It has been less than a year since the opening of Ontario’s private iGaming market, but Ontarians and Canadians are now starting to dislike the prevalent gaming ads. This was determined by polling and social listening data company IPSIS, which recently released a study on the market. It found that 48% of Canadians agree that gambling commercials are out of hand.
Ontario’s open iGaming model for private third-party companies opened on April 4, 2022, which has been the main cause of the surge of gaming ads. The new market was introduced as a way of keeping players away from unregulated offshore websites while also keeping some of the revenue for the province’s coffers. However, this led to a substantial increase in gaming ads.
Findings from the Study
Some of the findings from the study conducted between November 17 to 22, 2022, including that 47% of Ontario adults admit that they have participated in some form of online gambling. Also, 35% of Ontarians have played online casino games compared to 20% of all Canadians. Then 30% of Ontarians have tapped into sports betting, in comparison to 22% of all Canadians.
IPSOS discovered that 63% of Canadians agree, 21% strongly and 42% somewhat agree, that there should be constraints on the amount and/or placement of ads. According to a social listening analysis, people are more vocal on social media. It found that negative posts about sports betting advertising have drastically spiked by 820% between July 2022 and October 2022.
Furthermore, the study also examines the quality and enjoyability of ads. Approximately 42% believe the ads are not very likeable to watch. These numbers range in different provinces, as for instance, 49% of Albertans do not find them enjoyable, meanwhile, the percentage is 36% in B.C. and Atlantic Canada. Meanwhile, a stunning 54% of 18-24-year-old do not find them likeable.
Canadians are not quite familiar with which types of companies are legally allowed to offer online gambling and sports betting in their respective province. Nationally, 37% say that it is the provincial government, 6% believe it was private entities, and 37% reckon it was both the provincial government and the private sector. Meanwhile, one in five simply did not know.
Ads are Forced on People, Says Fan
The NHL is one of the leagues that has seen a tremendous increase in gaming ads, as the league and its stars have teamed up with some prominent casino brands from the industry. However, fans such as Gordon Rendell from Happy Valley-Goose Bay, N.L. do not find it appealing. He claimed that these ads are forced upon people every few minutes during games.
Another interesting development on the subject is that NHL athletes have refused to discuss their lucrative gambling deals with media outlets. Following the ban of sports stars from featuring in gambling commercials in the UK, The Fifth Estate launched an investigation into Ontario’s iGaming sector. But, some sports stars, such as the legendary Wayne Gretzky refused to discuss it.
Source: “How much is too much? Nearly half of Canadians think gambling ads have gotten out of hand” IPSOS, January 17, 2023
