Part 1: The Next Big Issue in Canadian Sport: Betting, Gaming Revenue, and the Integrity of the Game

We are inundated with gaming/gambling commercials today!

Canadians are free to make their own decisions about gambling. My concern is not gambling itself, but the impact that the rapid expansion and normalization of sports betting is having on the integrity of sport, the health of young Canadians, and the culture surrounding athletics.[1,2]  The challenge is how to make gambling a more socially responsible industry.

From the outset, I acknowledging that gambling is already deeply ingrained in U SPORTS and most community sport programs, given the considerable support through casino grants to groups like our GBHA where casino funds are a sizable portion in our efforts to fund scholarships.

Alberta Legislation

Recent changes in Alberta (effective July 13) are intended to bring greater oversight and accountability to an increasingly competitive online gambling market.[5] They acknowledge an important reality: sports betting has become a permanent part of the Canadian landscape. But regulation alone does not answer the larger questions about its social consequences.

Regrettably, there are few guardrails related to the recipients of Alberta gaming funds and they are largely financial and administrative rather than public health requirements. There are surprisingly few conditions that require organizations receiving gaming revenues to actively promote responsible gambling or gambling addiction awareness.[15] Thus, there is a disconnect as organizations benefit from gaming proceeds but are generally not required to acknowledge the source of those funds or educate their members about gambling-related harms.

Recipients are not required to promote responsible gambling. A youth sport association, university athletic department, arts organization, or community club receiving gaming revenues is not typically required to:

• provide gambling education;

• display responsible gambling information;

• deliver addiction awareness programming;

• disclose to participants that programs are funded by gambling revenues;

• adopt a responsible gambling policy; or

• evaluate whether gambling sponsorships align with their organizational values.

Responsible gambling initiatives are primarily the responsibility of the gaming regulator and licensed operators, not the charitable recipients of gaming proceeds.[15]

Today, gambling promotion is virtually impossible to avoid. During professional sporting events, betting odds are discussed alongside game analysis. Gambling advertisements appear on television, streaming services, social media, podcasts, public transit, billboards, and even inside our arenas. Sports broadcasts frequently integrate betting content into their programming, making wagering appear as a natural part of being a sports fan.[11]

Technology has made gambling immediate, convenient, and available 24 hours a day - bet on anything, any time, anywhere. Combined with sophisticated marketing, personalized promotions, and smartphone access, we have created an environment in which betting has never been easier or more difficult to escape.

Professional sports leagues across North America have embraced partnerships with betting companies as an important source of revenue.[4] At the same time, leagues have faced an increasing number of betting-related investigations involving athletes, coaches, officials, and support staff.[9] Match-fixing, insider information, propositional betting, and gambling policy violations have become genuine integrity concerns.[9]

Athletes are also increasingly exposed to online abuse from disgruntled bettors.[6,8] Across professional and collegiate sports, players, officials, and coaches have reported harassment, threats, and intimidation after betting losses.[6,8] While these incidents involve only a minority of gamblers, they represent a growing challenge for sport organizations.

A Public Health Issue

The commercialization of sports betting has created an uncomfortable contradiction: the same industry that financially supports sport can also undermine confidence in its fairness.

The greatest concern may not be professional sport; it is the impact on young people. Research consistently shows that gambling advertising increases awareness, normalizes betting behaviour, and encourages participation, particularly among younger audiences.[11] Young adults are especially susceptible because they are heavy consumers of digital media and sports content.

Research also shows that people experiencing problem gambling have substantially higher rates of depression, substance use disorders, financial distress, relationship breakdown, and suicidal ideation than the general population.[1,2,3]

According to a 2024 survey commissioned by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA), one in three Canadians aged 18-29 reported gambling online during the previous year.[1] Approximately 40% of online gamblers overall met the threshold for moderate or high-risk gambling behaviour.[1] Among online gamblers aged 18-29, roughly 70% met that same threshold.[1]

These findings should concern anyone involved in youth sport. Problem gambling extends well beyond financial losses.[1,2,3] It has been linked to:

·      anxiety and depression;

·      chronic stress;

·      social isolation;

·      relationship and family breakdown;

·      overwhelming debt;

·      substance use disorders;

·      reduced workplace or academic performance; and

·      elevated risk of self-harm and suicide.

