Problem gambling patients have doubled in this western Ontario community in the last five years
The CEO of Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare in Windsor called this week for increased funding for responsible and problem gambling programming. And, an update (sort of) on Alberta's gaming market.
Straight from the Dept. of Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before comes yet another reminder that the sustainability of legal online gambling is directly tied to robust responsible gambling funding and programming.
The latest comes from the frontlines of problem gambling treatment in Ontario, where Bill Marra, the CEO of Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH) in Windsor, told both CBC and CTV this week that the number of people being treated by the hospital’s outpatient problem gambling program has “literally doubled over the last five years.”
As CTV reported: “HDGH’s outpatient problem gambling program tracked 84 clients in 2018–19. By 2023–24, that number had grown to 173 . . . The current program year already sits at 169 clients, though that figure is only current to July 2025 — meaning several recent months have yet to be captured.”
Marra called it a public health crisis for those most acutely affected.
“We’re seeing it on a frontline basis,” he said. “We’re seeing the catastrophic impact it’s having on families. Marriages are at risk. Families are breaking up. There’s financial distress. Some folks are literally going broke, having to declare bankruptcy.”
In part, he blamed gambling ads for the rise in the problem.
“There isn’t a time now that I watch a sporting event where there isn’t this inundation of online gambling,” he said. “You can’t avoid it. It’s in between innings, in between periods, in between quarters. You can’t escape it.”
While the volume of gambling ads has declined in Canada, we tend to agree with Marra that more funding is needed for responsible and problem gambling programs. That starts with needing more clarity on funding.
One of the problems is we’re not exactly sure how much of that is being spent on responsible gambling (RG) initiatives. Previous stories trying to piece together the total spending on RG from different ministries have suggested Ontario spends a little more, on average, on RG than most U.S. states, but still not enough given the proceeds from the sector.
If the amount is significant, iGaming Ontario should be shouting it from the rooftops. If it’s not, more money needs to be allocated and then publicized widely.
Either way, increased funding is not only needed, it’s also completely doable.
As we pointed out in last week’s newsletter, Ontario’s online gambling industry alone has generated revenue of more than $3.2 billion through the first 10 months of 2025 and more than $9.37 billion since the market opened in April of 2022. At a tax rate of 20% that means the Ontario government has taken in some $640 million this year and about $1.87 billion since the market opened 3 ½ years ago. Surely from that healthy sum, more money could be devoted to preventing a worsening public health concern/crisis; one that, if not addressed, could also lead to a decline in the sector and a decrease in government revenue.
Meanwhile, it is yet another reminder that significant responsible gambling funding is also something Alberta needs to have allocated before it opens its online market sometime in 2026.
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Alberta market launch may not be until second or third quarter of 2026
As Tom Nightingale wrote recently in Canadian Gaming Business, it’s looking increasingly likely that Alberta’s open online gambling market may not open in the first quarter of 2026 as has been predicted for some time now.
The launch is being handled by Dale Nally, the Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction of Alberta. Nally’s press secretary Kevin Lee told Nightingale: “We continue to meet with members of the iGaming industry and other interested partners so we can get the launch of a private, regulated iGaming market in Alberta right. Conversations are ongoing and cover a wide range of topics, including the development of the province’s regulatory framework, the implementation of player safety measures like system-wide self-exclusion, and the registration process with Alberta’s iGaming market regulator – Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis.
“We anticipate regulations could be finalized soon and look forward to sharing more details about Alberta iGaming Corporation in early 2026.”
More details coming early in 2026 likely doesn’t mean the market will open then. Also, several operators looking to launch in Alberta have already updated their timelines for the second or third quarters of 2026.
For the glass-half-full gang, AGLC posted Monday on LinkedIn an opening for an iGaming Investigator to be based in either Calgary or Edmonton. From the post:
AGLC is leading the way as Alberta enters the exciting world of regulated iGaming! Our Regulatory Services Division is building a brand-new team from the ground up, and we’re looking for experienced professionals to help shape the future of online gaming compliance in Alberta.
(Ed’s Note: We also have this update, courtesy of Geoff Zochodne from Covers, that the provincial government has hit the recruiting trail for board members to oversee the new industry.)
Meanwhile, as we told you in our Nov. 26 newsletter, Nally is one of many Alberta MLAs facing a potential recall vote. No word on whether that may delay the launch of iGaming, but it’s unlikely to speed up the process.
Responsible Gambling Council delivers details on survey into youth gambling
It had been a while since we did the “lunch and learn” thing, so we brought our smoothie down to the GNC office eight days ago and watched the Responsible Gambling Council webinar on youth gambling co-hosted by Lisa Couperus and Dr. Jennifer Reynolds.
