Agree. There should not be promotion of gambling associated with sports. It doesn’t look good. Gambling can be addictive and has ruined lives, plus it smacks of a fix. It makes you wonder the motives of the league and the players. The house doesn’t want you to win. If the nhl and the players are part of the house, can you trust their motivations? It’s trashy at best.
Icecoldpuckers
I’m getting really tired how part of every sports broadcasts includes the gambling expert selecting picks and explaining the over/under odds etc on the game. Complete waste of airtime however TSN and SN are definitely getting paid to do it….I could care less, nor do I want to understand. I just want to enjoy the game!
canuckpuckbeaut
Every fucking commercial on TV during a Leafs game, every fucking sports talk show, every goddamn advertisement on the boards is sports gambling. I’m so sick of it.
The scary thing to me is that the number of these gambling ads is constantly increasing. Which means that *it’s working*. I think that the advertising will be banned or limited in some form within the next few years, but a lot of damage will be done before that happens.
taa_v2
It feels worse to me than Tavares hawking NFTs – and that was a new low. Seems to have REALLY taken off this year. Add in the constantly flashing boards with new ads, and it’s really, really annoying.
I’m hoping the Leafs can win it all this year, I can be satisfied that “they won it once in my lifetime” and maybe stop watching.
I mean, it’s not the same as it was as a kid in the 80s, where you hoped you could get a turn at the TV around 8:00 pm on a Saturday – good luck! So I ended up listening to a lot of Leafs / Jays game on AM with a mono headphone (one ear only on a long cord) way past my supposed bedtime 🙂 Those western road trips nearly killed me 🙂
These days, I usually exercise while starting an hour after puck-drop (or the next day) so I can skip commercials / intermissions and condense it down to ~1-1.5 hours.
I guess we all try to recapture our childhood at times and in different ways. They’re ruining that part for me..
Gogo90sbaby
Kinda like paywalls are strangling the beauty of free press?
JesusJohn
Agreed. That is not an opinion, that is FACT!
I agree with u/taa_v2 below. I think if the Leafs could win a cup I could walk away from hockey. I find myself taping the game and skipping all pregame, postgame, intermission shows and commercials. It’s nothing but ads and fuckfaces trying to push odds and numbers at us.
You can’t watch anything to do with hockey without being subjected to it. Podcasts, games, radio shows, tv shows, everything.
I’ve seen it first hand. My uncle with a wife, 2 kids, great paying job. Lost it all to gambling. It’s sickening and I don’t understand how anybody can hawk(sp?) that shit and have a clear conscience.
It’s very frustrating.
MentalMidget3
Matthews doesn’t care, he’s getting paiiid
IceWook
This is a good article. He’s right, it’s not going back in the box, but further regulation on how it’s advertised is desperately needed. There’s regulation on how tobacco and alcohol are advertised, why not this?
I have little issue with ads for it. Regulate how they can advertise in commercials. What I do think is ridiculous is how sportscasts have become the gambling ad. You don’t see analysts and broadcasters drinking on air, or smoking, or hawking the latest fad. So why is gambling ok?
Gambling is going to bring in a ton of money for sports. It’s not going away. I don’t actually have much issue with that or teams, networks and stars wanting to get in on that. However, there needs to be far more regulation in how that money comes to teams, players, and networks. There is a path towards that, governments just need to be willing to do it
ElephantShell34
Hmm yeah it’s annoying but it’s not actually changing the game. I just don’t watch intermissions and mute my tv during commercial breaks and it’s made it a lot better. You can limit your exposure to it if all you want to do is watch the game and done care about the other stuff.
es_80
i bet on sports but i don’t need nor want to see betano/365/sportsinteraction commercials nor do i need cabbie to tell me what the live odds are during the intermission. i think at this point, people know about sports betting and where to go or at least know someone they can ask if they don’t know how to google/reddit. the government in ontario regulates sports gambling and any winnings are subject to taxation so it might be in their best interest to over-advertise.
JamesCurtis24
I haven’t seen it but I heard somebody say there was an ad that encouraged people to “take that money they’d been saving for home reno” and bet it.
FlatlinerG
Fuck gambling ads and everyone that supports them.
FansTurnOnYou
I find it interesting how gambling on Twitch was like a preview of what is happening now in sports. There was a big debate about it before it was banned because Twitch’s target demographic is teenagers and young adults. It’s obviously very predatory and gambling addiction can *easily* ruin your life.
The same thing is happening here. There is a boatload of money to be made so these companies can just freely throw money around to bombard you with ads and basically propaganda when it’s incorporated into the actual broadcast. It’s a cancer when it goes unregulated and we all know how greedy these corporations are so I genuinely don’t see how we ever go back.
easybreesy420
Leagues like the NBA and NFL would not be getting the ratings they do without sports gambling. It’s too late to go back
KJMoons
The best part is them adding the “always play responsibly” at the end like they aren’t getting rich off the ones that are completely addicted.