Like alcohol and drug addiction, gambling disorder activates the brain's reward system, reinforcing behaviours that become increasingly difficult to control.[3] The World Health Organization and mental health professionals recognize gambling disorder as a serious behavioural addiction requiring prevention, treatment, and public awareness.

Lessons from Tobacco

Canada once accepted widespread advertising of tobacco products.[1,2] Over time, overwhelming evidence demonstrated the health consequences, particularly for young people. Governments responded by placing strict limits on advertising in the interest of public health.

Gambling is different from tobacco, but there are important parallels. Both industries rely heavily on advertising, sponsorship, normalization, and repeated exposure to recruit new consumers.

The question deserves serious discussion: should gambling advertising particularly during sporting events watched by children and teenagers face stronger restrictions like those applied to tobacco?[11,12] While gambling and tobacco present different health risks, the normalization created through pervasive advertising raises similar public health concerns, particularly for young people.

What Does This Mean for Canadian Youth and U SPORTS?

I will readily admit that the NCAA is a powerful, big business and the various followers and alumni of college teams are passionately engaged with their team and their university. However, the transformation of U.S. college athletics provides an important warning.[6,7] Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation, expanded media rights, the transfer portal, and legalized sports betting have fundamentally changed the landscape. Betting on college sports has increased concerns about athlete harassment, match manipulation, and pressures placed on young athletes.[6,7,8]

The NCAA has reported widespread betting activity among college-aged adults. Surveys indicate that sports wagering is common among 18 to 22-year-olds, with advertising exposure strongly associated with betting participation. Student-athletes have also reported increased harassment from bettors following competitions. [6,7]

Canada often follows trends established in the United States several years later. As Canadian university sport continues to evolve, we should ask whether we are adequately protecting our student-athletes before similar pressures become entrenched.

University athletics should certainly help young people become better athletes. More importantly, they should help them become healthy, resilient, confident, and connected adults. They should create an environment where a young athlete can grow, enjoy the journey and become the absolute best version of themselves.

The Revenue Question

Many Canadian sport organizations have struggled financially for decades.[4] Sponsorship dollars are increasingly difficult to secure, while governments themselves receive significant revenue from regulated gambling. The temptation will be to deepen partnerships between sport associations and the gambling industry.

Canada's sports betting market illustrates why. Industry forecasts estimate that the Canadian sports betting market generated approximately US$4.1 billion in revenue in 2024 and could grow to nearly US$8.8 billion by 2030, representing an annual growth rate of approximately 13.6%.[10] Online betting accounts for the largest and fastest-growing segment of the market.[10]

Those numbers are impressive. But they also raise an important public policy question. If governments continue to receive substantial gambling revenues, should a meaningful percentage be dedicated to preventing gambling harm and strengthening communities?

Imagine if a fixed share of gambling revenue funded:

·      community recreation facilities;

·      youth sport participation;

·      coach education;

·      mental health supports;

·      gambling prevention programs;

·      research into gambling addiction; and

·      independent sport integrity initiatives.

That would represent a direct reinvestment into the communities most affected by gambling expansion.

A National Conversation

There is no turning back. The internet has fundamentally changed gambling, and online betting is here to stay. The challenge is not whether sports betting should exist. The challenge is whether we can balance economic opportunity with public health, youth protection, and the integrity of Canadian sport. [12]

As Canadians, we need to ask whether the current volume of gambling advertising serves the public interest or whether we have allowed commercial interests to outpace thoughtful public policy.

The health of young Canadians, the future of community sport, and confidence in the integrity of athletic competition deserve to be part of this conversation.[12,13] The real gamble may not be placing a bet. It may be assuming that the long-term social costs will be outweighed by the revenues generated.

A Dilemma for U SPORTS?

University athletic programs increasingly rely on casino fundraising, 50/50 draws, licensed raffles, and charitable gaming grants. There is nothing inherently wrong with that. However, it creates an ethical question: Should organizations dedicated to developing healthy young adults rely heavily on revenues generated from an activity that can also contribute to addiction among that same age group?

