Alberta, like Ontario before it, has just introduced a bill to legalize private online gambling companies. It would be a mistake for B.C. to follow suit. Read More
Opinion: B.C. should maintain its monopoly over the licensing and regulation of legal gambling. In Ontario, gambling-related problems seem to be rising since the online gambling market was opened to private companies
Opinion: B.C. should maintain its monopoly over the licensing and regulation of legal gambling. In Ontario, gambling-related problems seem to be rising since the online gambling market was opened to private companies
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Alberta, like Ontario before it, has just introduced a bill to legalize private online gambling companies. It would be a mistake for B.C. to follow suit.
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B.C. has maintained a monopoly over the licensing and regulation of legal gambling since 1985. Through monopolies, B.C. and other provinces earn substantial gambling revenues while delivering programs that restrict youth gambling, promote safer gambling among adults, and discourage illegal offshore gambling operations.
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Recently, Canadian provinces (alongside multiple other nations) have faced intense pressure from online gambling companies who are lobbying governments against gambling monopolies so that they can expand their businesses. It’s happening in Quebec, and it seems inevitable that B.C. will face the same. These groups argue (with very little evidence) that substantial revenues are being lost to illegal gambling operations, and that a model of licensed private companies would solve the problems of these “old-fashioned” monopolies.
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Informed Opinion
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Although many Canadians’ household finances are in a fragile state, online gambling is booming. Following Ontario’s 2022 move to privatize online gambling and tax it at 20 per cent, iGaming Ontario reported a staggering $2.4 billion in online gambling revenues from April 2023 to 2024. Less clear is the extent to which the province may really profit from this sum.
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A 2024 report from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction suggests that gambling-related problems are already rising following Ontario’s monopoly dissolution, but notes a lack of government monitoring that makes it difficult to estimate the broad social, health and economic costs of responding to them. Nevertheless, with taxable revenues apparently skyrocketing, other provinces seem to be deciding whether to follow Ontario’s example.
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There are several reasons why B.C. should resist opening up to private online gambling companies. One key factor concerns the rate of gambling addiction and gambling-related harms among British Columbians. Gambling products — along with alcohol, tobacco and cannabis — are legalized and regulated by the government because, although they are popular among Canadians, they are addictive and cause a variety of harms when used to excess. In the case of alcohol, the World Health Organization recently endorsed monopoly control as advantageous for public health. Gambling-related harms include financial strain, poor credit rating, bankruptcy, relationship and employment problems, and a significantly increased risk for suicide.
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This array of negative consequences impacts thousands of Canadian gamblers, their friends, relatives, coworkers and our wider communities. Online gambling amplifies these risks. A recent large-scale study of more than 10,000 Canadian gamblers suggests that online gambling carries an increased risk of harm compared to other gambling formats. This makes sense because online gambling apps are accessible 24/7 via smartphones, and because gambling apps can often be accessed covertly in a way that makes it hard for loved ones to notice when a problem is developing.