Bulletin No. 10, May 14, 2024
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. Bill S-269 Moves Forward
2. Our White Paper No. 2
3. Match Fixing
4. Subscribe to the Bulletin
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1. Bill S-269 Moves Forward
On May 9, Bill S-269 , The National Framework on Advertising for Sports Betting Act- was referred to the Senate Standing Committee on transportation and Communications, a good next step where public briefs can be submitted, and the Senate can consider approving the Bill and submitting it to the House of Commons. The details on timing and hearings have not yet been settled.
Senator Marty Deacon, who introduced the bill last year, states : “Given that broadcasting, both on the airwaves and online, has little regard for provincial jurisdictions, this is a national problem that requires a national solution which includes the provinces and territories and is led by the federal government. It is my hope this bill receives quick study in committee because every day more and more Canadians are feeling the effects of these gambling based harms.”
Brent Cotter, a senator from Saskatchewan, co-sponsored the bill and states: “Since the introduction of Bill S-269 in spring of last year, I have heard from Canadians from coast to coast to coast inquiring about the status of the legislation and asking why something has not yet been done to rein in the ads they are seeing every day.”
A recent poll conducted by Maru Public Opinion found that 75 per cent of respondents believe there’s a need to protect youth from these kinds of commercials, while 62 per cent believe sports betting owners are not acting responsibly with their ads.
2. Our White Paper No. 2
This, our second White Paper, documents the move from an individual approach and so-called “responsible gambling” to a public health approach. While the individual and social costs of gambling are widespread and difficult to estimate, experts in the field agree that they far exceed the revenue that governments may receive from legally registered gambling businesses.
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) recently issued a “Gambling Policy Framework” on March 27, 2024 providing a template for gambling policy that effectively addresses the health and social harms that can accompany gambling, and to inform government initiatives in this area. Many other public health professionals take a similar approach. CAMH notes, “There is a causal relationship between exposure to gambling promotion and gambling attitudes and activities. Children and youth, as well as those already experiencing gambling problems, are especially susceptible to these effects.”
Some of the conclusions of our White Paper No. 2 are:
Notwithstanding recent amendments imposing some restrictions on gambling ads in Ontario, gambling ads continue to proliferate in every media. These ads, in volume and content, are targeted particularly to potential new “players” (children, young people, women) and to existing vulnerable groups such as recovering gambling addicts.
There is a growing call to politicians and governments to move from the so-called “responsible gambling” approach taken by the betting companies, which places the onus for gambling addictions on individual bettors, to a public health approach, which pursues several strategies in coordination, including a ban on advertising, a legal requirement that betting companies bear responsibility for the harms they cause, and much greater support for mental health.
The public does not believe that that the gambling companies are acting responsibly with their ads. The public does believe that there needs to be more government oversight and regulation.
While the gambling industry argues that sports betting drives fan engagement, athletes, coaches and officials have been the target of fan engagement of a negative and potentially dangerous sort.
Access our White Paper No. 2 here.
3. Match Fixing
The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport has drafted a policy for match fixing – a major issue for sports in most parts of the world - which it hopes will be endorsed by many Canadian sports organizations. The draft policy results from a conference last year on the topic – ironically sponsored by some of the world’s largest gambling companies – and is now available for public comment. It can be found at this link.
The CCES web site lists the public consultations to be held on its draft, and how responses can be submitted.
Ban Ads for Gambling recommends four changes to the draft policy:
Rather than the adoption of the policy being voluntary, the federal government should make signing on to the policy a requirement for public funding.
The Criminal Code should be amended to prohibit match fixing. The legislation should take into account the possibility that athletes are victims - via addiction, blackmail or other forms of threat – and should therefore target all those engaged in manipulation, not just athletes, and especially those who coerce manipulation.
The draft proposes that participants should not bet on their own sport but it allows for betting on other sports. The policy should ban participants from betting on any Olympic, Paralympic and related events, professional, school, college or university sport.
The draft policy permits a participant in Canadian sport to be speak or be an ambassador for any betting operator for things like `responsible betting.’ Influencers in ads for betting companies who tell people to gamble responsibly are telling people that gambling is perfectly respectable and should be engaged in. It implies that a bit of gambling in moderation – or a bit of match fixing – is perfectly OK. We believe no participant should endorse or contribute in any way to an advertisement for sports betting.
Consider writing to CCES to support the changes we suggest.
4. Subscribe to the Bulletin
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