The new ‘cigarette’ problem in Canada
Online sports gambling is now a serious public health issue in Canada.
Online sports gambling is the new “cigarette” problem in Canada. Sports gambling is promoted as entertainment, while gambling addiction is fast becoming a major public health issue. Seductive, aggressive advertising makes gambling attractive and socially acceptable, while the well-known high risk of addiction is not acknowledged. Algorithms hook users into addictive gambling behaviour that affects brain circuits in ways similar to other addictive products, with destructive impacts for mental health, finances and relationships. Algorithms also stack the games to make big profits for gambling platforms and rake in tax revenues for governments. Ads do not inform users of the real odds and the harsh reality that they will lose in the end.
Given Canada’s experience with other addiction issues, it seems foolish that federal and some provincial governments expanded online gambling in 2021 and 2022. There is some logic in the arguments that regulated platforms are better than the dark web, and that it makes sense to keep gambling money in Canada. There is no excuse for ignoring well-known risks and doing nothing to prevent or reduce those risks. Waiting until the damage is so great it can’t be ignored, which is a pattern in Canada, is not good governance.
There is no excuse for ignoring well-known risks and doing nothing to prevent or reduce those risks
No one was surprised when a November 2025 report by Mental Health Research Canada highlighted the rapid expansion of gambling addiction in Canada. It also identified that young men, and those who engage in online sports betting, are at higher risk of addiction. Adding a wager makes the outcome of a sports event more interesting – the hook is easy. Young adults are targeted in aggressive advertising before, during and after every sports event, on every phone or screen they see. This is now a state-enabled serious public health issue.
Too little, too late
Five years after opening the gates, there is finally a proposal to restrict advertising before the House of Commons: Bill S-211, coming from the Senate, is a low priority. After hearing the evidence, more than 40 senators sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney recommending a full ban on advertising. Meanwhile, a similar initiative in Ontario by MPP Lee Fairclough was dismissed in spite of compelling evidence. It will likely be a long time before even modest measures take effect.
Restrictions on advertising is one small step. Effective prevention would include public service ads that expose the odds and inform young people about the risks and harms of addiction. Young people should be told that they are being ripped off by exploitative forces that have no interest in them. Most young people dislike being ripped off. More safeguards can be built into the platforms, if governments require it. Some other countries are doing more than Canada is. While Canada is in a moral panic about banning young people from social media, the federal and provincial governments are knowingly letting young adults become addicted to online sports gambling and benefitting from it.
How many tragic stories and documented reports will it take before public pressure demands action?
Thank you for raising this topic. Gambling of any kind is something to which I am immune, but I see others for whom it is devasting in terms of finances if not addictive. I was raised with a now-old set of ethics that said, “You don’t gamble for money; you work and honest day’s work for your money.” Then there are stock market speculators, manipulators, and just plain greedy people. Thanks again, Kathy, for sharing your insights with us.