Ontario Legislative Assembly reads bill proposing iGaming advertisements ban
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada has had its first reading of a bill, titled the ‘Stop Harmful Gambling Advertising Act, 2026’, which proposes an iGaming advertisements ban. The proposed Act, which is also referred to as Bill 107, would amend Ontario’s Gaming Control Act, 1992 if passed.
Changes posed by the bill
MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament) Lee Fairclough, who presented the bill, stated that it would make it illegal for licensed online gambling operators to advertise or otherwise promote their sites across broadcast media, social media, and paid sponsorships. The penalty for a breach of the law, she said, would be a fine of up to $1 million for the first offence, with the potential of licence revocation in Ontario for further breaches.
The contents of the bill dictate the following:
“A person who operates an electronic gaming site, or any person acting on such a person’s behalf, shall not advertise or otherwise promote the electronic gaming site or anything that is offered or made available on the site.”
With that said, the bill also sets out some exceptions.
The first exception listed is with regard to publications or broadcasts originating outside of Ontario if the purpose of distribution or retransmission is not to promote an electronic gambling site. This means that such productions would be permissible as long as they are not primarily intended to promote an electronic gambling site.
The second exception is in the case of artistic, educational, or scientific productions or performances which reference electronic gambling or a brand element related to an electronic gambling site. This exception applies as long as no consideration is given by a manufacturer or retailer for the use or depiction of the electronic gambling aspect in the production or performance.
The third and final exception provided in the bill is concerning commentary, reports, or opinions regarding electronic gambling sites if no consideration is given by a manufacturer or retailer for the reference within the content.
Political background
As the Canadian market currently stands, Ontario is the only province within the country which has privatised online gambling, which means that, if this bill were to pass, it could set a precedent for future potential privatised markets in the country. Alberta is set to launch its iGaming market on 13 July.
The bill is also co-sponsored by MPPs Blais, Fraser, and Hsu. All four MPPs, including Fairclough, are members of the Ontario Liberal Party. It is currently the third largest party in Ontario’s Legislative Assembly, holding 14 out of 124 seats.
While presenting the bill, Fairclough argued that addiction to online gambling is an emerging public health crisis in Ontario. She said that online gaming has been the most common type of gambling mentioned by callers to Ontario’s mental health and addictions helpline since April 2022.
A concern which has been raised before, related to similar restrictions, is that players may be more likely to go to unregulated markets in a playing field where advertisements for regulated operators are limited.
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