AGCO bans betting ads from Ontario youth sports arena

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission has come down hard on irresponsible gaming ads, compelling theScore Bet sportsbook and online gaming platform to axe them with immediate effect. Canlan Sports Arena in Oakville, Ontario has duly performed this act.

In the previous month, Ban Ads for Gambling, an advocacy organization, notified the commission about the advertisements. In their view, the property was frequently accessed by children, which had a detrimental impact on them. The entirety of the relevant advertising material was eliminated.

The AGCO conducted a study that revealed that it was not in compliance with Section 2 of the registrar’s gaming standards. This section explicitly states that all promotional activities must avoid any potential impact on the underage generation. The golden rule is to safeguard minors’ interests from any negative impact from the gambling space.

On its part, the AGCO is concerned and is currently in the process of identifying venues that have minors in attendance. It has provided operators with stringent instructions to remove all promotional materials from these locations. In the case of the AGCO, this regulation is mandatory without any exceptions. 

Timothy Dewhirst, the father of a Guelph teen hockey player who is also an authority on the regulations governing the advertising of weed and tobacco, initiated the AGCO probe after filing a formal complaint. After being taken aback by the prominence of theScore Bet advertisements at the Oakville venue, he reached out to the AGCO.

In response to the complaint, the AGCO reviewed the matter and ultimately ordered the venue to remove the advertisements.

Brian Kidd, an ex-Olympian, conceived the idea of banning gambling ads. He is adamant that advertisements that intentionally or unintentionally encourage juveniles to engage in any form of gambling have no place. He believes that this would have an utterly catastrophic impact on society.

The AGCO notified Canadian Gaming Business that it has not implemented any additional modifications to its standards or policies in response to this incident. It also stated that the measures it has implemented have been successful in this particular case.