The stage is set for Toronto’s turn as FIFA World Cup host, and some government officials and advocates worry that the major sporting event will also spark intensified gambling advertising — and the public health problems that can follow.
Stan Cho, Ontario’s minister of tourism, culture and gaming, is looking at further restrictions on gambling advertising in the province and is concerned in particular about the global soccer tournament.
“Any time there’s a big sporting event, you see the spike in just gambling in sheer numbers,” he said recently. “Of course that means that problem gamblers are going to be more susceptible to the problem that they have.”
