What do we know about the impact of online sports gambling?

In today’s The Big Story podcast, it’s been three years now since single-game sports betting was legalized in Canada. And since that time, it’s become available everywhere. Especially on your phone, in any number of apps, 24 hours a day. At the time there were concerns about what that easy access would do to problem gamblers. And we’re finally getting a clearer picture of just what that has wrought.

Anthony Milton wrote about sports betting for Maclean’s. “We’re talking about something that is addictive on the same level as cigarettes and alcohol. There’s a reason why there’s intense regulation around ads for cigarettes and alcohol,” said Milton. 

So what can we tell about the increase in problem gambling? What did the initial legislation get right and wrong, and what’s changed as we’ve progressed? What could we still do to protect those who struggle with betting? And with the billions in tax revenue taken in, what have governments been doing to make more resources available?

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