The Head of Gambling Awareness Program at the Saskatchewan Division of the Canadian Mental Health Association
As a director of the organization, Mr. Altrogue's responsibility is to educate the public on how to gamble in a safer and more responsible way. Previously, a nonprofit organization described Saskatchewan as a very common province for gambling. According to this, about 75% of local adults gamble and use it to pay an average CA$855 per year.
The responsible gambling advocate shared that the organization is concerned about the impact of sports betting on young people. According to her, sports gambling is considered almost a different type of gambling from lottery, casino, and slot machines. She explains that people seem to forget that despite their sports knowledge, risks and opportunities are still heavily related.
Some of her other concerns relate to the over-marketing of sports betting apps and platforms. According to her, many children will watch any kind of sports event and they may be swayed by advertisements. She also added that this could have a negative impact on teenagers and that this is an issue that should not be ignored.
Elaine McDougall, head of marketing and communications at the Responsible Gambling Commission, also believes that children are too exposed to sports betting marketing. According to her, the normalization of sports betting is currently underway. Last year, she shared that Congress has developed a preventive program for youth and schools in Ontario for that reason.
The council and ThinkTV, the marketing and research association responsible for the development of commercial television, are currently running a PSA campaign. Broadcasting initiatives will focus on damage prevention and gambling. McDougall said the program will begin in the fall, debuting in Ontario, and then in other regions.
Target Customer Previously, Dr. David Hodgins, director of the University of Calgary's Institute of Addiction Behavior, also expressed concern about the target audience of numerous sports betting ads. He pointed out that the normalization of sports gambling could pose a potential threat to the minds of young Canadians. The popularity of the product is because it makes them believe that betting on sports is normal.
Michael Narain of Brock University's Department of Sports Management commented that Ontario's sports betting ads could be a problem for other provinces. The province is the only place with an open iGaming market, for example, if BC gamblers can rely on betting on overseas websites for diversity.