Gambling ads are everywhere in Alberta right now, experts weigh in on their potential impact
Alberta government acknowledges ad increase, says it's necessary to phase out black market operators
Online gambling advertisements seem to be everywhere ever since the Alberta government opened up the province's online gambling market to private operators a little more than three weeks ago, and that has some people raising concerns.
University of Alberta marketing professor Paul Messinger told CBC News he believes advertising online gambling could run the risk of increasing addiction rates among youths and other potentially vulnerable people.
“I personally would be careful about encouraging more of this and endorsing more online gambling,” he said.
“We have a number of forms of entertainment — forms of gambling — which are possible in casinos [or] in racetracks, and those are very carefully regulated. But this really takes it into our living rooms ... and the risks of people really betting too much, putting in jeopardy their financial security, are pretty high.”
Messinger said he believes the frequency with which online gambling ads are currently being seen will likely last three to six months before tapering off to a more steady schedule.
Leif Gregersen is an Alberta-based author who says he has struggled with gambling addiction in the past. He described the increase in ads as "insidious."
“It’s just really amazing how they’ve been able to permeate,” he said.
Gregersen said he first realized he had problematic gambling tendencies when he was 14. He said he spent many years struggling with addiction and his mental health.
“Looking back at the time when I was gambling quite a bit, I have this very distinct memory of just wanting to gamble badly — having huge cravings to gamble — and it just leaving me in such a state of hopeless depression that really all I could do was sit on the floor in the hallway of my apartment,” he said.
“I just felt so awful.”
Gambling ads can't purposefully target minors, AiGC says
Dan Keene, the CEO of the Alberta iGaming Corporation, told CBC News restrictions have been put in place to ensure gambling platforms cannot purposefully target minors or vulnerable people with ads.
Keene said ads should not depict minors or “people who appear to be minors,” and added they cannot be “false, deceptive, misleading.”
Ads are also not permitted to include themes, characters or celebrities that primarily appeal to youths unless that celebrity is endorsing responsible gambling or social responsibility messaging.
Companies cannot advertise bonuses, credits, free bets or inducements unless the player has consented to direct marketing.
Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally said he believes clamping down on advertising could leave the online gambling market vulnerable to “black market operators.”
“If we have an environment where the responsible operators can't actually advertise and compete against the black market, then they're not going to be successful,” he said in an interview with CBC News.
“We know that the best way to deal with the black market is to have a healthy, regulated legal market, and that includes allowing them to advertise.”
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Nally said he anticipates advertising will start to decrease in the coming months. He said the government is monitoring the situation and will “take action down the road” if the ads become an issue.
Expert says more safeguards needed
Carrie Shaw is an assistant psychology professor at the University of Alberta and has done extensive research into gambling in Canada.
She said that while the ads can reach their target audience, she believes they can also “inadvertently normalize gambling” and increase the desire to gamble among those who are more vulnerable.
“There's times where the casino is closed. However, online gambling doesn't have that open and closed time, so it's readily available 24/7,” Shaw said.
“You don't have to leave your home to engage. You don't have to leave your office to engage. That access is readily available.”
Shaw said when Ontario launched its online regulated gaming market in 2022, gambling helplines saw an increase in calls from youths and parents of youths who began engaging in online betting.
She said she believes there should be more safeguards in place to protect youths from gambling.
Nally said the province is aware of the “problematic gambling behaviours” identified in Ontario and that Albertans struggling with gambling addictions will “have access to intensive, outpatient treatment paid for by the operator.”
“That’s something that we did on Day 1 that Ontario did not do. The other thing that we did that Ontario did not do was we put in system-wide self-exclusion on Day 1,” Nally said, referring to the province's initiative which allows people to essentially click a button and exclude themselves from gambling websites and in-person casinos.
Gregersen said he does not believe that the self-exclusion program will do enough to help people struggling with addiction. However, he also said he believes adding more regulations to the market could be beneficial, at least “in a small way."
Keene noted two per cent of gross gambling revenue will go directly to Indigenous initiatives and that one per cent will go to social responsibility programs like those dealing with mental health and addictions.
He also noted ads must include a message about responsible gambling and must note age restrictions for online betting websites.
Gregersen said his gambling experiences were mostly in person, but added he does have some experience with online gambling websites.
“What I recalled the most is that the money just went out the window so fast,” he said. “It was so good at drawing you in.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-online-gambling-ads-9.7297323