42nd & Grace

Hockey Night in Canada is now unwatchable. And not because of the on-ice product.

Instead of insight into players and tactics, now it is a steady inundation of betting and betting-adjacent talk disguised as coverage. It is nauseating to be honest, distracts from the game and poses a danger to both the sport and consumers.

Gambling is not inherently evil. Putting a flutter down should not require a trip to the confessional. Like most vices, it does need to be managed.

I am in a weekly NFL pool, just straight up win/loss totals decides the winners. It is fun, doesn’t absorb all my attention and makes watching the Sunday slate a little more fun. On the rare appearances in a casino (even in Vegas), maybe one hand at the table and $20 bucks in the machines. Then I am done.

As to why my addictive personality does not come out the same way as it does with other vices, I can’t say. But others handle booze just fine and then lose the proverbial shirt at the tables. So, no accounting for addiction taste.

The decision by major sports organizations – everything with National at the start to those that begin with Major – to not just allow sports betting but to embrace and integrate it as part of the fabric of sport is having major ripple effects.

The NBA has a betting scandal. Major League Baseball has a betting scandal. Here’s a nice recap of some of the suspensions of the past few years. In Turkey, more than 1,000 players have been suspended.

Unwinding from the clutches of gambling’s cash infusion is not a simple task. It is big business and the companies pay a premium for access to sports fans and the tacit endorsement of the leagues. In England, gambling sponsorship on front-of-shirts is about to end as a steady campaign on the danger won a partial victory.

So why does it matter? Gambling is legal. Yes, it is. So is booze. So are cigarettes. So are prescriptions drugs. And there are rules on how you can advertise.

The Women’s Canadian Open golf tournament used to be called the Peter Jackson Classic. The Brier was sponsored by McDonald’s Tobacco for 50 years. Alcohol companies are still intwined in Canadian sports, through ownership and sponsorship – it is just a little less in your face, as rules are supposed to prevent children being enticed. Except when it comes to gambling.

Now the connection between gambling advertising and addiction is easier than ever to make. While hosts of shows featuring big-league sports teams dissect odds and best bets, everyone with a phone can go online and start playing. No more walking into a smoke-filled bar or casino, just plop down with your phone and credit card.

The temptation is great for those who are addicted and for those who play the game. As betting is no longer is about the result, it is about the moments in the game. Will they run? Will they pitch out? Will they get ejected? Small moments that can mean epic money if the player is co-operating.

Here is the thing: gambling – whether online or IRL – is designed to take your money. The house always wins, as the saying goes.

That is why CMHA Ontario recommended ‘the prohibition of all advertising for online gambling as evidence shows the detrimental impact it has on vulnerable individuals and their families.’ You can read more about it here.

Mike DeWine, the Republican governor of Ohio, now says he regrets relaxing the rules in his state.

The challenge is that not only are sports leagues hooked on the cash from gambling, so are provincial governments who rake in major dollars. The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) made $442 million in total revenue from its online gambling platform, PlayNow.com, in the 2023/24 fiscal year. That number is only going up.

What is the answer? Not a total ban on advertising and not the wide-open approach currently in place. There is a middle ground that lets people know where to safely gamble but does not encourage going down rabbit holes that can easily lead to debt dead ends. The leagues are daring people to bet and daring bad people to rig the games. It’s insane.

We treat alcohol and drug addiction seriously. It is time to treat gambling with the same thoughtfulness.

Otherwise, watching sports leagues currently bemoan the chaos will evoke images of Captain Renault in Casablanca: “I’m shocked! Shocked to find that gambling is going on in here.”