Addiction experts say recent flood of gambling ads a problem for some Albertans

POLITICS Addiction experts say recent flood of gambling ads a problem for some Albertans By Ken MacGillivray & Erik Bay Global News Posted August 6, 2026 6:46 pm Updated August 6, 2026 8:02 pm 2 min read Advertising for online gambling platforms has become increasingly visible since Alberta opened its market to private operators. While proponents say the ads promote legal options for players, some experts and advocates worry the volume and content of the marketing could contribute to gambling-related harms. Erik Bay reports. LEAVE A COMMENT SHARE THIS ITEM ON FACEBOOK SHARE THIS ITEM ON X SEND THIS PAGE TO SOMEONE VIA EMAIL SEE MORE SHARING OPTIONS DESCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE INCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE Alberta’s regulated iGaming system has been in operation for a month now, and with more than 20 registered sites allowed to operate in the province, the ads promoting online gambling seem to be everywhere — on billboards, the sides of buses, on television and social media. View image in full screen The sheer volume of ads for online gambling has some people raising concerns about the harm they could be causing. BET RIVERS The sheer volume of those ads is a concern to some addictions specialists who worry about the harm they could be causing for problem gamblers — especially young people. STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT “Adolescents are developmentally vulnerable and at risk of developing things like substance use disorder and (other) harms from gambling,” said Dr. Shawn Kelly, an adolescent addiction medicine specialist with the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine. Get weekly money news Get expert insights, Q&A on markets, housing, inflation, and personal finance information delivered to you every Saturday. SIGN UP FOR WEEKLY MONEY NEWSLETTER GET STARTED BY PROVIDING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO GLOBAL NEWS' TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY. “Their brains are not the same as young adult brains and we can’t simply educate them out of this sort of behaviour,” Kelly added. He wants more restrictions on how much online gambling advertising is permitted. University of Alberta marketing professor Katie Mehr said the huge number of ads is a result of companies trying to keep up with their competitors. “If there are a couple of companies that are big players here and one of them is doing advertisements everywhere, the others feel like they have to to make sure they don’t lose out,” Mehr said. View image in full…