The big question from a new Pew Research Centre poll: How will the industry respond to growing negativity over legal sports betting?
Thoughts on the Pew Research Center poll showing the Americans surveyed increasingly think the activity is “a bad thing” for society. And, the AGCO fines theScore $105,000.
It’s not a huge surprise that the public’s attitudes toward sports betting have grown more negative in the last three years. The proliferation of online gambling in North America in that time span alone would suggest more of the public is aware of the activity and unhappy with the growing presence of gambling in all of our lives.
The bigger issue is how the gambling industry plans to navigate the growing belief that legal sports betting is “a bad thing.”
We’re talking about the Pew Research Center poll, released last week, about Americans’ attitudes toward sports betting. In short, the poll of nearly 10,000 Americans revealed that 43% think legal sports betting is “a bad thing” for society, only 7% think it’s “a good thing” and 50% think it’s “neither good nor bad.”
When it came to whether legal sports betting was good, bad or neither for sports themselves, 40% said “bad,” 17% said “good” and 42% said “neither.”
The troubling part is that most of the negative numbers in the survey have increased since the Pew Research Center did a similar poll in July of ‘22.
When it comes to the impact of legal sports betting on society, the percentage of those who said it was a bad thing grew from 34% to 43%. The number that said it was a good thing fell from 8% to 7% and the number that said it was neither fell from 57% to 50%, suggesting a hardening of opinion on legal sports betting.
Steve Ruddock had a great piece on Tuesday in his Straight to the Point newsletter breaking down the numbers and providing context. Ruddock noted that online sports betting critic Dr. Harry Levant’s told Gambling Harm that: “These statistics show something I have been talking about for quite a while. The public health movement is gaining momentum. The public is upset, as this is not sports betting. This is AI tech delivering an addictive product. The public never asked for a highly addictive and inherently dangerous product.”
Meanwhile, Ruddock also reported that the American Gaming Association’s head of research, David Forman, posted on X that the answers are reflective of the questions asked. “When you ask people the much more direct question of whether they support legal sports betting in their state, support continues to be high,” Forman posted. “People will say all kinds of things are bad ‘for society’ in the abstract.”
Still, the numbers are concerning.
The fact that there may be growing unease with gambling is, again, not a huge surprise given the proliferation of the activity and the fact negative feelings tend to accompany vices. Also, in Canada, we have repeatedly seen unhappiness from the general public about gambling advertisements. Take a vice and promote it and those two things can sometimes make for a powerful, negative one-two punch.
But, the real challenge is how the industry responds. Steve McAllister and Paul Burns chatted about it during the Canadian Gaming Association boss’s latest appearance on the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Bede Gaming.
As we have mentioned ad nauseum – sorry – the key to reducing harm and building a sustainable industry is to devote significant funding toward responsible gambling programs from the start — much more than nearly every jurisdiction in North America directs now.
Also, it would be nice to see operators devoting more energy toward playing just for fun and less on selling the dream of big jackpot parlays.
It’s also about education.
We have long contended that gambling education should be a mandatory part of the high school curriculum nationwide in Canada. Long before people are old enough to gamble legally, students need to be given the knowledge and tools to do so safely, when they are of age.
Otherwise, expect those survey results to be worse for the industry three years from now.
Bede Gaming delivers a full-service platform with unparalleled customization capabilities, enabling transformative digital growth. Learn more on our website.
theScore receives $105,000 fine from the AGCO
As we were tidying up the newsletter last night, we came across news that theScore will be $105,000 lighter in its digital wallet after being fined by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario “for failing to meet Ontario’s strict responsible gambling and player protection standards.
In a news release issued yesterday, the AGCO pointed to several alleged violations of the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming. The commission found during a regulatory review:
A patron of theScore wagered $2.5 million and lost approximately $230,000 over an eight-month period, including approximately $100,000 in the first month of play - showing frequent, high-stakes play and escalating losses that clearly indicated potential gambling-related harm.
The patron repeatedly requested bonuses, displayed loss-chasing behaviour, and showed signs of distress to the operator’s VIP host—all missed opportunities for theScore to appropriately intervene and reduce the potential for high-risk play.
Despite clear red flags and inaccurate income documentation, the operator relied on the patron’s self-assessments and failed to conduct meaningful responsible gambling due diligence or interventions.
“Player protections are a fundamental requirement for any gambling operator looking to conduct business in Ontario,” AGCO CEO/Registrar Dr. Karin Schnarr said in a statement. “When operators fail to uphold these critical safer gambling standards, they not only betray the trust of their players but also undermine the integrity of Ontario’s regulated igaming market.”
theScore has the ability to appeal the fine to the Licence Appeal Tribunal, which is independent of the AGCO.
The fine is the second one issued against an iGaming Ontario-licensed operator in 2025. BetMGM Canada was hit with a $100,000 fine in March for offering cash to attract new customers.
