City councillor and TTC commissioner Chris Moise is looking to restrict sports betting and gambling advertisements on buses, streetcars and subways with an eye toward a complete ban, according to a motion up for debate at the next TTC board meeting.
The motion notes that older adults, people with lower incomes and other vulnerable populations are at a greater risk of harm stemming from problem gambling, citing the Canadian Mental Health Association of Ontario (CMHA). These demographics are “also the ones most likely to [use] the TTC,” the report reads.
In an effort to safeguard transit riders, Moise wants the TTC to start reviewing any new sports betting or gambling advertisements to ensure they comply with the agency’s commitment to providing “a safe and welcoming public transit system.”
The motion, which will go before the TTC board next Tuesday, also asks that the TTC study the feasibility of banning all sports betting and gambling advertisements from the transit system outright. That study would be completed in early 2025, if the motion passes.
The motion goes on to condemn the “invasive” gambling ads as supporting “choices that are unsafe, unhealthy, and risky.” The motion warns that these ads could result in a “negative effect on the well-being and stability of public transit users in the City of Toronto.”
Coun. Stephen Holyday, who also serves on the TTC board, said he’s opposed to the motion because it unnecessarily restricts TTC revenues when the transit agency is short on cash.
“The TTC struggles with money and here we have a motion that is going to put pressure on fare box revenues and taxpayer subsidies, making things even harder,” he said.
“This is symbolic of the TTC board from time to time,” Holyday continued. “Instead of making this a leaner, more efficient operation that brings in revenue, here we are reducing it. That is inconsistent with the pressures that we have and, in many ways, the expectations of the riders to have the lowest fare possible.”
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) scientist and University of Toronto assistant professor Nigel Turner says there has been “heavy marketing” of online gambling since it was legalized in 2022 — which coincides with a dramatic spike in people calling Ontario’s problem gambling hotline.
“The number of people calling the helpline specifically for online gambling began to increase. And it went from a relatively small percentage of the number of people calling the helpline to being the main reason people call the helpline,” Turner said.
Data from ConnexOntario’s helpline shows an almost 40 per cent increase in people calling in for help with problem gambling between 2021 and 2022, compared to a relatively nominal seven per cent increase from 2020 to 2021.
The number of people calling in about gambling problems continues to rise. Last year, 3,943 people called for help and ConnexOntario projects there will be over 4,700 callers by the end of this year.
Turner worries about the effects of gambling advertisements on children. He warns that a constant inundation of gambling ads could normalize the potentially addictive practice before minors have the chance to fully develop their decision-making skills.
“Most people who develop a gambling problem have started before they're 19,” Turner says, noting that young men and boys are the most at risk to start gambling in their early years.
When asked about the TTC's motion specifically, a CAMH spokesperson echoed Turner's sentiments, saying: "People who are exposed to gambling advertising have a more positive image of gambling and are more likely to gamble. Children and youth, as well as those already experiencing gambling problems, are especially susceptible to these effects. Canadians are more exposed to gambling promotion than ever, and this exposure can be expected to cause harm.”
— with files from Aidan Chamandy
Editor's note: This story was updated after publication to include comments from Coun. Stephen Holyday
