The Canadian Lottery Coalition (CLC) announced the appointment of Molly Cormier as Executive Director.
Cormier joins the Coalition from Atlantic Lottery (AL), bringing extensive experience in public relations, marketing, and policy engagement within Canada’s regulated gaming sector. She has worked closely with governments and regulators on responsible gambling and consumer protection, and previously served with the Government of New Brunswick. Her background as a journalist further informs her work at the intersection of regulation, public policy and public accountability. Cormier will lead the CLC’s work with governments, regulators, and industry stakeholders as Canada responds to the rapid growth of online gambling and the policy challenges that have come with it.
Since online single‑event sports betting was legalized in Canada in August 2021 – and accelerated by Ontario’s launch of an open iGaming model in April 2022 – Canadians from coast to coast have experienced a sharp increase in gambling advertising, particularly across live sports, in local sports and entertainment venues, and on digital media. That rapid shift, combined with the continued spread of illegal and unregulated online gambling websites targeting Canadians with misleading advertising and accepting real‑money wagers, is the policy challenge that led provincial lottery corporations to form the Canadian Lottery Coalition in 2021. Established decades ago by their respective provincial governments, these lottery corporations have social purpose at the core of their mandates; prioritizing the prevention of gambling-related harms while generating revenues that fund essential public services and community priorities.
“Molly brings the experience, leadership and judgment the Coalition needs as governments and regulators confront growing challenges around gambling advertising and consumer protection. She understands the urgency of supporting player health, especially in the face of clear gaps in federal law and enforcement,” said Dallas McCready, President and CEO of AL and a member of the CLC Executive Board.
The Canadian Lottery Coalition is a pan-Canadian alliance of provincial lottery corporations – AL, Loto-Québec, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries, and British Columbia Lottery Corporation – that hold the authority to manage and operate gambling in their respective provinces. The Coalition’s mandate is to collaborate in order to advance a gambling market in Canada where player health is prioritized and protected by strong, enforceable laws; legal gambling is clearly distinguishable from illegal and unregulated offerings; and provincially regulated lotteries continue to deliver social and economic benefit to communities across the country.
“I am pleased to join the Coalition at a time when the need for clear, coordinated national policy to protect player health, especially among young Canadians, has never been greater. My priorities will be to address gaps in federal legislation and regulation related to the promotion and advertising of online gambling, particularly sports betting; respond to the continued proliferation of illegal online gambling websites in Canada; and strengthen collaboration with governments, regulators and industry stakeholders. Canadians should be able to clearly distinguish between legal, accountable gambling options and offshore sites that operate outside Canadian and provincial laws and public safeguards,” said Cormier.
The Coalition will continue to advocate for policy approaches that put responsible gambling, consumer protection and regulatory integrity first. That includes support for Bill S-211, National Framework on Sports Betting Advertising Act, currently making its way through Parliament. The new bill is a meaningful first step that seeks to establish a national framework for sports betting advertising and would help create clearer national guardrails for the promotion and advertising of online gambling throughout Canada.
The Coalition also sees the 2025 Manitoba court decision against Bodog as an important step forward in its mandate. The Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba found that Bodog had no lawful authority to offer or advertise online gambling products and services in Manitoba, a significant win for consumer protection, enforcement and the integrity of Canada’s provincially regulated system. The reasoning of the Court’s decision in Manitoba would apply in every Coalition jurisdiction.
