A new study commissioned by the B.C. government’s gambling regulator suggests that nearly one-fifth of British Columbians engaged in moderate- to high-risk gambling behaviour in the past year.
In response, B.C. is calling on the federal government to create a national framework of advertising controls to tackle the “normalization” of gambling, particularly among youth.
Nina Krieger, B.C.’s Solicitor General and Public Safety minister, wrote to her federal counterparts on Thursday, saying that with few tools to respond provincially, she wants the federal government to step in to restrict gambling advertisements, including their frequency, timing, when they can be shown, and who can make endorsements.
“This is a national issue that requires a national response,” Krieger wrote. “B.C. encourages the Government of Canada to consider a coordinated approach across health, justice and broadcasting authorities to effectively address this issue.”
B.C.’s Independent Gambling Control Office (IGCO) commissioned the study, conducted by Léger and based on telephone and online surveys, which found that 19 per cent of respondents’ behaviour fell into moderate- or high-risk categories, such as chasing losses or experiencing financial strain. This is up from 15 per cent in 2020.
During that timeframe, the proportion of British Columbians reporting they gamble online increased from 22 per cent to 42 per cent, even though total gambling participation for all types of gaming population-wide decreased from 85 per cent to 77 per cent.
As such, Léger calls the “rapid expansion” of online gambling a “key factor” shaping problem gambling in B.C.
The uptick in reported risky gambling behaviour also appears to track with the rise of single-game sports betting — legalized in Canada in 2021 — and Ontario’s subsequent decision to allow private companies to take bets.
These companies are not allowed to operate in Canada outside Ontario, but when accessed from other provinces, the sites will redirect offshore and take people’s bets anyway. The result is a burgeoning unregulated marketplace in B.C. and other provinces.
“There’s a script on the bottom that says, ‘only available in Ontario,’ but when they land on those sites, they’re redirected to the offshore sites that are companion to the licensed sites in Ontario,” IGCO general manager Sam MacLeod said in an interview.
Some of the companies have even gone so far as to erect billboards in B.C. These types of advertisements are easy enough for MacLeod’s office to have removed.
“Anything overt we can deal with from an advertising perspective, but they’re on social media, they’re on all the apps,” he said.
The gambling control office released a six-point action plan along with the study to stem the rise in problem gambling. But most of it focuses on education, awareness and support. When it comes to actually preventing people from gambling illegally, the province’s hands are tied in many ways.
And it is impossible to stop national advertising campaigns because broadcasting and telecommunications are established federal jurisdictions.
“We can’t do anything about it,” MacLeod said.
He said it became clear from the Léger survey that there is also a lack of awareness about the difference between regulated and unregulated gambling platforms.
Bettors in B.C. are only supposed to gamble on the provincially-owned PlayNow site — others, such as Bet365, Bet99 and FanDuel, are not supposed to operate in B.C. — but end users don’t always realize this.
Many of the tools needed to prevent these sites from connecting to people in B.C., such as geoblocking or payment blocking, are areas, like national advertising, that the federal government controls.
“The only thing we can do here is really educate and make people aware that playing on unregulated sites comes with increased risks,” MacLeod said.
Another factor Macleod blames increased problem gambling on is an uptick in young people placing bets. Léger reports that 62 per cent of youth surveyed said they engaged in some form of gambling in the past year.
“I mean, that’s high,” MacLeod said.
Part of this is the “gaming to gambling” link. Young people start out buying things like loot boxes on video games, and progress to other sorts of betting when they turn 18.
The Canadian Gaming Association, an industry group, supports the measures put forward by MacLeod’s office to provide better support and education on gambling, including reducing the stigma attached to reaching out for help.
But instead of more restrictions, the organization is calling for an expansion of regulated models like Ontario within Canada.
“It is also important to recognize that regulating offshore online gambling strengthens consumer protections,” association President Paul Burns said via email. “The CGA will continue to advocate for provincial regulatory models that best protect Canadians.”