I’m tired of the sounding like I care shit. It doesn’t fool anyone.
SMORKIN_LABBIT
It’s pretty gross, we have it down here in the US and it’s about as recent but it is disgustingly advertised on Canadian media broadcasts and even youtube channels compared to the US. We get like Draft kings commercial here or there that last 20 seconds during the NFL and that’s it.
My issue is: sports are for the community and families. While I agree they are also businesses and need to earn money, I really do believe that having sports betting tied the sport diminishes the sport and makes the environment less family friendly.
It also, has an illegitimate place alongside analytics. I really dislike hearing stats on a team and in that analysis I get what the odds are on a team.
I am not opposed to sports betting. I am opposed to the very close relationship sports betting has developed with hockey.
Because the day will come when what’s being wagered off on affects the decision making on ice.
There’s no way it doesn’t eventually happen.
high-voltage-panda
During Thursday’s game against Detroit I was complaining to my wife about all the gambling ads. That same night CBC dropped a fifth estate documentary on sports gambling in Ontario and the effects it’s had on the integrity of sports in both the UK and Canada. They also went into the seriousness of the addiction problem associated with sports gambling. It was an excellent documentary and I hope people realize how this will affect Canadians in the near future.
twogaysnakes
Let people have fun. I never bet, yet I seem to enjoy hockey just the same.
Complaining about people doing their own thing is such a Karen thing to do. Ooooh nooo commercials are annoying oooooh dear.
cain05
The gambling ads and idiots between periods has completely turned me off of watching hockey. I just catch the recaps the next day.
GordKoopa
I was just saying this on the weekend, I ended up switching to football while the leafs game was on. I’ve only been watching NFL for a few years vs the leafs for well over 30.
I’m FAR more invested in the Leafs but I just can’t take the relentless ads, shitty board graphics, hot take spewing personalities between periods. Other than the on ice part( and even then the inconsistency in calling the rules is frustrating), they have really hurt the product here. It’s tiring to watch
Candymanshook
Honestly I kind of disagree – betting has been embedded in the culture of sports for as long as I can remember. My main issue is how frequently it’s being advertised now that’s its 100% legit.
The_Dale_Hunters
Unfortunately the purity of sport means nothing to those tasked with protecting it. If it sells, it’s in. Somehow we’ve been hoodwinked into supporting it. “Hey, it means salary cap goes up and my favourite team can buy another millionaire!”
25 Comments
Agree. There should not be promotion of gambling associated with sports. It doesn’t look good. Gambling can be addictive and has ruined lives, plus it smacks of a fix. It makes you wonder the motives of the league and the players. The house doesn’t want you to win. If the nhl and the players are part of the house, can you trust their motivations? It’s trashy at best.
I’m getting really tired how part of every sports broadcasts includes the gambling expert selecting picks and explaining the over/under odds etc on the game. Complete waste of airtime however TSN and SN are definitely getting paid to do it….I could care less, nor do I want to understand. I just want to enjoy the game!
Every fucking commercial on TV during a Leafs game, every fucking sports talk show, every goddamn advertisement on the boards is sports gambling. I’m so sick of it.
The most recent episode of [The Fifth Estate](https://www.cbc.ca/news/fifthestate/the-gamblification-of-canada-1.6709429) was all about sports betting. It’s worth a watch.
The scary thing to me is that the number of these gambling ads is constantly increasing. Which means that *it’s working*. I think that the advertising will be banned or limited in some form within the next few years, but a lot of damage will be done before that happens.
It feels worse to me than Tavares hawking NFTs – and that was a new low. Seems to have REALLY taken off this year. Add in the constantly flashing boards with new ads, and it’s really, really annoying.
I’m hoping the Leafs can win it all this year, I can be satisfied that “they won it once in my lifetime” and maybe stop watching.
I mean, it’s not the same as it was as a kid in the 80s, where you hoped you could get a turn at the TV around 8:00 pm on a Saturday – good luck! So I ended up listening to a lot of Leafs / Jays game on AM with a mono headphone (one ear only on a long cord) way past my supposed bedtime 🙂 Those western road trips nearly killed me 🙂
These days, I usually exercise while starting an hour after puck-drop (or the next day) so I can skip commercials / intermissions and condense it down to ~1-1.5 hours.
I guess we all try to recapture our childhood at times and in different ways. They’re ruining that part for me..
Kinda like paywalls are strangling the beauty of free press?
Agreed. That is not an opinion, that is FACT!
I agree with u/taa_v2 below. I think if the Leafs could win a cup I could walk away from hockey. I find myself taping the game and skipping all pregame, postgame, intermission shows and commercials. It’s nothing but ads and fuckfaces trying to push odds and numbers at us.
You can’t watch anything to do with hockey without being subjected to it. Podcasts, games, radio shows, tv shows, everything.
I’ve seen it first hand. My uncle with a wife, 2 kids, great paying job. Lost it all to gambling. It’s sickening and I don’t understand how anybody can hawk(sp?) that shit and have a clear conscience.
It’s very frustrating.
Matthews doesn’t care, he’s getting paiiid
This is a good article. He’s right, it’s not going back in the box, but further regulation on how it’s advertised is desperately needed. There’s regulation on how tobacco and alcohol are advertised, why not this?
I have little issue with ads for it. Regulate how they can advertise in commercials. What I do think is ridiculous is how sportscasts have become the gambling ad. You don’t see analysts and broadcasters drinking on air, or smoking, or hawking the latest fad. So why is gambling ok?
Gambling is going to bring in a ton of money for sports. It’s not going away. I don’t actually have much issue with that or teams, networks and stars wanting to get in on that. However, there needs to be far more regulation in how that money comes to teams, players, and networks. There is a path towards that, governments just need to be willing to do it
Hmm yeah it’s annoying but it’s not actually changing the game. I just don’t watch intermissions and mute my tv during commercial breaks and it’s made it a lot better. You can limit your exposure to it if all you want to do is watch the game and done care about the other stuff.
i bet on sports but i don’t need nor want to see betano/365/sportsinteraction commercials nor do i need cabbie to tell me what the live odds are during the intermission. i think at this point, people know about sports betting and where to go or at least know someone they can ask if they don’t know how to google/reddit. the government in ontario regulates sports gambling and any winnings are subject to taxation so it might be in their best interest to over-advertise.
I haven’t seen it but I heard somebody say there was an ad that encouraged people to “take that money they’d been saving for home reno” and bet it.
Fuck gambling ads and everyone that supports them.
I find it interesting how gambling on Twitch was like a preview of what is happening now in sports. There was a big debate about it before it was banned because Twitch’s target demographic is teenagers and young adults. It’s obviously very predatory and gambling addiction can *easily* ruin your life.
The same thing is happening here. There is a boatload of money to be made so these companies can just freely throw money around to bombard you with ads and basically propaganda when it’s incorporated into the actual broadcast. It’s a cancer when it goes unregulated and we all know how greedy these corporations are so I genuinely don’t see how we ever go back.
Leagues like the NBA and NFL would not be getting the ratings they do without sports gambling. It’s too late to go back
The best part is them adding the “always play responsibly” at the end like they aren’t getting rich off the ones that are completely addicted.
I’m tired of the sounding like I care shit. It doesn’t fool anyone.
It’s pretty gross, we have it down here in the US and it’s about as recent but it is disgustingly advertised on Canadian media broadcasts and even youtube channels compared to the US. We get like Draft kings commercial here or there that last 20 seconds during the NFL and that’s it.
In fact, [a while back](https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comments/uc8eve/the_sdp_of_the_sdpn_is_full_of_gambling_adds_and/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) I made the same point about a specific podcast.
My issue is: sports are for the community and families. While I agree they are also businesses and need to earn money, I really do believe that having sports betting tied the sport diminishes the sport and makes the environment less family friendly.
It also, has an illegitimate place alongside analytics. I really dislike hearing stats on a team and in that analysis I get what the odds are on a team.
I am not opposed to sports betting. I am opposed to the very close relationship sports betting has developed with hockey.
Because the day will come when what’s being wagered off on affects the decision making on ice.
There’s no way it doesn’t eventually happen.
During Thursday’s game against Detroit I was complaining to my wife about all the gambling ads. That same night CBC dropped a fifth estate documentary on sports gambling in Ontario and the effects it’s had on the integrity of sports in both the UK and Canada. They also went into the seriousness of the addiction problem associated with sports gambling. It was an excellent documentary and I hope people realize how this will affect Canadians in the near future.
Let people have fun. I never bet, yet I seem to enjoy hockey just the same.
Complaining about people doing their own thing is such a Karen thing to do. Ooooh nooo commercials are annoying oooooh dear.
The gambling ads and idiots between periods has completely turned me off of watching hockey. I just catch the recaps the next day.
I was just saying this on the weekend, I ended up switching to football while the leafs game was on. I’ve only been watching NFL for a few years vs the leafs for well over 30.
I’m FAR more invested in the Leafs but I just can’t take the relentless ads, shitty board graphics, hot take spewing personalities between periods. Other than the on ice part( and even then the inconsistency in calling the rules is frustrating), they have really hurt the product here. It’s tiring to watch
Honestly I kind of disagree – betting has been embedded in the culture of sports for as long as I can remember. My main issue is how frequently it’s being advertised now that’s its 100% legit.
Unfortunately the purity of sport means nothing to those tasked with protecting it. If it sells, it’s in. Somehow we’ve been hoodwinked into supporting it. “Hey, it means salary cap goes up and my favourite team can buy another millionaire!”