Honourable senators, I will continue from where I left off previously in support of Bill S-269, as brought forward by Senator Deacon from Ontario. I’ll focus on the potential harms that this bill may be able to, in part, mitigate — the public health challenge of problematic gambling. I’ll focus on the developmental cohort in which problematic gambling often begins, and that is young people.

Last winter, I was watching a National Hockey League, or NHL, game with some of my grandsons. In between the fragments of vigorous play, we were treated to a deluge of advertising for online sports betting. Indeed, it seemed that the amount of time provided for exhorting the virtues of online sports betting may have been close to equal to the amount of time provided for watching the entire game.

During one of the many commercials that promoted online gambling, one of my grandsons exclaimed that he wanted to place a bet so that he could win tons and tons of money. That led to a conversation about what gambling is, the odds of winning and losing, recreational enjoyment of making a wager and the catastrophic impacts on the lives of some people who become problem gamblers.

After we finished our chat, and following some considered contemplation, my grandson inquired, “Why would Auston Matthews say it was good if it was not good?”

Indeed, colleagues, that was a question that I could not answer without delving into the realm of speculation and the siren lure of lucre, so I simply said, “I don’t know.”

Colleagues, as children grow up, they need heroes. They take their inspiration from heroes. Their heroes are often celebrities, and these heroes become their role models. We can only hope that their heroes are living up to the faith that our young people are putting in them.

Senators, here I would like to clarify the difference between recreational wagering and problem gambling. Had my far-out seatmate Senator Boehm and I hung loose in our teens, we may have considered it gas to drop some bread on a wager on, for example, whether our principal wore a toupée or not. It would have been a bummer to lose, but that kind of teen innocence is not what I am speaking about here.

Gambling becomes a problem when it negatively affects a person’s daily activities, mental and physical health and relationships, and impacts their academic or vocational pursuits. The research evidence — some of which was cited by Senator Deacon — alerts us to the fact that problem gambling has its origins in the decade following the onset of puberty.

While it onsets there, it often persists into adulthood, and its pernicious effects are seen both during these years and in the decades following the transition out of adolescence. We know that adolescents — as a group — may be at a higher risk of developing many different negative life-impacting behaviours, such as gambling. Indeed, according to Gambling, Gaming and Technology Use — formerly known as the Problem Gambling Institute of Ontario — young people aged 10 to 24 years old have higher rates of problem gambling than adults.

Problem gambling can create substantive negative impacts in young people, and it becomes established in this age group with its negative impacts continuing into their futures.

Who are these young people who are most at risk? Well, honourable senators, we have a pretty good idea of who they are. In a comprehensive, population-based study of over 2,500 teenagers — published in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction in 2022 — Edmond and colleagues found that problem gamblers at age 20 had a history of hyperactivity, conduct problems, being high sensation seeking and an external locus of control. They were more likely to have mothers who had problems with gambling, reported less parental supervision and had higher social media usage. Indeed, even for moderate-risk/problem gambling, it was associated with regular cigarette smoking, high levels of illicit drug use and the problematic use of alcohol.

Other research supports these findings, and the profile of the adolescent gambler shows a vulnerable population in which problem gambling is added to a host of other challenges. These include the personality traits of impulsivity and sensation seeking; psychological factors, such as low self-worth, depression and anxiety; and family factors, such as having a parent who is a problem gambler.

Just as all young people are not at equal risk for developing problem gambling, different types of gambling also impact the risk for developing problem gambling. Data from the Canadian Youth Gambling Survey showed that over 40% of adolescents in their sample had gambled in the past three months, and, concerningly, those young people who gambled online scored high in problem gambling severity compared to those engaged in land-based gambling. It’s the online version that is the problematic one.

Consequently, colleagues, the profile that emerges is one of a teenager who is already at risk for a negative life trajectory becoming a target for online gambling advertising. By creating an environment that increases the exposure of all teenagers to messages that encourage online gambling, we are taking a toll on those who are struggling. It’s the same as kicking someone who is already down.