The presentation included the results of a recent survey with 1,000 young Ontarians ages 12-25. A few slides we found noteworthy from the survey:
We will endeavour to provide a recording of the webinar in a future edition of this dispatch.
The webinars happened on the heels of a recent announcement of a partnership between the RGC and Greo Evidence Insights to build a multi-year youth education and prevention framework to lend a hand to young people on gambling risks and the support that’s out there. The project is scheduled to unfold in three phases over seven months and will first target high-school students in Grades 11-12 and eventually include elementary-aged students.
The initiative is the latest piece of the RGC’s youth prevention programming, which receives funding support from the Ontario Ministry of Health.
Golden Camel founders Magrum and Baxter on Gaming News Canada Show
The latest episode of the Gaming News Canada Show, presented by Bede Gaming, features a conversation host Steve McAllister had with Ryan Magrum and Artie Baxter, the founders of Golden Camel, a sports betting companion app.
Magrum and Baxter talked about their plans for creating something unique in the business of betting, what’s behind the branding of their business, wanting to “be the glue between the consumer and the platforms” and how Golden Camel can connect with young adults immersed in the betting space.
You can listen to the show here via your preferred podcasting app or watch it here:
People on the Move
Arlene O’Neill and Carolyn Stamegna are named to the Board of Directors at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
Kresimir Spajic, who left his CEO post at Betfred Sportsbook in the U.S. back in August, is named Allwyn’s Chief Executive Officer, Allwyn Digital.
Jussi Nurmi joins Finnish gaming organization Hippos ATG as Chief Operating Officer.
Bede Gaming announces that after nine and a half years as Chief Operating Officer, Paul Dinning will retire at the end of the month. Also, the company promotes Andrew Humphreys to Chief Product Engineering Officer.
Emily Tofield is named Chief Executive of YGAM, the UK young people’s gambling harms charity.
Former Bally’s Interactive executive Ben Wood is appointed Chief Commercial Officer at Playson.
Vasilena Mantsiou is promoted to Chief Financial Officer of Evoplay.
In at the Board of Directors with Australian company Star Entertainment Group are former Bally’s Corp senior executives Soo Kim and George Papanier. Out are former Chair Anne Ward and Non-Executive Director Deborah Page.
Tom Gray departs Kero Sports as Vice President, Revenue.
From the Dept. of Better Late Than Never, we saw on the internets yesterday the appointment of Shaan Devaraj as Chief Technology Officer at Xpoint.
Eric Harris joins Fanatics as Senior VP, Business Operations – Fanatics Live & Collect.
Merkur Group appoints Antje Kunkies as Chief Human Resources Officer.
Xavier Besseau, formerly of Kiron Interactive and Sportradar, is appointed Vice President of Growth at ThrillTech.
At FDJ United, Alisa Cioian is appointed Head of Affiliates for the company’s online betting and gaming department while Ryan Henderson moves into a Head of Acquisition role.
The Swedish government names Erik Eldhagen as the new State Secretary to the Ministry for Financial Markets, which oversees the country’s regulated gambling industry.
Riot Games CEO Dylan Jadeja is joining the Board of Directors at Best Buy.
NEXT.io names Desi Zlatkova as Head of Global Events while Olivia-Mae Powell, formerly of Light & Wonder, is appointed Head of Event Partnerships. Also, reporter Sonja Lindenberg has a new role as Lead Researcher.
Mateusz Dluski has a new role at LeoVegas Group: Head of Media, UK and Ireland.
Former NEXT.io Head of Partnerships Anoosh Iftikhar joins EDGE Markets as Head of Events & Player Development.
JD McNamara, the former VP of Operations, Canada for Better Collective joins Betting Hero as Director of Research and Operations.
GMA Consulting welcomes Alex Dixon as Senior Advisor.
Andrew Doyle is Sky Bet’s new Planning & Execution Director.
BetMGM promotes Edward Corrigan to Senior Manager, FP&A.
Jonathan Fowler leaves Hard Rock Digital and his Director – Casino Integrated Marketing position.
Among the people losing their jobs last week with theScore esports content team is Kyle Chatterson, Director of Content and Partnerships.
Elisabeth Diana, ex of Facebook, Instagram and Deel, is the new Head of Communications at Kalshi.
Andrew Clifford is appointed Chief Compliance Officer at Polymarket.
Francesco Durante, Flutter Entertainment’s CEO for its business in Southern Europe and Africa, will be taking his leave in January.
Jeb Trowbridge joins SportsDataIO as a Director of Business Development.
Chris Lamarucciola leaves Conestoga College as Esports Manager.
Avrangzeb Zavqibekov comes on board PointsBet Canada as a Payments & Operations Agent.
