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Ontario Bans Use of Pro Athletes & Celebrities in Sports Betting Ads
By Jeff Osienya Aug 31, 2023 LegalityCanada’s most populous province, Ontario, has joined the likes of the UK to outlaw the featuring of professional athletes and media personalities in gambling-related advertisements. The new regulation is planned for official implementation next year.In a move geared towards protecting vulnerable youth, Ontario has banned professional athletes’ appearances in online gambling ads, with the new restrictions poised to take effect on February 28, 2024. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) published an official statement saying in part:
Quote“Following the first year of Ontario’s open, regulated iGaming market, the AGCO identified advertising and marketing approaches that use athletes, as well as celebrities with an appeal to minors, as a potential harm to those under the legal gaming age and is taking this step to reduce the risk.”
According to the higher-ups in AGCO, specifically the CEO and Registrar, Mr. Tom Mungham, there has been a sharp increase in gambling-related advertising ever since the province legalized single-game online sports betting. As a result, the new restriction was proposed in a bid to nip any potential problems in the bud.
A Look Into the New Regulation
The AGCO proposal takes a similar trajectory to the one implemented in the United Kingdom over a year ago. UK’s regulation saw the ban of professional athletes, reality television stars, and social media influencers from participating in any form of sports betting ads. Likewise, the Ontario rules cover any athlete, whether active or retired, banning them from participating in sports betting advertisements.
The rule will also cover role models, social media influencers, entertainers, and cartoon symbols. In a nutshell, any figure thought to have an easy appeal to minors is prohibited from appearing on any gambling-related media. However, the AGCO measure gives leeway for athletes pushing the responsible gambling agenda.
Before announcing this decision, AGCO had reached out to key stakeholders in the gambling industry to explore the feasibility of implementing the ban and the potential outcomes or ramifications. It is worth noting that the consultations enlisted by the Commission went beyond the scope of the gambling sector, welcoming valuable insight from mental health and public health organizations.
That said, some parties are still not entirely satisfied with the scope of measures as laid out in the new rule. According to the unsatisfied parties, the regulation fails to limit the volume, location, or style of ads, albeit with the stark rise of online gambling ads, specifically during live sporting events. To put this into context, during a 2023 playoff series game that involved the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers, online gambling sports ads took close to 8 minutes of screen time.
Calls For Tougher Gambling Regulations Are Rife
Marty Deacon, a Canadian Senator who has significantly contributed to the overall Canadian gambling scene, suggested introducing stricter gambling restrictions in Canada. The Senator, who came up with the federal legislation that would see the banning of athletes and celebrities in sports betting advertisements throughout the country, has welcomed the latest move by AGCO. After welcoming AGCO’s announcement, the Senator has called for sterner action regarding gambling regulations in the country.
Senator Deacon, an Independent representative of Waterloo, is perhaps strongly opinionated on the matter due to her background as a former Olympian. She was also part of the Commonwealth and the Pan-Am Games at one point in her career. The Senator called for the province to restrict gambling ads on TV, proposing that they be aired only after a specific time.
While praising Ontario’s move, she called for the country to take up a single set of national standards that would guide gambling companies nationwide. The Senator argued that as things are, should other provinces open wagering to private markets, no regulatory metric would compel them to implement the same advertising standards across the board. Based on how she sees it, the individualistic rules across the provinces in the country would lead to confusion. And so, she views her legislation as the best solution to the conundrum that may be faced in the future.
Mind you, Senator Deacon has not been alone in calling for the implementation of such measures and the harm that could potentially be brought forth by gambling. Critics of gambling advertising include Conservative MP Kevin Waugh (Saskatoon- Grasswood). MP Waugh is not a stranger to such as his private member’s bill ultimately led to the amending of the Canadian criminal code and the legalization of single-game sports betting.
The NDP Chips in On the Gambling Conversation
Ontario’s New Democratic Party (NDP) welcomed the move to ban the use of pro athletes and celebrities in sports betting ads. The party said the new advertising rule would ‘help protect both children and adults from the explosion of unregulated advertising content under Ford’s conservatives.’ In a statement delivered to media houses, MPP France Gelinas, an NDP health critic, opined:
Quote“Health professionals have been sounding the alarm that online gambling advertising is having on people, especially the youth. Today’s news is welcome - now we need to follow the advice of experts and keep pushing for more.”
Overall, the Ontario gambling scene has been booming since its debut last year, which is probably why so many ads are flooding the market. The first quarter of the 2023-24 fiscal year brought in a record $545 million in gaming revenue, immensely outperforming the $162 million garnered over the same period in the 2022-23 fiscal year.
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