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

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 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 behavior they can carry into adulthood.

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

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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