Natalie Cutter joins Fanatics Betting & Gaming as a Data Analyst. David Alpert has a new role with the company as Lead Recruiter. Andrew Purvis has a new title as Senior Director, Retail Operations – PMO, and Zachary Doctor comes on board full-time as an Accounts Payable Specialist.
Nutsa Okropiridze is promoted to Strategic Account Lead at Evolution.
Katie Krzaczek joins Front Office Sports as a News Editor.
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported yesterday that FanDuel responsible gambling ambassador Craig Carton will return to New York radio station WFAN to host the afternoon drive-time slot beginning next year.
ESPN betting analyst Pamela Maldonado has earned herself a multi-year contract extension.
Rheanne Marcoux, with her duties completed as VP of Marketing & Communications of last month’s Grey Cup Festival in Winnipeg, joins the CEBL Winnipeg Sea Lions as Chief Brand and Experience Officer.
Nicolas Lesage is named Chief of Operations for the CEBL Alliance de Montreal. Veronica O’Neill is leaving the club as Director of Events & Operations.
Geoff Sarjeant is the new President at True Hockey, which also names Paul Gibson as Executive Vice President & Chief Operations Officer and Adam Gans as Executive Vice President, Product.
The PWHL moves Alexis Miller up to Vice President, Hockey Operations and Sydney Delcontivo is also promoted to Manager of Player Safety.
The NHL head office promotes George Dudas to Vice President of Business Development and Sam Gilbert to Senior Manager, Event Communications. The league also promotes Mandi Duhamel to Vice President, Industry Growth & Community Development and Chris Falkiner to Group Vice President, Business Development.
Jeremy Vold joins the Western Hockey League as Senior Manager, Partnership Development.
Mohamed Hassan bids farewell to the CFL as Manager, Player Marketing to join the Canadian Olympic Committee as Manager, Marketing Partnerships.
Ryan Crilly bids adieu to Sask Entertainment Group and joins Calgary Sports and Entertainment as Manager, Partnership Sales.
Katie Comfort departs Canucks Sports & Entertainment to join PlayFly Sports as a Partnerships Manager.
Brandon Steyn rejoins the CEBL as Coordinator, Basketball Operations.
Finally, we learned this week that Woodbine Entertainment let go 50 employees last month as part of a restructuring of its workforce. We wish those people well in finding the next chapter in their professional lives.
Classified (Jobs) Information
On the Home Front
BetMGM has a remote position available in Ontario for a Marketing Manager.
Bet99 is on the lookout for a Risk Manager and a Lead Quality Assurance Engineer.
ESR Talent has four consultant opportunities available, including one for a Senior Consultant – North America.
Montreal-based Acquire.bet is seeking a Creator Partnerships Manager.
Toronto agency T1 has a trio of job postings.
Canucks Sports & Entertainment are hiring a Manager, Broadcast Technology.
AFC Toronto has a six-pack of opportunities as it begins preparing for the 2026 Northern Super League season.
Toronto-based 4Global Limited are searching for a Strategic Partnership Manager.
The Canadian Sport Institute – Ontario is looking for a Senior Manager, Marketing & Business Development.
TD (the bank) has a position available in Toronto for a Senior Manager, Sport Sponsorship.
Canadian Tire is on the lookout for an Associate Brand Manager, Sherwood Hockey.
Hockey Canada has an opportunity for a Manager, Market Intelligence.
South of the Border
Caesars Entertainment is seeking a Vice President and Assistant GM – HPPH in Las Vegas.
Hard Rock Digital is looking for a Director, Engineering Planning & Operations and a Director – Compensation & Benefits.
Seminole Gaming is seeking a Marketing Director.
DraftKings is beefing up its legal team in Boston by hiring an Associate Corporate Counsel, Litigation and an Associate Corporate Counsel, Litigation.
Las Vegas-based Affinity Gaming is in the market for a Manager of Financial Planning & Analysis.
Fanatics has an opportunity in Denver for a CRM Specialist.
Resorts World has a whole host of employment opportunities.
BetMGM has a remote entry-level position in New Jersey for a Casino Campaign Coordinator.
The New York State Gaming Commission is hiring a Gaming Operations Inspector.
Front Office Sports is searching for a Director, Creative Strategy.
Yahoo Sports is in the market for a Sports Video Producer/Editor.
There’s an opening at Sports Betting Dime for a U.S.-based Freelance Editor.
Pacers Sports & Entertainment is looking for a Vice President of Data.
Monster Energy is searching for a Senior Director, Digital Marketing to join its team in Corona, CA.
Paramount has a freelance opening in Stamford, CT, for an Associate Producer, Soccer.
ESPN is in the market for a Research Producer to work at HQ in Bristol, CT.
Catena Media has a hybrid role out of Miami for a News Editor.
