO for almost eight years, helping elevate the non-profit to a globally recognized leader in the responsible gambling space. The organization, which focuses on helping to prevent problem gambling and protect players by reducing risks through education, also provides its own accreditation programs for online and land-based operators. It plays a huge role in supporting provincial lottery corporations, the public, and private igaming operators across Canada.
