Onslaught of sports betting ads make gambling seem enticing to youth, doctors say

TORONTO – Doctors are calling for restrictions on sports betting ads, saying they are setting youth up for a future of problem gambling. 

An editorial published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on Monday says the ads are everywhere during sports broadcasts and that the legalization of online gambling has made every smartphone a potential betting platform. 

Editor Dr. Shannon Charlebois says even though betting sites say they’re only for people 19 years of age and older, youth are being inundated with advertising that equates enjoying sports with betting. 

She says child and teen brains are still developing and the constant exposure to gambling messages normalizes harmful behaviour that they can carry into adulthood 

Charlebois says a bill to regulate sports betting ads has been introduced in the Senate and if passed, would be a good start to address the problem. 

She would like to see gambling advertising restricted during games and removed from social media platforms used by youth.  

“There’s no limit on how many of these ads can be placed within a sports broadcast or how long they can be,” Charlebois said in an interview, noting that in addition to commercials, the names of sports betting platforms are projected onto football fields and hockey rinks. 

Commentators for betting sites often have their own segments during breaks in the game.

“What’s very dangerous about this for children is that it’s normalizing a known harmful behaviour during an impressionable stage. And it’s really appealing in particular to youth who are genetically, biologically predisposed to enjoy risk-taking,” she said.  

“I have seen people’s lives fall apart at all ages, from all walks of life, whether it’s an accountant with a career behind him, or a kid who’s just looking to maximize his college fund who then had lost it all within a matter of a few weeks,” said Charlebois, who is a family physician.  

Dr. Shawn Kelly, an adolescent addiction specialist in Ottawa who co-wrote the editorial with Charlebois, said he mostly sees substance use among his patients, but he has started to screen for gambling behaviour because he believes it’s an emerging issue.  

He said gambling addiction still carries a lot of stigma, so people try to hide it and can be hesitant to seek treatment. 

Legally requiring bettors to be adults is not always an effective deterrent, Kelly said.

“There are certain age restrictions and identity verification attempts that go into these (betting sites), but youth have been buying alcohol for a long time, despite the age restrictions around that — and so where there is a motivated adolescent, a way will be found.”

Even if ads aren’t targeting youth, they still see them and are affected, said Kelly, who watches sports with his twin children.  

“These ads are not directed at the nine-year-olds sitting with me but they are picking up on it.”

Dr. Daniela Lobo, a psychiatrist specializing in problem gambling at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, said sports betting among youth is becoming more common. 

Lobo, who was not involved in the CMAJ editorial, spoke about warning signs at an Ontario Medical Association back-to-school health and safety media briefing last month.

“If you have a teen who has their own money, you might be noticing that they’re spending that money and they’re asking you for more money,” she said. 

“The other thing that happens is it does cause a certain level of stress because inevitably, they will start losing and they will become more preoccupied with money, more irritable.”

Lobo said parents might also notice that their teen isn’t “relaxing and watching the game” as they normally would, but are on their phones the whole time and are “preoccupied” with how the game or certain plays turn out. 

Both Lobo and Kelly recommended parents have conversations about gambling when the subject comes up and discuss the reality that losing money, not winning, is the norm. 

“Talking about potential consequences rather than going with the marketing of what’s enticing about gambling is very important,” said Lobo. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2025.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.