Keep betting out of amateur sport.

April 25, 2023

Hon. Doug Downey, MPP
Attorney General, Government of Ontario
McMurtry Scott Building
720 Bay Street, 11th Floor
Toronto ON  M7A 2S9

Dear Mr. Downey:

We write as lifelong participants in Ontario and Canadian sport concerned about the risks of the gambling industry upon sports.

We ask you to direct the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario to prohibit any sports betting company registered with the AGCO (i.e. “registered suppliers”, as defined in the Gaming Control Act, 1992, as amended), and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming sport betting arm Proline+, from organizing bets on any Olympic, amateur or educational sports events or any participants in such events, including:

1. any events organized or sanctioned by any sport organization recognized by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport and by comparable Ministries across Canada (e.g. Provincial Sport Organizations (PSOs), Territorial Sport Organizations (TSOs), Provincial Multi Sport Organizations (PMSOs) and Territorial Multi Sport Organizations (TMSOs));
2. any events organized or sanctioned by any sport organization recognised by Sport Canada (a Branch of the Department of Canadian Heritage) (e.g. National Sport Organizations (NSOs) and National Multi Sport Organizations (NMSOs));
3. any events organized or sanctioned by any publicly funded educational institution, including any publicly funded university, college, or school; and
4. any participants, whether as athletes, coaches, or officials, in any Olympic, amateur or educational sport events, including those referred to in (a), (b) or (c) above.

We also ask that you direct the lottery subsidiary not to register any supplier that has organized or indicates that it will organize bets on any Olympic, amateur or educational sports events, including those events or participants referred to in (a), (b), (c) or (d) above. We also ask that the registration of any supplier who organizes bets on any of those events or participants be immediately suspended.

It is our understanding that you have full power to do this. Pursuant to s. 4.1 of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission Act of Ontario, 2019: “The Minister may issue directives in writing that relate to the conduct and management of prescribed online lottery schemes to the Commission or to the lottery subsidiary in respect of the Commission's or the lottery subsidiary's operations”.

To date, sports betting has been limited to the large, corporate sports cartels, such as the NFL, CFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB. We do not believe that sports gambling should extend any further. In particular, sports betting should not extend to the Olympic, amateur or educational sports. While we accept the legalization of single-sport betting as preferable to its black-market operation, we believe such legalization should be strictly limited and regulated. As individuals concerned about the health and well-being of our families and friends and as administrators, researchers, participants and fans of sport, we are very concerned about the harm created by the intrusion of gambling into sports, especially the effect upon children, youth, and other vulnerable persons. The legalization of sport betting gave rise to a flood of advertising and marketing in all media.

The engagement of sports in gambling demeans the spirit of sport. Instead of the athleticism, kinaesthetic beauty, ethical values, education, intercultural respect and communal spirit of sports, sports betting reduces meaning to whether a team or a play achieves a point spread or a within-game parley is made.

Gambling in sports also intensifies the pressure upon athletes, coaches, managers, and officials to violate the integrity of sports, to fix matches, and to manipulate players, referees' decisions, and scores.

It is our deepest concern that Ontario's sports betting regime will be extended to the Olympic, amateur, and educational sports. Last month, there was an attempt by a sports betting company to add betting on the Boston Marathon. The resulting media articles and social media commentary indicate that this may be just the beginning of a possible expansion of gambling activity beyond the large, corporate, professional sports organizations. Such an expansion would not only pollute the spirit and integrity of sport but also jeopardize the safety of our children and youth. This is a safe sport issue. If gambling on events such as swimming trials, track and field events, and university soccer matches is allowed, the safety and well-being of the participants will be put at risk. We have already seen professional athletes and college athletes in the United States targeted with demeaning comments and even threats when their performances have not met the expectations of those with bets riding on that performance. We do not want participants in amateur, publicly funded sports to be put at similar risk by allowing sports gambling activity to expand.

While the gambling industry proclaims its ability to self-regulate, we see no evidence that it can limit its appetite for expansion, let alone curtail the widespread ads targeting children and youth.

Sport gambling can lead to significant harm, including runaway debt, stress to families, low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and even suicide — among other documented economic and social issues that negatively affect Canadians. The American Psychiatric Association classifies addiction to gambling a ‘Gambling disorder’, the only non-substance-related disorder so classified. Statistics Canada recently reported that 1.6% of adult gamblers in Canada, or 304,400 persons, are at moderate to high risk of gambling disorders, including mental health issues.

We strongly urge you to take the necessary steps to protect Olympic, amateur, and educational sport from the harms of the gambling industry.

We would be pleased to meet with you and your senior staff to discuss this in detail.

Thank you for your consideration.

With best wishes,

Bruce Kidd, O.C., OLY, Ph.D., LLD.
Professor Emeritus, Sport Policy and Politics, University of Toronto

Gretchen Kerr, Ph.D.
Dean, Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto

Robin Campbell, LLB, BA

Copies to: Hon. Jill Dunlop, MPP, Minister of Colleges and Universities · Hon. Neil Lumsden, MPP, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport · David Corbett, Deputy Attorney General · Joseph Hillier, Chief of Staff, Attorney General of Ontario · Shannon Fuller, Deputy Minister, Colleges and Universities · Doug Brewer, Chief of Staff, Minister of Colleges and Universities · Nina Chiarelli, Deputy Minister, Tourism, Culture and Sport · Tyler Currie, Assistant Deputy Minister, Sport, Recreation and Recognition · Susan Truppe, Chief of Staff, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport