Bell, let's talk about gambling ads.

September 19, 2023

Mr. Mirko Bibic
President and Chief Executive Officer
Bell Inc and Bell Canada
Verdun, QC  H3E 3B3

Dear Mr. Bibic:

We write as members of the Campaign to Ban Ads for Gambling, which seeks federal legislation to ban all advertising for gambling for the same health reasons that led the Canadian government a generation ago to ban ads for tobacco. See BanAdsForGambling.ca.

We have long admired Bell for its public-spirited Let's Talk Campaign to acknowledge and address the scourge of mental health. Sadly, the number of Canadians suffering from various forms of mental illness seems to be growing, especially among the young. As your leadership recognizes, effective diagnosis, treatment, and support, as well as preventive education and research, simply will not happen to the extent needed without a society-wide commitment to make the required investments. That cannot happen as long as families, communities and governments refuse to acknowledge the related deficits and behaviours as stemming from illness and the full extent of the suffering and related economic and social costs. You are to be commended for your corporate leadership to change the public conversation about mental health in Canada.

As you no doubt know, advertising for gambling contributes significantly to mental health challenges, especially among children and youth and other vulnerable persons. The causal link between ads for betting and mental health challenges, including addiction to gambling, has been demonstrated around the globe, as our white paper documents. Since the legalization of sports betting in Canada, there has been a tsunami of ads for gambling in both the traditional and social media. Health care providers, college and university officials, bank managers and others to whom those who have been harmed by sports betting turn report a significant increase in the number of people who have suffered as a result of the ads. The Ontario government has also acknowledged the effectiveness of ads to induce gambling in its recent decision to prohibit celebrity endorsers from gambling ads.

As the white paper shows, researchers, public policy analysts and a growing number of governments call for a ban on advertising for gambling to minimize the mental health risks exacerbated by the legalization of gambling. This advocacy is supported by public opinion in Canada. An Ipsos poll published in January of this year found that 48% of Canadians agree that “the volume of advertising is excessive and needs to be cut back”.

We believe that on this issue, Bell is in a unique position to lead the country. Your “Let's Talk” track record gives you immediate, unchallenged moral authority. And the fact that you are also a major player in professional sports in Canada — through your various broadcast and online platforms and through your stake in Maple Leaf Sports — provides you with an unequaled credibility on this issue. Bell is positioned to achieve a major transformational change on this important issue.

We would therefore like to meet with you at your earliest convenience to discuss the steps that Bell must take to restrict ads for gambling and re-establish its leadership on mental health.

With best wishes,

Bruce Kidd and John Sewell
Campaign to Ban Ads for Gambling

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