Canada: AGCO asks for removal of betting ads targeting minors

Garance Limouzy July 2, 2024

SiGMA news

Canada: AGCO asks for removal of betting ads targeting minors

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, Canada, has asked an arena to remove gambling ads after parents and advocacy groups issued a complaint.

The Canlan Sports Arena in Canada has recently attracted attention for selling advertising space to a betting company. Timothy Dewhirst, a researcher at the University of Guelph specialising in the effects of tobacco and cannabis advertising, noticed the ad while attending his son’s hockey game. Dewhirst, deeply concerned about a betting company advertising at a children’s event, reported the issue. The advocacy group Ban Ads for Gambling, alerted by the father, eventually filed a complaint with the AGCO.

The AGCO ruled that the ad should not have been placed in a sports facility primarily used by minors. “There is a requirement that iGaming ads shall not appear in media or venues where most of the audience is reasonably expected to be minors — such as local arenas”, stated the AGCO.

According to the registrar’s standards for internet gaming, advertisers should not target minors or vulnerable groups, such as problem gamblers, with betting ads.

After being contacted by the AGCO, Canlan Sports Arena removed the ads.

Regulating advertising

AGCO has always taken the protection of minors from gambling seriously. Last year, in August 2023, they made the decision to ban the use of active and retired athletes in iGaming advertising in Ontario. They also decided to restrict the use of celebrities, role models, social media influencers, entertainers, cartoon figures, or symbols that could appeal to minors. According to the AGCO, featuring athletes or celebrities in ads could appeal to minors and potentially lead to underage gambling.

“Children and youth are heavily influenced by the athletes and celebrities they look up to,” said Tom Mungham, Registrar and CEO, AGCO. “We’re therefore increasing measures to protect Ontario’s youth by disallowing the use of these influential figures to promote online betting in Ontario.”

Teen gambling in Canada

According to various sources, even though underage gambling is illegal in Canada, children often start betting before they reach the legal age (19 years old in Ontario, and 18 years old in other provinces such as Alberta and Quebec).

According to a survey published in 2016, more than 40 percent of high school students (aged 12 to 18) from Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador reported gambling in the past three months. Another study from 2018 found that 31 percent of high school students in Ontario reported gambling on one or more activities in the past year.

Public reaction

The advocacy group Ban Ads for Gambling was pleased with the AGCO’s decision to support their concerns and expressed hope that other operators would understand that targeting children is not acceptable. However, they were disappointed that the AGCO did not issue a formal warning on the matter nor communicate their decision throughout the province.