The Super Bowl is just around the corner, which makes it a good time to talk about gambling. Not all gambling is harmless. Countless Canadians struggle with problem gambling— In 2019, MarketWatch reported that sports betting is set to become an 8 billion dollar industry by 2025.
Football is the most bet on sport in Canada and the US. Because of this, some Londoners may find themselves struggling around Super Bowl season.
Lori Griffith from Addiction Services Of Thames Valley says that many won’t realize they have a problem until they reach a point where they’re financially broken.
“A lot of people won’t notice the gambling problem until they hit a huge financial crisis,” she told XFM News. “We know those problems start well before that, in terms of chasing losses, being preoccupied with gambling, planning most of their events around gambling, and not being able to watch a sports game without gambling on it.”
Sports betting is so widespread in Canada in fact, that most attempts by XFM News reporters to research the subject were met with pages upon pages of google results filled with options for placing your bets.
“During football season, we see a lot of people that would participate in sports betting,” said Griffith. “People will play their pro line ticket on Sunday and they won’t think of it as gambling at all. They’ll just think of it as something that they do to watch the games and make the games more exciting for them.”
The numbers aren’t that high when it comes to the percentage of people that struggle with gambling addiction. What is high is the amount of money that problem gamblers tend to spend. Statistics Canada’s most recent study found
that 62% of problem gamblers spend more than $1000 per year. They also found that problem gamblers are more likely to experience health problems, alcohol dependence, and social problems among other issues.
Sports like Greyhound racing are also common for betting // Wikimedia Commons
Griffith went on to say that in a world of easily accessible credit, people tend to fall down a slippery slope.
“What happens is if you take a cash advance, you have to pay the interest on that. It becomes this whole cycle around ‘Well, the only way I’m going to recoup that money is to have a big win’.”
She does have good news for those who feel they have a problem though.
“If you start to realize you have a problem and you’re not really sure what to do, just walk down into our services or call our problem gambling intake line or walk-in at 200 Queens. Just talk to a counselor and start to figure out some of the things that you’re noticing and some concerns that you’re having and the counselor will help you figure that out.”
London has other resources as well. Gamblers Anonymous’ London chapter can be reached at 226-224-9347.
