New Legislation In Canada Moves To Restrict Gambling Ads Including During Hockey Games

While the PWHL has yet to reach the level of sports betting participation of the NHL, the dangers according to new reports remain the same.

It's why Canadian legislators are working to restrict gambling advertisements during sporting broadcasts.

With the PWHL featuring prominently on Canadian television including on CBC, TSN, Sportsnet, and Prime, it's a move that may be felt among women's hockey fans, although recent research has pointed primarily at the heavily saturated gambling landscape within men's hockey.

A new analysis of NHL broadcasts during the 2026 playoffs revealed that Canadian viewers were on average exposed to roughly 3000 gambling ads whether it was commercials, in broadcast, or logos on boards and equipment. A separate study of a different selection of NHL games in 2024 found viewers were exposed to 2-3 gambling ads per minute.

It's a saturation level of sports betting and gambling advertisements that could soon be drastically reduced in Canada as legislators look to pass Bill S-211, which is set for its third and final reading this month.

Ontario and Alberta leaders have opposed the bill.

But the bill is being backed by the Canadian Mental Health Association and Public Health Physicians of Canada who recognize the negative impact on mental health and financial well being. The relationship between gambling addiction and suicide rates has skyrocketed in Canada in recent years, an issue health care providers and support organizations would like to see mitigated through regulations regarding the bombardment of gambling advertisements during hockey games.

 FanDuel was named as official partner of the PWHL's in 2024, which included FanDuel live streaming games on their app.

“FanDuel is proud to partner with the PWHL and support the league’s incredible athletes,” Dale Hooper, general manager of FanDuel Canada said in a company news release at the time. “This partnership is about creating a new era of fan engagement—one that brings hockey closer to fans while helping grow the visibility of women’s professional sports.”

FanDuel currently lists the Minnesota Frost as the favorite to win the 2026-27 Walter Cup followed by Boston, Montreal and Detroit who have equal odds. They list the Toronto Sceptres as the biggest long shot for a Walter Cup next season.

In 2025 the Ottawa Charge named Hard Rock Hotel & Casino the team's "exclusive brick-and-mortar casino partner." The partnership involved in-arena activations from the casino, another advertising platform for gambling within the PWHL.

While sports betting and gambling have yet to take over the PWHL to the same degree as the NHL, with the proposed passing of legislation in Canada, fans may not see that grow in the PWHL now or in the future.