Stop betting on the Paralympics.
Our letter to the International Paralympic Committee, co-signed by our international allies, urging the IPC to ban advertising, sponsorship and all forms of marketing for sports betting within the Paralympic Movement.
22 January 2026
President Andrew Parsons
CEO Mike Peters
International Paralympic Committee
Stop betting on the Paralympics
Dear President Parsons and CEO Peters:
We write on behalf of an international coalition of NGOs to urge the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to ban advertising, sponsorship and all forms of marketing for sports betting within the Paralympic Movement and to endorse the universal, public health approach to gambling recommended by the World Health Organization; see Gambling.
As countless studies show, and as WHO documents:
- Gambling can threaten health, leading to increased incidence of mental illness and suicide. It can drive poverty by diverting household spending from essential goods and services.
- Gambling harms also include relationship breakdown, family violence, financial distress, stigma, income-generating crimes (theft, fraud), neglect of children, and erosion of civil institutions via corruption and corporate political activity. Gambling is also a common way to launder money obtained through illegal activities.
Sports betting increases the risk of unsafe sports, as disappointed bettors abuse the athletes who do not 'make' the intended bets.
Although the betting sites say that 'betting on the Olympics is small, and that Paralympics betting even smaller', we worry that even a small amount of betting on your inspirational events will further normalize the harms from sports betting. IOC officials have told us that 'betting adds to the enjoyment of sports and that advertising for sports betting grows the interest in sports.' That view is mistaken. Betting may draw people to sports, but that interest is entirely disembodied and sedentary, and for many of those, harmful to the point of addiction.
There is absolutely no evidence that sports betting increases the realization of Olympic and Paralympic values, including healthy active participation in sports.
The good news is that advertising for sports betting is now illegal in Italy, which supports the policy statements issued by WHO. The prohibition of advertising for sports betting is supported by a coalition of Italian sports organizations, under the slogan: The Olympic spirit cannot and must not in any way be associated with gambling.
Yet advertising for sport betting will be prevalent in many other countries during the 2026 Milano-Cortina Paralympic Winter Games.
We therefore call upon the IPC to aggressively protect the Paralympic brand and all its related trademarks, by not permitting advertising, sponsorship or any other form of marketing related to sports betting within the Paralympic Movement, the Paralympic Games, the Paralympic Winter Games, and the Youth Paralympic Games.
We also urge the IPC to reflect that position in all Paralympic broadcasts.
Further we call on the IPC to publicly endorse the WHO's public health recommendations on gambling.
Sincerely,
Campaign to Ban Ads for Gambling (Canada)
Bruce Kidd (OLY), Director & President
Joel Finlay (OLY), Director & Treasurer
Stop Predatory Gambling (USA)
Les Bernal, National Director
Coalition to End Gambling Ads (UK)
Will Prochaska, Director
Gambling with Lives (UK)
Charles Ritchie MBE, Co-Founder & Chair
Liz Ritchie MBE, Co-Founder & Trustee
Humans of Sport (Worldwide)
Payoshni Mitra, Founder
Society Concerned about Gambling Addiction (Japan)
Noriko Tanaka, Representative Director
NPO National Association of Family of Gambling Addiction (Japan)
Taeko Osawa, Chairperson of the Board
Alliance for Gambling Reform (Australia)
Martin Thomas, Chief Executive Officer
Copies to: IOC President Coventry · WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus · UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres