At the end of April, four Liberal MPPs in Ontario co-sponsored Bill 107, the Stop Harmful Gambling Advertising Act. Progressive Conservative MPPs voted it down. Had it passed, the bill would have banned gambling advertising in Ontario.

The bill’s preamble highlighted several reasons such legislation is needed, including that “[t]he proliferation of gambling advertising normalizes gambling and corrupts the integrity and culture of sports.”

Background and Recent Data

Since gambling was legalized in Canada, it has mostly operated under crown corporations. Until recently, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) had full control over gambling throughout Ontario. But in 2022, the Ontario government introduced iGaming Ontario, which regulates private online gambling companies. iGaming Ontario reports that Ontarians wagered over $9.5 billion online in March 2026. Private gambling companies generated $387 million in revenue. iGaming Ontario had over 1.2 million active player accounts in March, and each account wagered an average of $7,766 and contributed an average of $313 to these companies’ revenues.  

Though Ontario has roughly 39% of Canada’s population, it generates 47% of the country’s gambling revenue. Online gambling totals more than one-third of Ontario’s total gambling revenue (lottery tickets and casino gambling making up most of the rest).  

Growth in Gambling Addiction

A recent study found that since iGaming Ontario was introduced, total monthly wagers increased by 654% between April 2022 and August 2025, and the number of active player accounts rose 239%. Calls to Ontario’s mental health and addictions helpline rose at an accelerated annual rate (7% above previous trend) after iGaming Ontario was introduced in 2022. The highest increase in calls was among young men aged 15 to 24.

Gambling increases suicidality, poverty, relationship breakdown, family violence, neglect of children, and various forms of crime. Gambling is also commonly used by criminal organizations for money laundering.

Gamblers most at risk of problem gambling are those who gamble online, according to a 2021 study. Another study found that after the United States legalized sports betting, there were 23% more searches for help for gambling addiction. In 2021, 21% of callers to Ontario’s Problem Gambling Hotline were experiencing problem gambling online. In 2023, that had increased to 63%.

Gambling Advertising

Advertising is an effective way to increase consumption. That is also true of gambling advertisements. Ontario recognized this problem in part when it banned athletes and celebrities from promoting gambling through advertisements.

But ads continue to be prevalent. One analysis in 2024 estimated that Canadian viewers of a live sports broadcast were exposed to 2.8 references to sports betting per minute and that over 20% of viewing time included some form of gambling reference.

Consider advertising requirements for other addictive products in Ontario. Cigarettes may not be advertised or promoted, and must be kept out of sight until requested and purchased. Cannabis ads are generally prohibited except in specific age-restricted locations. Alcohol ads are permitted, but only under strict conditions that do not target young people and do not promote the consumption of liquor in general. By contrast, there are very few limitations on gambling ads.

Bill 107

That’s why provincial politicians introduced a bill that would severely limit gambling advertisements. NDP MPPs proposed a similar bill in 2023, but that bill did not pass either.

A bill to ban gambling advertising seems like a good place to start limiting gambling in Ontario. Ontario’s Green MPPs, NDP MPPs, Liberal MPPs, and one independent MPP all agreed, voting in favour of Bill 107 at 2nd reading. Various opposition members also highlighted many of the problems with gambling addiction in Ontario.

But the Progressive Conservative government defeated the bill by a vote of 60-33. Representing the government’s perspective, MPP Billy Denault argued that regulating online gambling makes it safer and establishes necessary guardrails. He noted that the government does not support the bill because “it is a prohibition and it would be a step backwards towards the Wild West of an unregulated online gambling market that we took decisive action to move away from.”

Conclusion

Whether or not Ontario should have legally permitted online gambling in the first place is another debate. But banning, or at least severely restricting, advertising would be a step in the right direction.

The government needs to hear from Ontarians about this issue. Send an EasyMail to your MPP, asking them to support a ban on gambling advertising in Ontario.

For more on the topic of online gambling, check out ARPA’s 2-part article series, where we look at a Christian view of gambling, the government’s role in combating it, and the particular challenge of online gambling and its promotion.