Ontario Must Control the Onslaught of Sports Betting Advertisements
Since the legalization of sports betting in Ontario, Ontarians have been beaten over the head by gambling advertisements while watching sports, listening to the radio, using social media, or simply walking down the street.
For many of us, it’s an annoyance. However, the sheer volume of these advertisements, especially during live sports broadcasts, is dangerous. It puts children, and those of us who are vulnerable to addiction, at risk.
In 2019, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health reported that 4% of children in grades 7 to 12 gambled real money online. That number in 2021, before the legalization of sports betting, jumped to 15%. That’s 1 in every 7 children.
Mental health and addictions are a public health matter and we have an obligation to treat them as such. That’s why I have tabled a motion in the Legislature calling for stricter regulation of the online sports betting and gambling advertisements that have gotten out of control.
Sign the petition to tell Doug Ford to support our motion and control the onslaught of sports betting ads.