Canada is falling behind in protecting its citizens from the negative effects of advertisements for addictive sports betting and we must follow other countries in banning these harmful ads entirely. 

Gambling has always existed in our society in some form or another, from bets at the racetrack to bingo games to buying lottery tickets. But the recent emphasis on expanding the number of gamblers through relentless sports betting advertising is crossing a line.

These ads are everywhere — on websites, social media, TV and radio. They often feature celebrities, promise a “premium gaming experience” and urge viewers to turn their phones into a pocket-sized casino, all under the pretext of “responsible gaming.”

But what these ads are really doing is encouraging a known addictive behaviour that’s been proven to cause very real and very immediate harm to vulnerable people’s health.

A report published in November 2025 by Mental Health Research Canada highlighted the growing issue of gambling in Canada and the devastating consequences it can have when addiction takes root. The report found that roughly 73% of adult Canadians have participated in gambling activities; of those adults, 1 in 10 were classified as problem gamblers. Those most at risk of problem gambling, according to the report, were young men and those who gamble online.

“For these individuals, gambling can contribute to significant financial strain, social isolation, psychological distress, and in some cases, suicidal ideation,” the report stated.

People with problem gambling were four times more likely to have contemplated suicide and seven times more likely to have planned a suicide in the last 12 months, compared to those who weren’t problem gamblers, the report found.

The surge of sports gambling ads and the resulting spike in new gamblers is also corrupting the sports world. The enormous amount of money at play has introduced a temptation some players and officials are finding hard to resist, leading to an abuse of sports betting in professional leagues around the world.

Evidence of this isn’t hard to find — just look at a newspaper or the latest sports report. Recently in the United States, two Major League Baseball pitchers were charged with conspiracy, based on evidence they took payoffs to guarantee bets based on their performance. Over in Turkey, an illegal sports betting scandal involving players and referees rocked the country’s professional soccer leagues this fall, leading to temporary bans and, more recently, arrests.

Here in Canada, the National Basketball Association in 2024 issued what amounts to a lifetime ban to then-Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter for — in the words of the league — “disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and betting on NBA games.”

Canada is not alone in coping with the negative effects of constant sports betting ads, but it’s lagging behind other jurisdictions that have already done something about it — or at least admitted mistakes were made.

Belgium and Italy both imposed comprehensive bans on sport betting ads, including sport sponsorship, online ads, social media ads and all TV and radio ads. In the U.S., Republican Governor Mike DeWine has gone on record saying he “absolutely” regrets signing the law that legalized sports betting in Ohio.

Important work has begun in Canada to curtail this powerful new marketing industry. Notably, the Senate recently passed Ontario Senator Marty Deacon’s Bill S-211, An Act respecting a national framework on sports betting advertising, marking a major step towards better regulation and risk prevention. Having passed the Senate, Bill S-211 now will proceed to the House of Commons, where any number of measures could slow or even prevent its coming into law.

A parallel and faster way forward would be for the federal government to ban sports betting ads altogether. More than 40 senators have signed a letter I co-wrote with Senator Marty Deacon to Prime Minister Mark Carney, requesting that the government follow the approach it took with cigarette advertising and similarly prohibit ads for sports betting apps and sites.

We banned ads for cigarettes because of the harmful effects of smoking on public health. We have mounting evidence that gambling is seriously harmful to Canadians’ health and so the same logic should apply.

In urging the government to ban sports gambling ads, we acknowledge it’s impossible to legislate away human weakness, but it is possible to limit the ability of others to profit from that weakness — or indeed to promote the exploitation of that weakness.

Now is the time for action. We cannot afford to gamble any further with our public health and we must protect Canadians of all ages against ads promoting sports gambling.

Percy Downe is a Senator from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.