That question deserves thoughtful discussion—not because universities are acting improperly, but because it exposes a broader policy tension.

In my view, two practical policy reforms deserve immediate consideration:

(a). Every organization receiving gaming revenues should also become a partner in responsible gambling. As a condition of receiving gaming proceeds, recipients should adopt a responsible gambling policy, acknowledge the source of their funding in annual reports, provide links to gambling support services, and ensure that youth programming remains free from gambling promotion. In this way, gaming revenues would not only support community organizations but also contribute to reducing the very harms they can create.

(b) There should be a national law to ban gambling ads as proposed by a committee of respected Canadians from sport, public health, media, and community leadership (BanAdsForGambling.ca).[16]

What do you think? Is Canada striking the right balance between economic benefit, responsible regulation, and protecting our youth and the future of sport? What is the role of U SPORTS?

Endnotes

1. Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA). Gambling and Gambling Harms in Canada. Ottawa, ON. CCSA research summarizes the prevalence of online gambling among young adults and the elevated rates of moderate- and high-risk gambling among online gamblers. Available at: https://www.ccsa.ca

2. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Problem Gambling. Toronto, ON. CAMH provides evidence on gambling disorder as a behavioural addiction, associated mental health impacts, and treatment approaches. Available at: https://www.camh.ca

3. World Health Organization (WHO). International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11): Disorders Due to Addictive Behaviours. WHO recognizes gambling disorder as a behavioural addiction affecting health and well-being. Available at: https://icd.who.int

4. Canadian Gaming Association. Economic Impact of Regulated Gaming in Canada. The Association provides information on Canada's regulated gaming industry, provincial revenues, and responsible gaming initiatives. Available at: https://canadiangaming.ca

5. Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC). Play Alberta and iGaming Alberta. Information regarding Alberta's regulated online gaming market and recent policy developments. Available at: https://aglc.ca

6. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Sports Betting and Student-Athlete Well-Being. NCAA research documents the prevalence of sports betting among college-age adults, athlete harassment by bettors, and gambling education initiatives. Available at: https://www.ncaa.org/sports-betting

7. NCAA. Student-Athlete Health and Wellness Study (2024). The survey includes findings on sports wagering, harassment of student-athletes, and mental health concerns related to legalized sports betting.

8. CBC News. "Athletes report increasing online abuse tied to sports betting." CBC has reported on harassment of professional athletes, officials, and coaches by disgruntled bettors following sporting events.

9. ESPN. Coverage of sports betting investigations involving professional athletes, coaches, officials, and league personnel across the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, and NCAA. Various reports, 2023–2026.

10. Grand View Research. Canada Sports Betting Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report, 2025–2030. Estimates the Canadian sports betting market at approximately US$4.1 billion in 2024, projecting growth to approximately US$8.8 billion by 2030 (13.6% CAGR).

11. Responsible Gambling Council (RGC). Youth Gambling and Prevention Resources. The RGC summarizes research on the influence of advertising, social media, and digital technologies on youth gambling behaviours. Available at: https://www.responsiblegambling.org

12. House of Commons Standing Committee on Health (HESA). Evidence presented during hearings on sports betting advertising and gambling-related harms in Canada. Parliamentary testimony highlighted concerns regarding youth exposure, responsible advertising, and public health.

13. Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). Resources describing the relationship between gambling addiction, depression, anxiety, financial distress, and suicide risk. Available at: https://cmha.ca

14. Statistics Canada. Canadian Community Health Survey and related reports on gambling participation, mental health, and associated social determinants. Available at: https://www.statcan.gc.ca

15. Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis. Charitable Gaming Policies Handbook  March 12, 2026. Charitable Gaming Policies Handbook | AGLC

16. BanAdsForGambling.ca)

17. Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) for sport integrity and match-fixing.

18. Statistics Canada for gambling participation trends and demographic data.

19. Council of Europe Macolin Convention the international treaty on the manipulation of sports competitions, which Canada has referenced in discussions on ort integrity.