Vlady, please walk away from these ads.

June 24, 2026

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Toronto Blue Jays

Dear Vlady:

I'm a lifelong baseball fan. I admire your athleticism and competitive spirit but I feel totally betrayed by your recent ‘responsible gambling’ ad with Betway Canada.

While some might say that your message to ‘know when to take a walk’ is less harmful than a full blast gambling ad, your underlying message is that you should still play, i.e. bet, and subject yourself to the ‘engineered addiction’ perfected by gambling companies like Betway Canada, in collusion with the Toronto Blue Jays and Major League Baseball.

You help groom bettors, many of whom are children and youth, into a lifetime of gambling.

You hint at the harms, but you say nothing about them and offer no guidance or help whatsoever to those negatively affected.

Sports betting is harmful, especially to the thousands of adults, children and youth who admire your tremendous athleticism and therefore may follow your advice to bet. According to the latest national survey by the Canadian Centre for Substance Use and Addiction, 9.9% of the population experience ‘problem gambling’. Among young adults who gambled online, 69.4% met the criteria for problem gambling and 23.5% reported experiencing a high level of gambling-related harms. Since legalization in 2021, the percentage of Canadians who experience problem gambling or addiction has grown six times. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health estimates that for every bettor addicted another five to six persons are negatively affected. The World Health Organization, the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Psychological Association and countless other bodies decry the rise in sports gambling as a ‘public health crisis’.

‘Responsible gambling’ was invented by the British gambling industry to overcome its seedy image. There's nothing responsible about it — it's designed to normalize and encourage a dangerous practice. There is no evidence — anywhere — that ‘responsible gambling’ messaging is effective in harm reduction.

As a member of the Major League Baseball Players' Association, which has a collective agreement with Major League Baseball, an energetic partner of the gambling industry, you should know about the harms to which the sports industry contributes, and warn your fans about them.

But instead, like Wayne Gretzky and Connor McDavid before you, you choose to vouch for gambling. By doing so, you put your fans at risk.

Please walk away from these ads.

Sincerely,

Bruce Kidd
Campaign to Ban Ads for Gambling

Copies to: Dalton Varsho, MLBPA representative · Mark Shapiro, President, Toronto Blue Jays · Hon. Stan Cho, Ontario Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming · Hon. Neil Lumsden, Ontario Minister of Sport · Vladimir Guerrero Sr.