Canada Sports Betting Boom Raises Problem Gambling Fears

As the SBC Summit Canada convenes in Toronto this week, a new Angus Reid Institute poll reveals widespread concern about the rapid expansion of online sports betting. The survey, conducted May 7–11 among 1,803 Canadian adults, found seven in 10 respondents worried that wider access would fuel a rise in problem gambling. Canada legalized single-event sports betting in 2021. Ontario opened its market to private operators, while most provinces run government platforms. Alberta is set to open its market to international operators in July.

Sports Betting Demographics and Why Canadians Bet

Thirteen percent of Canadians placed a sports bet in the past year. That figure surpasses one in five among men under 55. Ontario leads regionally at 15%, followed by British Columbia and Alberta at 14% each. Atlantic Canada records the lowest rate at 8%. Participation climbs with household income, reaching 19% among those earning over $200,000 annually. Among bettors, 57% said they bet hoping to make money. Another 51% cited entertainment, while 34% said betting makes games more exciting. Three in five respondents said regulated sports betting revenue would be valuable to their province. In Ontario's 2024/25 fiscal year, sports betting generated $724 million from $11.4 billion in total wagers.

Problem Gambling Fears Hit Close to Home

Twenty-eight percent of respondents said they worry someone they know has a betting addiction. That figure rises to 37% among men aged 18 to 34, and to 39% among those who bet themselves. Among those concerned about someone in their life, 81% identified that person as male.

An early Ontario study found that the introduction of online gambling and single-event sports betting was each associated with substantial increases in gambling-related helpline contacts, "specifically in adolescent boys and young men, suggesting increased gambling problems, care-seeking, or both." Twenty-two percent of parents with a child aged 10 to 17 said their child had already asked them about sports betting. Of those parents, 49% said it was a son who asked, 24% said it was a daughter, and 17% said both a son and a daughter had asked.

Canada Moves to Restrict Sports Betting Advertising

Independent Ontario Senator Marty Deacon introduced legislation to regulate sports betting advertising nationally. Her bill passed second reading in the House of Commons with Liberal support and heads to the House heritage committee. The legislation does not prescribe specific restrictions but calls for a national approach.

Possible measures include banning ads during sporting events or limiting them to after 1 a.m., as Denmark does. "If the government chose, when they took this, to do a full ban, then hallelujah. That's up to them," Deacon said.

Toronto Metropolitan University researchers found that 77% of young men encounter betting ads weekly, and 60% said those ads influence their behavior.

Ontario banned pro athletes from sports betting ads in 2024.