Ontario’s Online Gambling Boom Is Creating a Problem Gambling Crisis

In June 2022, I posted an article on this blog about online gaming—specifically sports betting. You can read that article here.

In that post, I was trying to make a few key points.

First, online gaming—particularly sports betting—had become far too easy and largely uncontrolled following the government's decision to allow private operators into the market on April 4, 2022. Essentially, you now have an online casino and sportsbook in your pocket 24/7. It’s always with you—while you're out with friends, while you're drinking, when you're trying to show off, or when you’re otherwise not thinking clearly.

Second, in the very short three months between the government's announcement and my article, online gaming and sports betting companies had already wormed their way into almost every aspect of TV, radio, and social media. It became nearly impossible to watch a sports broadcast without being bombarded by gambling ads. On top of that, sports broadcasters began including segments dedicated to discussing betting odds, parlays, and other wagers for upcoming games.

I also felt strongly that having sports celebrities promote these gaming sites was particularly dangerous, given their influence over young men—the group most at risk of developing gambling addictions.

The Ontario government has since banned athletes from appearing in gaming ads unless they are promoting responsible gaming practices. In my view, that change doesn’t go nearly far enough. I refuse to believe that BetMGM is paying Connor McDavid to appear in commercials because it genuinely cares about promoting safe gaming practices. They want McDavid associated with their brand because of the positive halo effect. They’ve simply found a way to work around the guidelines. (The only saving grace might be that the McDavid “mullet it over” commercial is so ridiculous that it turns people off altogether.)

In my original post, I also asked who would take responsibility for the damage this new wave of online gaming was going to cause. Doug Ford? The gaming companies? Connor McDavid? Sportsnet? TSN?

My guess at the time was that none of them would.

I also predicted that within five years—maybe even sooner—this would become a huge problem.

This is one of those times I wish I had been wrong.

Unfortunately, it looks like I wasn’t.

In March, the Canadian Medical Association Journal published a report showing that calls for help related to problem gambling have skyrocketed, particularly among adolescent boys and young men—the very group my original post identified as being most at risk.

The study found that over the past five years, average monthly calls for help increased by 161 percent among boys and men aged 15–24. That represents a jump from 22 calls per million people between March 2020 and March 2022 to 57.5 per million between April 2022 and September 2025.

Calls from men aged 25–44 also increased dramatically—by 99 percent, rising from 27 per million to 54 over the same period.

The authors suggest that the staggering rise in calls to ConnexOntario is directly tied to the growth of problem gambling. Public health officials are particularly concerned about the increase among youth, since the brain is more vulnerable to forming addictions at a younger age.

The report also notes that online sports betting—especially through mobile apps—is particularly popular among boys and young men. These platforms are deliberately designed to appeal to them and keep them playing, sometimes at devastating cost to their financial, emotional, and family stability.

In April 2022, Ontario became the only province in Canada to open a competitive private online gambling market. By 2024, that market included 80 gaming and betting sites operated by 49 private companies.

Thank you, Doug Ford. Once again, your government's short-sightedness and lack of concern have created a massive problem for Ontarians.

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming says that iGaming Ontario and OLG have invested a combined $55 million promoting responsible gaming, along with $24 million in treatment programs—including $5.9 million for ConnexOntario and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

But based on the numbers above, it’s hard to argue that these programs are working.

As I mentioned in my original post, industry insiders have told me that so-called “safe gaming practices” are largely a joke and have little real impact.

I find it appalling that our provincial government is actively supporting a system that is clearly harming its citizens—and the situation will likely get worse.

Would our society accept a government that openly promoted and legitimized opioid use?

Maybe gambling addiction isn’t exactly the same thing, but we do know that gambling addiction can ruin lives, destroy families, and even lead to death.

So why do we accept a government promoting something that is clearly dangerous?

The government receives roughly $1 billion per year in tax revenue from the online gaming industry. Since 2022, the industry has collected more than $10 billion from players.

Is any of that worth the addictions and damage being caused?

I don’t think so.

Many people share responsibility for this situation. At the top of the list is Doug Ford, whose government consistently makes decisions that harm Ontario or Ontarians while benefiting either the government itself or a small group of well-connected supporters. The Greenbelt, Ontario Place, and grants to certain trade groups are all examples.

Ford doesn’t seem to care about the long-term well-being of people in Ontario, and this is just another example.

But the betting companies themselves, the broadcasters, and the individuals who promote these services—whether athletes, celebrities, or commentators—also play a role in the damage we’re seeing.

Let me give one specific example.

Ron MacLean has been a sports broadcaster for nearly 50 years. Many people respect him as a public figure, but I have a different perspective.

For years, MacLean facilitated and supported Don Cherry’s racist, misogynistic, and xenophobic comments. He did nothing to stop them or even try to tone them down. In fact, during the Coach’s Corner segment, it often seemed like MacLean set Cherry up to be as outrageous as possible.

Even after some of Cherry’s most offensive moments, MacLean never publicly challenged him. Instead, he consistently emphasized how he and “Don” were great friends.

That changed on November 9, 2019, when Cherry’s divisive comments about immigrants and poppies finally got him fired. During the broadcast itself, MacLean even gave Cherry a thumbs-up and didn’t intervene to stop the rant.

But once it became clear that Cherry would be fired, MacLean quickly distanced himself from both Cherry and his comments.

“Too little, too late” doesn’t even begin to cover it.

In my view, MacLean is behaving in much the same way when it comes to online gaming and sports betting.

He knows—or should know—the damage it can cause. Yet he has never spoken out about it and continues to facilitate the integration of betting promotion into sports broadcasts.

He takes no responsibility.

And if a future government eventually takes action to rein in this harmful industry, I suspect MacLean will once again distance himself from his involvement.

To be clear, gambling addiction has always existed.

But the explosion of online gaming and sports betting enabled by Doug Ford’s government is making the problem significantly worse.

So I’ll ask the same question again:

Who is going to take responsibility for this?

Let me know what you think at thethirdperiod.ca@gmail.com