Canada’s Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage has amended Bill S-211 to give the federal government up to two years after the legislation takes effect to prepare a national framework for sports-betting advertising, doubling the previous one-year deadline. The committee presented its ninth report on November 4, and the bill has returned to the House of Commons.
Other proposed changes would make stakeholder consultations optional, allow one or more ministers to oversee the framework and extend the reporting timetable. The proposed framework is intended to address the number, scope and placement of betting advertisements, as well as possible limits on celebrity and athlete endorsements.
What operators and affiliates should note
The amendment changes the proposed federal timetable; it does not suspend existing provincial advertising requirements. Ontario and Alberta rules continue to apply to current campaigns. The bill still requires further consideration in the House and Senate before it can receive royal assent. The committee’s report and the Parliament of Canada legislative tracker provide the procedural context.