MPP Lee Fairclough’s Bill 107, titled the “Stop Harmful Gambling Advertising Act,” was introduced in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on Monday. It arrives in addition to a federal effort to rein in sports betting-specific advertising, S-211, which has passed the Senate and currently sits in the House of Commons.
MPPs target all online gambling ads, not just sports
Unlike that federal Private Member’s Bill (PMB), which aims to establish a national framework for regulating sports betting ads, Fairclough’s PMB proposes an explicit ban on online gambling advertising at large. It would amend Ontario’s Gaming Control Act of 1992 to prohibit any of the province’s almost 50 online sportsbooks and online casinos from advertising or otherwise promoting their sites or products in the province.
The bill includes some carveouts, inc..