Bede CEO Colin Cole-Johnson on the GNC Show
Bede CEO Colin Cole-Johnson joined Gaming News Canada Show host Steve McAllister on this week’s show to speak about his 30+ years working for huge global gambling brands Ladbrokes, William Hill and Entain and how that all led to Bede.
Among the topics covered during their conversation:
What motivated Cole-Johnson to get into the business of gaming in the 1990s and the path that led him to Bede.
The focus of today’s Bede business, including its partnership with OLG.
Bede’s shared industry with the major players across the industry in landing more business here in Canada.
The company’s decision to recently join the North American Association of State & Provincial Lotteries.
The ongoing pursuit of new products, among them Bede’s recent launch of its Tournaments platform, and the continued search for more gamification offerings to customers.
Cole-Johnson also answered our question about the balance of exploiting people power and the power of artificial intelligence in a highly competitive environment.
You can listen to the show here, or watch it here:
People on the Move
Gaming industry vet Ilkim Hincer was last week introduced as the new President, Canadian Operations and Managing Director, Global Advisory Strategy at IC360.
Mitch Davidson is joining Enterprise Canada as Vice President of Policy. The former Chief of Staff for iGaming Ontario has also created The Policy Shop on Substack for your perusing pleasure.
Michelle Jewer, the former Deputy Minister of Finance for the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, joins Atlantic Lottery as Chief Financial Officer.
Former Enthusiast Gaming senior executive Amanda Rubin is appointed Senior Vice President, Revenue at Frameplay.
Brian Castellani bids adieu to Warner Music Group and is named Chief Financial Officer at Genius Sports.
Gavin Whiteley, who had been with Great Canadian Entertainment since September 2022 – first as Chief of Marketing and then as Strategic Advisor – is hired by Sphere Entertainment as its Senior VP, Marketing & Communications.
Relax Gaming promotes Kaveh Emami to Chief Growth Officer.
Mark Cleary is the new Chief Executive Officer at Broadway Gaming, replacing David Butler, who becomes Executive Chair. Cleary previously served as Broadway’s Chief Operating Officer.
Former SoftConstruct VP Arsen Tadevosyan is appointed Chief Strategy Officer at 18Peaches.
Patrick Nordwall, previously the senior sales guy at Delasport, is introduced as Chief Commercial Officer at Speedy Tomatoes Entertainment.
MIXI’s acquisition of PointsBet Holdings Ltd. has sparked a changing of (some of) the guard with PointsBet’s board of directors. In are Sho Okuyama, Kanji Kobayashi and Taisha Oba. Out are Becky Harris, Tony Symons, Kosha Gada, Peter McCluskey and William Grounds. Brett Paton stays in the Chair’s. . . umm. . . chair and Sam Swanell remains as Managing Director.
Rob Pilgrim is leaving his post as Head of Sport and Primetime for YouTube to become the Head of Sport for Meta across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Esports industry veteran Grant Rousseau is appointed Chief Operating Officer at NIP Group.
Sally Wong, former Director of Business Development at Aristocrat Interactive, is named Client Services Director at Gaming Laboratories International.
Anders Wick bids adieu to Sportradar to become the Head of Sales, North America at LSports.
Overwolf welcomes Annie Por as Director of Brand Partnerships, West; Kelly Mathyssen as Director of Brand Partnerships; and Tomasz Kaminski as Account Manager.
LeoVegas Group promotes Sam Leggott to Director of Gaming Operations.
Play Alberta brings on board as Ambassadors Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl and Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf.
After 14 years, Lisa Watson departs MLSE to join gaming company VGW as a Team Lead.
Gabija Jasineviciute departs NEXT.io to become a Marketing Manager with Booming Games.
Pavilion Payments bring Lou Gana on board as a Relationship Manager.
Kevin Snow slides into the Grand Slam of Curling & the Rock Channel as an Editorial Contributor.
Alexander Lee, formerly of Digiday, joins GamesBeat as a Lead News Writer.
Danielle George joins Cloud9 Esports as League of Legends Video Content Producer.
Frederick Lecoq takes his leave as Chief Marketing Officer/Chief Digital Officer at Sporting Life Group.
BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing does some moving and shaking at HQ, hiring George Gallegos as Chief Business Officer and Head of Legal, and Antonio Rodriguez as Creative Director while promoting Adrian Man to Director of Social Media.
LIV Golf has some newcomers to its executive team: Heather Meyer as Senior Vice President, Marketing; Chad Biggs as Executive Vice President and Global Head of Partnerships; Michael Drobnick as Senior VP of Ticket Sales & Service; and Victoria Hawksley as Senior VP, Retail and Merchandising.