MLS head office is seeking a Director, Intelligence & Investigations.
NFL HQ needs a Manager, Communications.
NBCUniversal has a temporary opening with NBC News Digital for a Sports Editor/Reporter.
Fanatics has an opening in New York for a Manager, Athlete Partnerships.
Nintendo has a contract position in Redmond, WA, for an Influencer Marketing Specialist.
New York City FC is in the market for a Social Media Specialist.
Across the Ponds
Entain is hiring a Head of Affiliates in Gibraltar.
DAZN Bet is looking for a UK & Ireland Country Manager.
Elevate Talent has an opening for an Executive Search Principal, Entertainment & Gaming.
White Label Casinos requires a Head of Account Management.
Entain has an opportunity in the UK for an Engineering Manager.
OpenBet is seeking a Sales Strategy & Operations Manager.
Hard Rock Digital is hiring a Lead – Trading Production, Soccer in the UK.
Better Collective is looking for a Product Manager – Sports Media to join its team in Buenos Aires.
Finnish operator Hippos ATG is hiring a Casino Manager, Horse Betting Manager, Sports Manager, and Manager of Customer Support.
Oddin.gg currently has seven openings with the esports betting business.
ComeOn Group is hiring a Nordic-speaking Customer Experience Agent for its Malta offices.
Rugby Europe has a search happening for a Chief Executive Officer.
In the UK, IMG is searching for an Account Manager, NHL.
The Athletic has a posting in London for a Live Reporter (no jokes from the anti-media folks, please).
EssentiallySports has an opening in India for an NFL Content Editor.
Reading and Reflection
Compliments of The Closing Line, Kalshi has a(nother) new partner in CNN and Hard Rock Bet begins doing business in Michigan.
Reading this Daniel Roberts piece on the social media posts by Kalshi and Polymarket made us think of Dave Portnoy’s comment about Barstool Sports’ moral compass (huh?) during a recent CBS Sunday Morning episode.
According to CNBC’s latest NHL team valuations, franchises are worth 15% more than last year with national media rights deals creating the spike in value.
Tom Nightingale of Canadian Gaming Business reported on the latest financials from NorthStar Gaming, including concerns about cash flow and liquidity position.
We missed this Casino.org piece from Mark Keast’s keyboard last month on plans to turn Niagara Falls into a Las Vegas North.
The Better Gambling Forum has put together a scientific oversight committee that includes Carleton University psychology professor Michael Wohl.
By the by, sports betting is now legal in the Show Me state, and GeoComply delivered some news and numbers around the first 24 hours.
Anderson Cooper spent some time with Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan on Sunday’s episode of 60 Minutes.
Ben Horney of Front Office Sports had the deets on a class action lawsuit filed against Kalshi last week. He also tinkled the keyboard on the comments from the CEOs of Kalshi and Polymarket that they’re difference makers of the significant sort.
Speaking of Horney, he did some keyboarding from the remarks of a Robinhood executive who said that sports don’t need to be part of the mix for a successful prediction markets business.
And in other PM news, Kalshi has raised more money and that has doubled its valuation.
Trilby Browne, in the second part of a series on igaming in Japan for iGaming Future, reports on “romance scams” that are attracting youth to illegal online gambling.
Better Collective-owned The Nation Network last week announced a new Toronto-based sports show with Cabral (Cabbie) Richards as one of the three hosts. The show debuted Monday.
Zak Thomas-Akoo of NEXT.io had the goods first on the UK government’s plans for a $55 million prevention fund for gambling harms charities.
The city of New York has given the green light to three casino proposals for gambling licenses. Count Jeff Edelstein among the folks who aren’t giddy about casinos in Queens and the Bronx.
Saleah Biancaflor wrote for Observer about the breakup between ESPN and Penn Entertainment.
You’ll need a subscription to read Jacob Feldman’s piece in Sportico on the ESPN/DraftKings partnership, which kicked off Monday.
Gaming industry oldtimer – and we mean that in the most flattering way – Richard Schuetz believes today is the best of times for bettors.
The governor of Ohio wishes he could have a do-over when it comes to legal sports betting in his state.
The Bulgarian government is planning a major makeover to its legal gambling industry.
A Malaysian journalist who’s been investigating a soccer scandal in his country, was assaulted by three men last week.
Erik Gibbs of NEXT.io covered a report looking at the growth in illegal online gambling across Spain.
Martin Bjoerck of igamingbusiness.com shone a light on the incoming regulated gambling market in Finland.
Finally, Scott Galloway is one of the smartest people we read, watch and listen to these days. So, passing along this episode of the Call Me Back podcast with Dan Senor with Galloway discussing a variety of topics, including gambling addiction and young men.
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