However, these concerns become even more substantial if we turn the question around and ask, “What is problem gambling in adolescence associated with?” In other words, it’s not what factors increase the risk for problem gambling, but what does problem gambling increase the risk of for those youth who do gamble?

The scientific literature has spelled this out for us: Problem gambling in adolescence is associated with substance abuse problems; mental health problems; criminal activities; school difficulties, including truancy; financial problems; disrupted family relationships; and increased suicidal ideation and suicide attempts.

Now we turn to the following: What can we do about it? We know that young people are highly affected by peer pressure and celebrity role modelling. We know that what friends are doing impacts all of us — young people even more so. Although the science is robust on this understanding, all of us in this chamber who have ever parented a teenager, or who have ever been a teenager themselves, can attest to this reality from personal experience. Celebrities can have substantial impact on young people, both positive and negative.

When celebrities become role models for young people, groups of teens can engage together in friendship circles to emulate, aspire to be like, take advice from or even idolize a celebrity. When a celebrity endorses a product or activity, young people who look up to that celebrity can be influenced by those endorsements.

Additionally, a teen who is part of a peer group that gives adulation or respect to a celebrity will be more likely to participate in what that celebrity endorses than one whose peer group is not so inclined. Although there are a variety of characteristics that may make certain types of advertising impactful on youth, it is clear that young people are engaged by advertising that appeals to them, such as making activities seem trendy, fun, glamorous and exciting, or — to my colleague Senator Boehm in his adolescence — groovy.

The impact of lifestyle advertising on teenage behaviour is a good example of this. When celebrity or lifestyle advertising is consumed by teenagers, there can be significant impacts on their behaviour — positive or negative.

Online gambling advertising that uses celebrity or lifestyle advertising can have a negative impact on teens, including increasing the risk for developing problem gambling. Therefore, as a public health truism, limiting exposure to negative or toxic inputs can have a positive impact on health and mental health outcomes. Therefore, limiting teen access to online gambling advertisements — that use celebrity endorsement or lifestyle glamorization — should be used as a public health intervention to decrease the risk for the development of problem gambling.

Monaghan and colleagues at the University of Sydney in Australia — who have extensively studied the complex interaction between advertising and gambling behaviour in young people — are quite clear on this point, as they state, “. . . regulations are needed to ensure advertisements for gambling products do not target or unduly influence children and adolescents.”

Gambling advertising is not only an influence on entry into gambling for young people, but it can also be an influence in supporting their addiction once that pattern of behaviour has been established.

Colleagues, this bill is important, as it has the potential to be part of the solution to mitigating the prevalence and the negative impact of problem gambling in teenagers, and in adults as well. This public health problem will require other interventions. These will include — but not be limited to — education; early identification and treatment; and enforcement of legislation and regulations.

Honourable senators, we can help with this public health challenge, and it is imperative that we take this opportunity to do so. I am asking you to vote to send this bill to committee, where it can be critically studied so that its impact might be of benefit not only to those who we do not personally know, but to those who we know only too well.

Recently, I told two of my preteen grandkids that I was going to be speaking about problem gambling and teenagers, and I asked them if there was something that they would like me to say on their behalf. So, this is from Avery:

Kids, don’t gamble. You could lose or get money, but it is more likely that you will lose money. Your parents will get so annoyed.

And this is from Oliver: “Kids, it’s a bad addiction. You can lose all your money now and when you’re older.”

Sage advice.

I, for one, would appreciate not having Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid and Wayne Gretzky encouraging my grandchildren and their friends to gamble.

I end my speech today by appealing to all those celebrities who are heroes to our young people, asking them to exercise caution and their best judgment when it comes to which products and activities they endorse. They are very powerful moulders of young minds, and to quote Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Thank you. Wela’lioq.

Certainly.

Thank you for that question. I think this is an urgent matter whether the NHL is having a season or not because kids not only bet on the NHL. They bet on the NBA; they bet on anything and everything now online, and I think we should be seized with this. This is a bill that addresses a real issue in our society and one that, if we move it ahead quickly, we can actually make a step toward improving the lives of kids.