The former New Democrat MP who campaigned for years to legalize single-event sports betting in Canada says he does not regret the policy change — but that provinces have implemented it in ways he finds “sad” and “deplorable,” and that Ottawa needs to do more to rein in gambling advertising and its harms.
Brian Masse, who introduced a private member’s bill in 2019 that was refiled by Conservative MP Kevin Waugh in 2020 and ultimately passed Parliament in 2021, told CBC News he had hoped legalization would protect Canadian casinos and jobs — particularly in border communities such as Windsor, Ont., which compete with Detroit venues — and would move bettors away from the black market into a regulated system. Five years on, Masse says that outcome has not materialized as he expected because provinces have charted very different approaches.
“What’s deplorable is the way that some of the provinces have actually implemented it. They’ve allowed the private sector to basically own and operate,” Masse said. He added that the federal change to the Criminal Code left provinces to decide how to roll out single-event wagering, a weakness he believes has produced harmful results. “I don’t have regrets, but it’s sad to see some of the repercussions. We can still avoid them, too. The story isn’t done.”
Data cited by critics underscore Masse’s concern about the scale and visibility of legal sports gambling. A 2024 analysis by CBC’s Marketplace and researchers at the University of Bristol found gambling messaging filled as much as 21 per cent of Ontario sports broadcasts. A study published last month in the Canadian Medical Association Journal reported a rise of more than 300 per cent in calls from young men to Ontario’s mental health helpline seeking help for gambling-related problems.
Ontario’s choice to open the market to private iGaming operators has contributed to the sector’s rapid growth. Since the regulated market launched in April 2022, Ontario has licensed 47 iGaming operators and built what government figures describe as a multibillion-dollar industry that has delivered hundreds of millions of dollars in provincial revenue. Critics say the proliferation of operators has also driven an explosion of advertising. “That’s where advertising went bananas, because there are all these operators, and they all want a piece,” said Ontario Senator Marty Deacon.
Deacon has sponsored a Senate bill, S-211, to create a national framework for sports-betting advertising and set standards aimed at preventing harms. The bill passed the Senate and is before the House of Commons at second reading. Deacon acknowledged she would prefer a full ad ban but pursued a partial prohibition to secure legislative progress: “Would I love to have a full ban? Sure, I would. But … based on the threshold, I said we’re going to go with a partial ban.”
The gambling industry, represented by the Canadian Gaming Association, counters that operators already work in a heavily regulated sector and that provinces are best placed to oversee activity. Association president and CEO Paul Burns said members are open to additional rules but warned that ending advertising alone “is very naive” as a fix for problem gambling.
Experts calling for stricter limits point to parallels with advertising restrictions on tobacco and other harmful products. Renze Nauta, program director at the Christian think-tank Cardus, said the sharp rise in participation and in gambling-related help-seeking suggests legalization has created new bettors, not merely migrated existing ones from the black market. Nauta prefers an outright ban on sports-betting advertising and urged federal action.
Masse argued Ottawa has tools to act more swiftly than provinces and suggested a federal bill or measures in a budget could be used to tighten rules. With the political debate moving to Parliament, the conflict between provincial market models and national calls for stronger advertising controls is likely to shape the next phase of Canada’s sports-betting landscape.