A legislative bill that would have banned the advertisement of dot-net gambling sites in the Canadian province of Ontario has been killed. So called "dot-com" advertising offers real-money gambling services. "Dot-net" provides informational and educational sites.
The measure to outlaw advertising of dot-net gambling sites came in the form of Bill 152, which aimed to amend the Consumer Protection Act of 2002. The Act is amended would have criminalized the advertisement of dot-net Internet gambling businesses relating to sponsorship agreements. Bill 152 passed upon its second reading on Nov. 16, and was then referred to the Social Policy Committee for review in late November. During these hearings, lobbyists convinced the government that the bill's ambiguity and lack of cohesiveness with the Canadian Criminal Code, which only outlaws dot-com advertising.
Michael Lipton is a partner at the Toronto-based law firm Elkind & Lipton. He provided legal advice to Hill & Knowlton, a lobbying firm who was active at the hearings before the Social Policy Committee on November 27-28. That Bill 152 did not pass its second hearing is a positive indication for the egaming sector. But Michael Lipton was quick to point out that the matter was not closed. Lipton said: "I wouldn't necessarily say this is a great victory," "I would just merely say that the government wanted to put its oar in the water in respect to this matter. It did so, and I think that it did so in an attempt to be responsible, and it really didn't change the legal landscape in Ontario."
Bill 152 has been submitted for a third reading, which may happen before the end on the year.
