Bill 107: a first step toward harm reduction.
Written in support of MPP Lee Fairclough's private member's bill to prohibit gambling advertising in Ontario — by Robin Campbell, Steve Joordens and Bruce Kidd.
By Robin Campbell, Steve Joordens and Bruce Kidd · May 7, 2026
The public health crisis unleashed by the legalization of sports betting and on-line gambling without guardrails in 2021 continues to inflame families and communities. Since legalization, the percentage of Canadians experiencing ‘problem gambling’ or addiction has grown six times, from 1.3 to 9.9%. Among the 32% of young adults 18 to 29 who gamble, three national health organizations recently reported that 69.4% met the criteria for problem gambling and 23.5% acknowledged a high level of gambling-related harms. Other studies estimate that for every person addicted, at least five others are negatively affected.
The Canadian Pediatric Society reports that underage gambling is common and can start as young as 9 or 10 years of age. ConnexOntario has reported that since legalization the rate of young men seeking help for gambling-related problems has increased by more than 300 percent.
A recent Norwegian study reported that suicide was the leading cause of death among patients with gambling disorder.
The uncritical rise of sports betting has also seriously damaged the culture of sports, with a steady increase in reports of competition manipulation and the abuse of athletes by disgruntled bettors. Moreover, researchers report that the ease of access to sports betting undermines consumers' financial health, lowers GDP, and increases debt.
The only seeming beneficiaries are the gambling companies, which in Ontario increased their revenues by 31% to $9.59 billion in 2025. While the Ontario government draws some tax revenue, its rate of 22.5% is modest compared to New York State's 51% across the lake.
With all these concerns, one would think that the Ontario Government and its regulator, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), might stiffen its regulations to protect consumers and citizens. Certainly, other governments and health authorities such as the World Health Organization, the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Psychological Association and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) recommend significant guardrails.
But no, the Ontario Government and the AGCO proclaim a minimalist approach, whistling in the dark that it's enough to tell consumers to be ‘responsible’ while ignoring the fact that consumers are bombarded by saturation advertising and betting apps that are psychologically engineered to groom the next generation of addicts. Ontario Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming Stan Cho recently bragged that ‘Ontario has put in place strong rules to protect players’ and that ‘Ontario has created best practices to safeguard players.’
That's why the private member's Bill 107, An act to control the Gaming Control Act, introduced by Liberal MPP Lee Fairclough and to be debated in the Ontario Legislature next week, is such a welcome step. It calls for the prohibition of advertising for sports betting and on-line gambling in Ontario, with stiff fines for violators.
The passing of this bill should not be a partisan event. It would complement Bill S-211, An act respecting a national framework for sport betting advertising, which is currently moving through the House of Commons.
It's clear from international research and what we experience every day that saturation advertising — during broadcasts, on social media and YouTube, on arena and stadium signage, and on the pedestrian routes to games — along with the enthusiastic encouragement by sportscasters, has normalized gambling. Parents and grandparents tell us that children who watch sports on television ask to be taught to bet. This is particularly worrisome as the men's FIFA World Cup approaches. A British study found that during the last World Cup, the frequency of betting was 24% higher during matches with gambling ads compared to games on channels that did not screen them.
As the WHO recommends, the single-most effective step to reduce the harms is to end gambling advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
In addition to restricting advertising, CAMH and others have recommended that regulators:
- Abandon the ‘responsible gambling’ approach, and replace it with a public health strategy to address gambling harms. No one outside the gambling industry believes that ‘responsible gambling’ actually works.
- Require counter-messaging that conveys warnings about harms associated with gambling products, like the warnings on alcohol and tobacco (e.g., statements of losses or “cost to play”)
- Prohibit the product features known to be most harmful (e.g., notifications)
- Enhance prevention and education
- Invest significantly in treatment
Bill 107 is an important initiative that should receive full public attention. It would start to undo the damage from Canada's legalization of sports betting in 2021 without guardrails, and because of the reach of Ontario's ads, begin the process of a full reckoning with gambling addictions across the country.