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OntarioDid not become law (session ended)43rd Parliament, 1st Session

Bill 126 explained in plain English

Ban iGaming Advertising Act, 2023

Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.

At a glance

Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature
Legislature / Parliament
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Session
43rd Parliament, 1st Session
Bill number
Bill 126
Full title
Ban iGaming Advertising Act, 2023
Current status
Did not become law (session ended)
Latest event
Ordered for Second Reading
Last updated
Jun 6, 2023

Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.

Chamber
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Current Stage
Ordered for Second Reading
Latest Activity
Jun 6, 2023
Plain-language explanation
In plain English (our explanation)

Our plain-language take, written for civic education.

Source: By PoliticalData.ca

AI-assisted, reviewed before publishing
Short Version

The Ban iGaming Advertising Act, 2023, would prohibit the promotion of online gambling sites through advertising in Ontario, with specified exceptions, and establish penalties for violations.

What It Means

Bill 126, the Ban iGaming Advertising Act, 2023, proposes to prohibit the advertising of online gambling sites in Ontario. It states that no person shall promote an online gambling site through advertising, nor shall anyone publish, broadcast, or disseminate such a promotion on behalf of another person. The prohibition does not apply to certain situations, such as the distribution of imported publications or retransmission of broadcasts originating outside Ontario, if the purpose is not to promote an online gambling site. It also does not apply to artistic works or commentaries that depict or mention online gambling sites, provided no payment is made by a manufacturer or retailer for such depiction or mention. Contravention of the Act is an offence, punishable by a fine of at least $25,000 and up to $1,000,000. The Act would come into force 30 days after receiving Royal Assent.

What This Bill Does
  • Prohibits any person from promoting an online gambling site through advertising.
  • Prohibits any person from publishing, broadcasting, or otherwise disseminating a prohibited promotion for an online gambling site on behalf of another person.
  • Provides exceptions to the prohibition for certain imported publications, retransmitted broadcasts, artistic works, and commentaries about online gambling sites under specific conditions.
  • Establishes that contravening the prohibition is an offence.
  • Sets a minimum fine of $25,000 and a maximum fine of $1,000,000 for individuals convicted of an offence.
  • States that the Act comes into force 30 days after receiving Royal Assent.
Who Is Affected
  • Persons promoting online gambling sites
  • Persons publishing, broadcasting, or disseminating advertising for online gambling sites
  • Manufacturers and retailers of online gambling sites
  • Distributors of imported publications
  • Retransmitters of radio or television broadcasts originating outside Ontario
  • Creators of literary, dramatic, musical, cinematographic, scientific, educational, or artistic works
Rights, Duties, Or Obligations
  • No person shall promote an online gambling site by means of advertising.
  • No person shall publish, broadcast, or otherwise disseminate any promotion for an online gambling site on behalf of another person.
Important Dates
  • The Act comes into force 30 days after it receives Royal Assent.
Financial Or Tax Impacts
  • Convicted offenders are liable to a fine of at least $25,000 and not more than $1,000,000.
Enforcement Or Penalties
  • Contravention of section 1 is an offence.
  • Conviction for an offence is liable to a fine of at least $25,000 and not more than $1,000,000.
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The bill does not specify which entity or person will be responsible for enforcing the Act or prosecuting offences.
  • The bill does not detail the process for determining if a publication is imported or a broadcast originates outside Ontario for the purposes of the exceptions.
  • The bill does not define 'consideration' in the context of exceptions for artistic works and commentaries.
  • The bill does not specify the exact nature of 'advertising' beyond promotion.
  • The bill does not define 'online gambling site'.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Ban iGaming Advertising Act, 2023
enacts

This is the new Act that establishes the rules and penalties for advertising online gambling sites in Ontario.

Prohibition on promoting online gambling sites
creates

A new rule making it illegal to advertise online gambling sites.

Source: Section 1

Offence for contravening the prohibition
creates

A new legal category for breaking the advertising rules.

Source: Section 3

Fines for offences
sets

Establishes specific financial penalties for those found guilty of an offence.

Source: Section 3

Commencement of the Act
specifies

Sets the date when the Act will become legally effective.

Source: Section 4

Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.

Official text

Process Snapshot

Step 1
First reading
Jun 6, 2023
Step 2
Second reading
Date not listed
Step 3
Committee review
Not reached yet
Step 4
Third reading
Not reached yet
Step 5
Royal assent
Not reached yet

Vote Summary

No published recorded division

This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.

Sponsor
France Gélinas
New Democratic Party of Ontario | Nickel Belt
Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature

No published representative vote breakdown

This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.

Official sources

Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.

How this data is sourced