For far too many Canadians, such ads are more than a mere annoyance interfering with the simple enjoyment of watching the game.

For anyone with a gambling addiction, or for anyone who thinks they can make easy money, they are at risk of suffering severe financial damage — damage not only for themselves but for their family as well.

We are constantly hearing in the media about fraud cases caused by gambling addiction, leading to jail time.

In light of that, I support Senator Marty Deacon’s Bill S-269, the National Framework on Advertising for Sports Betting Act. This Bill has passed the Senate and is currently before the House of Commons.

Evidence of the abuse of sports betting is as close as a newspaper or the latest sports report. 

Recently, in Major League Baseball, a player’s friend and employee was charged with theft to feed what can only be described as a massive sports gambling habit.

In basketball, the head coach for the Cleveland NBA team, J.B. Bickerstaff, told reporters that he received “crazy messages about where I live, and my kids” from someone betting on basketball. With so much money involved, the temptation toward misconduct is almost overwhelming.

In the words of the coach:

. . . it is a dangerous game and a fine line that we’re walking for sure. It brings added pressure, a distraction to the game that can be difficult for players, coaches, referees, and everybody that’s involved in it. I think we really have to be careful with how close we let it get to the game and the security of the people who are involved in it because it does carry weight. A lot of times, people who are gambling, this money pays their light bill or pays their rent, and then the emotions that come from that.

Fans are also beginning to wonder, given the amount of gambling money involved, if the games they are watching are fixed.

Earlier this year, Jontay Porter, a player for the Toronto Raptors, was banned for life from the National Basketball Association after an investigation by the league. Mr. Porter was determined to have been betting on NBA games, including a Raptors game. He also disclosed confidential information about his health to a known bettor, the type of inside information that can affect bets and the odds of a payoff.

Perhaps most seriously, the NBA found that he had:

. . . limited his own game participation to influence the outcome of one or more bets on his performance in at least one Raptors game.

In that case, a US$80,000 bet was placed that Porter would score fewer than two three-point baskets in the Raptors’ March 20, 2024, game. In that game, he did not even attempt a three-point shot, leaving the game after a couple of minutes, claiming illness. That bet raised suspicions, was reported to the league, was investigated, and he was banned from the league.

Canadians are wondering how many other cases of game fixing are being missed. There are serious concerns that games might be rigged, not only by the players but also by officials. Are “missed calls” truly missed, or are they something else? After all, if you can’t be sure the game is fair and not fixed, why bother watching it or even bet on it?

There’s a lot of money at play in these games. A single NHL game can generate millions in bets — enough money for some to regard their bet as an investment to be secured by whatever means necessary. As ex-Major League Baseball commissioner Fay Vincent stated:

. . . I don’t think the next 20 or 30 years is going to be a pretty story about gambling in the sports world because the money is going to be so enormous, and wherever the money is enormous the corruption follows.

A key argument in favour of the legalization of single-event sport betting when it was before the Senate was that it would:

. . . regulate sports betting in Canada, strengthen consumer protections to ensure the safety of those participating and bring revenues and tax dollars inside our borders to invest back into our communities.

We now have the legislation. It is time to focus on regulations to ensure the safety of those participating. And just how much of the revenue gained is being invested back in our communities?

We often hear from representatives of the gambling industry that gambling is legal, but so are tobacco and cannabis, for that matter. That does not exempt these products from strict regulation regarding their sale, consumption and advertising. After all, driving is legal as well, but every aspect of it from the driver to the car to the road itself is subject to varying levels of regulation. It is time to impose restrictions on gambling ads.

Exploiting people and their hopes for an easy win is at the very heart of gambling. After all, “Give us your money, and, in all likelihood, you’ll never see it again” is not much of a marketing slogan. As the saying goes, you’re the one gambling; the house knows it will always come out ahead.

As we go down the road of reducing gambling ads, we have to be aware that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms sets a high bar when it comes to restricting the right to free expression, but that right is not absolute, including when it comes to advertising. It is not a matter of saving people from themselves. You cannot legislate away human weakness, but you can limit the ability of others to profit from that weakness.

It may well be that the Broadcasting Act can provide an avenue by which this problem can be addressed. Under the act, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, the CRTC, has the power to make regulations “. . . respecting the character of advertising and the amount of broadcasting time that may be devoted to advertising.” It seems to me that this issue relates to the character of advertising, so we may have an opening there.

Furthermore, although the commission has stated that “the CRTC doesn’t directly regulate advertising content, except advertising to children and alcohol ads,” the fact that exceptions have been made for these two categories suggests that more can be made in the future. Even restricting the time of day such ads may be broadcast could be helpful. The successful campaign to restrict alcohol advertising can provide guidance for similar efforts in this area.

Personally, I would like to see the maximum restrictions possible on sport gambling advertising. Gambling has always been here, from bets at the racetrack, to buying lottery tickets. But this new emphasis on expanding the number of gamblers, often using celebrities as spokespersons, is crossing a line.

Recently, in introducing the Professional Women’s Hockey League Ottawa team to the Senate, my colleague Senator Kim Pate mentioned watching “Hockey Night in Canada” as a child with her father every Saturday night. Imagine parents watching sports today, having to explain to their children what those betting ads mean. How many future lives will be destroyed when they follow their sports heroes’ advice and start betting on games?

Now is the time to act.

Percy Downe is a Senator from Charlottetown.

Bill S-269, the National Framework on Advertising for Sports Betting Act, was introduced by Senator Marty Deacon of Ontario, has passed the Senate and is currently before the House of Commons.