Windsor-based certified gambling counselor from the Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare hospital says she saw this coming.
Ontario residents have seen a massive rise in sports betting advertising, especially since it became officially legal and regulated this past spring. With the newly open and regulated market emergence, big players know how much money is up for grabs, resulting in such aggressive marketing campaigns.
This is directly leading to increased demand for a treatment program that targets problem-gamblers at the Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare facility in Windsor, Ontario. It’s the only one of its kind in the entire province of Ontario.
Diana Gabriele is a gambling counselor who is certified in Canada; she works at the Hôtel-Dieu and claims she foresaw this challenge arising for fellow Ontarians.
“We as counselors knew that with that accessibility, that ease of access, combined with technology, that people would be even more susceptible to the ravages of gambling” she proclaimed.
“We’ve been seeing an uptick of that ever since the single sports betting came online in April.”
Wagering on single-game sporting events became legal in 2021, giving provinces of Canada the ability to regulate it on their own.
A regulated sports betting initiative was first created in the province of Ontario and was launched in April. With that, came a massive influx of gambling ads from various industry players as expected. This was also confirmed by Gabriele of Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare who claims she witnessed the influx of ads even before the program launched, resulting in an increase of worried clients.
“We started getting people, and they were really concerned and panicked about, you know, this greater ease and accessibility to this form of gambling when it was already quite a problem for them,” she said.
Gabriele also recognized that watching sporting events and wagering can be fun, while acknowledging that it affects our brains in a negative way.
“There’s like massive doses of dopamine that are released in one’s brain, and that dopamine causes a euphoric state and great feelings of excitement, and contentment and fun,” she said. “One can easily lose sight of the money they’re spending and how deep they’re getting into the activity because there’s so much feel-good chemicals happening.”
As industry players continue to aggressively get into the Ontario sportsbook market, it’s great to have locals like Gabriele who remind and bring awareness on the effects of such marketing tactics on the people with gambling challenges.
Caesars Windsor Launches Kiosks
There’s been a continuous promotion to legalize this type of wagering in Ontario, including but not exclusively to MP Brian Masse, in an increased effort to promote cross-border commuters (bordering Detroit) to spend their money at Caesars Windsor.
Caesars Windsor set up 10 sports wagering kiosks Thursday. Although it’s nice to have people like Gabriele who raise awareness on the issues of such services being introduced, most citizens of the local community have expressed excitement on the new availability of in-casino sportsbooks.
What to Do If You Need Help
Caesars has shown some corporate social responsibility, as they’ve been a partner in helping those affected by problem-gambling, says Gabriele.