Daniel Zekveld is a Policy Analyst with the Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA) Canada.“Gambling will never be safe,” Alberta Minister Dale Nally noted at the second reading debate for Bill 48, the iGaming Alberta Act. But “there are ways to make it safer.” The government’s goal is to ensure that various safeguards are in place to protect gamblers from some of the most problematic features on gambling sites, and to do so by opening the regulated gambling market to include private companies. Since that legislation passed this spring, the government is engaging with stakeholders to develop regulations. However, the effect of opening Alberta’s gambling market may not be as intended, particularly if advertising is left unrestrained. Of course, gambling already happens on unregulated sites, and it’s difficult to know how much. But regulating online gambling in the way Alberta is doing could open the floodgates to new and expanded promotion of gambling. Any anticipated gain in terms of revenue is not worth the broader costs to Albertans. .DUR: Inside Alberta’s abortion blackout — the law that makes truth a crime .Globally, 5.5% of women and 11.9% of men engage in risky gambling. Over 15% of adults who gamble online and 8.9% of adults who engage in sports betting may have a gambling disorder. Canadian data from 2018, prior to the recent surge in online and sports gambling, revealed that 304,000 Canadians were at a moderate-to-severe risk of problems related to gambling.Of 57 different risk factors related to gambling, the players most at risk of problem gambling were those who gambled online. When it comes to sports betting, one American study found that after sports betting was permitted and 38 states implemented it between 2017 and 2024, there were 23% more searches nationally for help for gambling addiction. In 2021, 21% of callers to Ontario’s Problem Gambling Helpline were experiencing problems related to gambling online. In 2023, that increased to 63%. .Research from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction shows that those who gamble more than 1% of their income are at a high risk of financial, relational, and psychological harm. In Ontario, which has a similar open gambling market to the one proposed by Alberta, the average iGaming account spends between $232 and $320 per month, well above that 1% of income for most participants. Of course, multiple factors are at play when it comes to gambling addiction. But opening the gambling market to private companies increases the visibility and availability of online gambling. .FLETCHER: There’s a political crisis in BC (no, not the Conservatives).Since Ontario opened online gambling to private companies, advertising has become ubiquitous not only there but across the country. Such advertising has proven effective in attracting more players and getting people to gamble more, and is associated with more frequent and risky gambling. That’s why organizations like the Canadian Mental Health Association and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health have recommended severe limitations or even a full ban on advertising for online gambling.The connection between advertising and behaviour is why advertising for alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco is strictly regulated. For example, an advertisement for an alcoholic beverage may not show a person drinking it, and tobacco advertising is entirely prohibited. .But advertising for sports betting and online gambling in Canada is very permissive. One analysis estimated that Canadian viewers of a live sports broadcast were exposed to 2.8 references to sports betting every minute and that over 20% of viewing time included some form of gambling reference. Given the risks of online gambling and its promotion through advertising, other jurisdictions have severely restricted, or even banned, gambling advertising. The UK and Ireland have banned gambling ads during sports broadcasts. Australia has gone further by banning all in-play sports betting, as well as online casinos. Multiple Western European countries have introduced strict regulations around gambling advertising. Some, like Italy, have banned ads entirely. .BARCLAY: The Liberal attack on democracy in Canada.In Canada, Manitoba recently tried a different approach than Alberta, obtaining an injunction against a well-known illegal gambling site. Although the iGaming Alberta Act has now passed, Alberta’s strategy, including various regulations, has yet to be decided and implemented. Alberta need not, and indeed must not, take an overly permissive approach to online gambling. The result of a permissive gambling market is likely to be increased gambling and increased addiction. At the very least, the Alberta government ought to explicitly prohibit advertising and promotion for online gambling. Daniel Zekveld is a Policy Analyst with the Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA) Canada.
