- Brian Masse, the member of Parliament behind sports betting legalization, says some results are deplorable.
- Masse wants more regulation to limit the volume and outlets for gambling advertisements.
- Studies have found that gambling advertisements consume 21% of Ontario sporting broadcasts and the Ontario mental health helpline for gambling saw a 300% increase from young men.
ONTARIO – Former member of Parliament Brian Masse introduced the bill that ultimately led to legal sports betting in Canada, but now he thinks the gambling advertising has gotten out of hand. Five years after legal sports betting in Canada became a reality, overwhelming advertising volume is hurting young Canadian men.
When Masse introduced a bill to overturn the gambling prohibition in 2019, he did so to compete with Detroit casinos and unregulated sites. Once Michigan casinos began offering legal sports betting after the 2018 PAPSA appeal, Canadian casinos were immediately at a disadvantage without a regulated gambling industry.
Canadian Gambling Advertising Leading to Problem Gambling?
Now, Canadian sports fans are flooded with sports betting advertising. A collaboration between Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s (CBC) Marketplace and University of Bristol researchers found that gambling advertisements take up more than 20% of Canadian sports broadcasts.
A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal showed that more young men are reaching out to mental health services with gambling-related problems than ever before. The study states that “Increases in gambling-related contacts occurred almost exclusively in adolescent boys and men aged 15 to 44 years. Compared with no private online gambling, and no private online gambling or PlayOLG, gambling-related contacts in adolescent boys and men aged 15 to 24 years were estimated to have increased by 144% and 337.8%, respectively.”
Masse and Renze Nauta are calling for greater gambling advertising restrictions in Canada, or a complete advertising ban if possible. Ontario Senator Marty Deacon’s Senate Bill 211 would nationally regulate sports betting ads and has already reached the House.