Amanda Chau bids farewell to True North Sports & Entertainment as Senior Manager, Partnerships to take on the Director of Corporate Partnerships role with the Canadian Elite Basketball League.
Christine Simpson and Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Pronger join the Monday Night Hockey broadcast team at Prime Video as a Features Reporter and Analyst respectively.
Classified (Jobs) Information
On the Home Front
BCLC is looking for an Advisor, GameSense to work in Prince Rupert.
Bet99 has need of a Quality Assurance Automation Engineer.
SharpStakes has an opening in the city below Terra Cotta for an Account Coordinator.
Canada’s National Newspaper is seeking a Content Editor, Opinion (Editorial).
Bloomberg News has an opportunity in Alberta for a Commodities Editor and Calgary Bureau Chief.
Tennis Canada is in hiring mode for a Vice President, Fund Development.
The Professional Women’s Hockey League HQ is searching for a Director, League Operations.
Red Bull has an opening in Toronto for a Communications Manager.
Required by the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group – a Marketing Manager and a Communications Manager.
York University is hiring an Associate Director - Intercollegiate Sports.
At its Vancouver HQ, Lululemon is on the lookout for a Sport Science Manager, Elite Athlete Performance.
Wanted at Rogers Communications: a Senior Manager, Comms Corporate & Reputation.
South of the Border
Hard Rock Digital has a remote opening in the U.S. or UK for a Senior Manager – Data Privacy & Deputy DPO, and is also looking for a Sportsbook Audit Manager - RAI.
MGM Resorts International is seeking a Director of Slot Strategy.
At this week’s Global Gaming Expo, the Betr folks are looking to hire experts in Product and Commercial.
There’s an opportunity for a Senior Advertising Manager at the Rivers Casino Portsmouth in Virginia.
Duelbits has a remote opening for a Sports Trader - Sportsbook Risk.
John Ewing, who’s been our guest on the Gaming News Canada Show, is searching for a Coordinator, PR Data Insights to join his team at BetMGM.
Mojo is looking for a Sports Trader.
Morgan Stanley is in the market for a Vice President/Social Media Strategist.
The New Orleans Saints and Pelicans are in need of a Vice President, Brand Strategy.
A Manager, Technical Operations position is up for grabs at the PGA Tour.
Across the Ponds
Beter is seeking a Head of Esport Trading.
B2Spin is hiring a Senior Retention Specialist.
Adyen India has an opportunity for a Senior Manager, Marketing in Mumbai.
FIBA (the international basketball federation) has an opening for a Head of Licensing.
Reading and Reflection
If you’re not at the Global Gaming Expo this week, David McKee of CDC Gaming covered a Canadian panel with Paul Burns, Sarah McCarthy, Dr. Karin Schnarr and Joseph Hillier.
Good schtuff from Covers’ gaming industry correspondent Geoff Zochodne on what’s next for the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke in the gambling space.
Also from the flying fingers of Zochodne: Minnesota lawmakers/regulators are taking aim at offshore sportsbooks and sweepstakes businesses.
Tom Nightingale of Canadian Gaming Business delivered the deets around OLG putting the Closed sign on casino slots at several racetracks in Ontari-ari-ari-o.
According to Roku, Canadians are getting the hang of this streaming thing.
There’s at least one analyst out there who believes prediction markets won’t be a pox on the house that is the American sportsbook landscape. . . or something like that.
More reading on prediction markets from Ben Blatt and Amy Fan for the New York Times’s TheUpshot section.
A deep playoff run for your Toronto Blue Jays wouldn’t be the greatest news for Ontario sportsbooks, says Friend of GNC Phill Gray to Mark Keast of Casino.org.
Two women in the U.S. are going to prison for stealing almost $3 million to fund their gambling habits.
Better Collective is getting together with X to raise the curtain on an AI-driven betting solution.
A New York legislator wants to stop online sports betting operators from limiting customers.
There’s a brouhaha happening with the gambling landscape in Sweden.
Reading of the interesting sort from the blog of Ifrah Law on proposed new regulations around responsible gaming in the Garden State.
FanDuel Sports Network will launch a wide-ranging pregame show at the end of the month.
A U.S. federal judge has given the green light for legal action to be taken against Apple, Google and Meta Platforms on allegations of promoting illegal gambling.
Scott Longley of Compliance+More dug into the latest results from the UK Gambling Commission’s Gambling Survey of Great Britain.
We recommend going through Chris Grove’s X thread on an investment of potentially $2 billion into Polymarket. The gaming industry savant also shared his thoughts on the collision of prediction markets and regulated sports wagering.
EA Sports and The Athletic announced yesterday a partnership of the intriguing type.
Strive Gaming and Betsson Group are doing the partnership thing around their respective businesses in Ontario.
Our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Ray Patterson, the former Executive Director of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation Tribal Gaming Commission who recently passed away.
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