Bulletin 1, April 25
This Bulletin is published by the Campaign to Ban Ads for Gambling, a group of individuals interested in securing legislation to ban advertisements for gambling, just as has been done for tobacco and cannabis.
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In this Bulletin:
1. Gambling ads are harmful
2. How the ads were permitted
3. What can be done
4. Our Bulletins
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1. Gambling ads are harmful
The number of gambling advertisements on any televised sporting event today is dismaying and harmful.
Harms from gambling include financial problems, stress to families, youth and children, mental health issues including addiction and even suicide – among other documented economic and social issues that negatively affect Canadians.
Gambling ads – in both content and frequency – are particularly enticing to adolescents and other vulnerable persons, especially those struggling with gambling addiction. Furthermore, the exhortation to gamble demeans the spirit of sport.
As well, Gambling disorder is classified as a non-substance-related disorder within “Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders” in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Dec 21, 2015. Gambling can cause low self-esteem, stress, anxiety and depression if gambling becomes a problem. Gambling can become an addiction, just like drugs or alcohol, if you use it compulsively or feel out of control. Gambling can affect the part of our brain that releases dopamine.
2. How the ads were permitted
Ever since the federal government amended the Criminal Code to allow single-game sports betting in 2021 watching sports on television as felt like being in a casino. And what’s worrying is not just the ads themselves; it’s the sense that the entire sports-media complex has become an enabler.
The Criminal Code amendment required a provincial government issuing licenses to on-line gambling operators to “control” and “manage” them. The question is whether, far from exercising this control and management, the provinces are now simply skirting the law in a cynical money-grab.
3. What can be done
Trying to ban gambling would be no more successful than Prohibition was in stopping the consumption of alcohol. So our goal is to ban advertising that promotes it, as has been done with advertising that promotes alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use. The evidence shows that gambling, too, can be harmfully addictive.
Persuading lawmakers to ban advertising that promotes gambling won’t be easy, but there are three things you can do to help.
First, write Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage, and tell him that you share our concern. Our letter to the Minister can be found on the Resources page of our web site. Here is a link to a letter you can send, and you can edit the letter to say what you think appropriate.
Second, subscribe to our bulletin by going to our website: http://www.banadsforgambling.ca
And there is another action you might wish to take. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has indicated an interest in banning the use of sports figures in gambling ads, and it is willing to accept submissions until May 8. See https://www.agco.ca/blog/lottery-and-gaming/apr-2023/agco-engaging-stakeholders-proposed-changes-standards-would
We think what AGCO is doing a small first step which does not go far enough. Our brief to AGCO is on our web site. We invite you to send your own thoughts to AGCO, and send us a copy at info@banadsforgambling.ca
4. Our Bulletins
We plan to communicate with supporters on a monthly basis, perhaps more often as the campaign gains momentum. There is no charge for the bulletin, and we will not share subscriber names. Finally, we need as much support as we can get, so please send this bulletin to your friends and colleagues.