CGA: Do You Really Want To Protect Young People From Gambling Harms?

September 11, 2025

According to the Canadian Gaming Association (CGA), advertising, particularly on television, has less of an impact on the risks associated with problem gambling than lax regulatory frameworks and the failure to monitor unregulated operations.

Sports Betting Intensifies with NFL Season

The CGA issued a statement to media this morning that challenged an op-ed piece in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on Monday arguing that sports betting ads are too prevalent during sports broadcasts, particularly during a time of the year where the NFL is back playing, and with a new NHL season on the horizon, making it enticing for youth.

“The legalization of online gambling (iGaming) in Ontario in 2022 turned any smartphone into a betting platform, compounding existing epidemics of technology and social media use addiction,” the article said.

In response, the CGA stated that a regulated environment with checks and balances in place—such as limiting advertising and, in Ontario's case, prohibiting anyone under the age of 19 from accessing gaming sites—as well as providing a comprehensive range of resources to assist those who are struggling with problem gambling are what truly protect young people.

CGA Response

“Gambling has been a part of daily life for decades, serving as a form of entertainment, social interaction, and economic activity,” the CGA said in the statement sent to Casino.org. “While gambling can have risks, its impact depends on regulation and individual circumstances. As gambling becomes more embedded in digital platforms and everyday experiences, oversight and regulation are important to reduce potential harm. The CGA has encouraged provincial governments to strengthen regulatory frameworks to address issues related to unlicensed operators.”

In the Canadian Medical Association Journal article, the journal’s editor, Dr. Shannon Charlebois, warned that because the brains of children and teens are still developing, the deluge of marketing normalizes gambling, and young people subsequently establish habits that carry into adulthood.

Youth Picking Up Bad Habits

Charlebois urged for commercials to be regulated during games and ads to be banned from social media platforms utilized by young people.  She also referenced the quantity of sports betting platform names visible on hockey rink boards, the ice itself, and on football grounds, for example.

According to the article, gambling addiction is a problem that is becoming worse, particularly among young people.

Charlebois mentioned how a new national advertising bill for Canada's gaming industry would be beneficial, and the industry responded favorably.

Bill S-211, originally Bill S-269, sponsored by Canadian Senator Marty Deacon, calls for the Minister of Heritage to set new national guidelines on gaming advertising regarding what goes into gambling ads, when they run, and the volume of advertising that’s out there.

National Advertising Bill

The Minister would launch a dialogue with provincial MPs, Indigenous groups, and gaming regulators to define the new framework.

MPs will be back in the House of Commons this Monday for the first time since June, and the Bill is awaiting first reading.

The CGA referenced Ontario’s regulated igaming market, currently with 50 licensed operators, which has in place advertising and responsible gambling regulations which operators must comply with, including the removal of athletes and clarification regarding the use of celebrities in advertising so as not to appeal to minors.

Ontario imposes prohibitions on mass market advertising of bonuses and inducements and requires obligatory training for workers at igaming operators who contact with clients, as well as give tools to recognize and respond to players showing indicators of problem gambling.

Regulatory Guardrails

“Our position has consistently been that discussions surrounding advertising should be ongoing and informed by evidence-based research. Furthermore, we maintain that a robust regulatory framework must encompass comprehensive measures aimed at educating and safeguarding players.”

Alberta will shortly join Ontario in creating a competitive regulated igaming industry, perhaps in early 2026.

“Prohibiting advertising will not eliminate this activity. For over two decades, Canadians have had unrestricted access to unregulated online gaming and disregarding the existence of such activities or purporting that advertising is the cause of problem gambling would be unrealistic – and naïve.” 

The argument about advertising is grounded too much in emotion, the CGA added in the statement.  Additionally, the CGA stated that the gaming industry has no control over how sports betting advertisements or in-game content related to betting are presented.  Sports leagues and broadcasters have their own rules and regulations regarding where, when, and how advertisements are displayed.

CGA: Decrease in Gaming Ads

The quantity of sports betting advertising, particularly on television, has been declining, according to the CGA for months.  ThinkTV CEO Catherine MacLeod stated that since Ontario's market opening in 2022, the amount of gaming advertising has decreased annually during a panel discussion on the subject at the Canadian Gaming Summit in June.

“It’s not, in my view, a problem with too much advertising,” she said. “If you want to reach kids, the last place you want to be is on television. This idea that every kid is watching television is just so antiquated.”

thinkTV is a marketing and research association that assists advertisers and agencies in maximizing the effectiveness of TV advertising.

“I think that we’ve got a lot of 55, 60 year olds who are concerned on behalf of their children about what’s going to be on the air,” she said. “I have yet to meet a broadcaster, or a gaming operator, who doesn’t, on the surface, want to do the right thing. Overall it’s a very responsible group of people when it comes to advertising. We have to keep this in perspective.”

MacLeod stated thinkTV clears 35,000 pieces of advertising per year.  As of June, this year, the organization had cleared 88 gambling advertising.