Federal NDP wants to crack down on sports gambling ads involving famous athletes

A federal member of parliament is pushing for restrictions on sports gambling site advertisements that have featured some big-name hockey stars.

New Democratic Party (NDP) Member of Provincial Parliament (MP) Brian Masse helped craft the bill to allow single-game betting in Canada, but he worries about the ethics of athletes involved in a gambling company and the influence it may have on children, along with its impact on the problem of gambling addiction.

Athletes like hockey stars Connor McDavid, Austin Matthews, and Wayne Gretzky have appeared in some of these gambling ads.

“The federal government should be looking at this no matter what, but if we want quicker action, the provinces can deal with this right away because they control how this actually is done,” Masse said.

Canada’s media regulator, the Canadian Radio-television and Communications Commission (CRTC), has banned role models for children from appearing in ads for alcohol. Health Canada also has largely halted advertising for tobacco and cannabis products.

But there have been no such restrictions on gambling ads, with gambling advertising rules being largely provincial.

“Federally, we have to look at some issues in terms of how to deal with it, but provincially, they have to act tomorrow,” Masse said.

Online sports gambling is worth billions each year.

Prior to the legalization of single-game betting, the Canadian Gaming Association estimated that Canadians spent $14 billion each year with offshore companies or illegal bookies. Masse calls it a free for all in Ontario, where private companies have been allowed to join the market. He wants equal rules across the country.