Sports betting: keeping the game in gaming

Janine Robinson

Problem Gambling Institute of Ontario, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Sports betting: keeping the game in gaming

Janine Robinson2

Sports betting: Keeping the game in gaming

Janine Robinson3

In Ontario, Canada Unique funding structure: 2% slots

Ontario PG Helpline

Prevention: Responsible Gambling Council

Research: Ont Problem Gambling Research Centre

Clinical programs and education: PGIO

Consultants to gaming industry; e.g. RG training

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Coming up

Ontario government sponsoring online gambling (expected next year)

Sports betting laws to change(?)

PGIO to provide online counselling

And a suite of virtual self-help tools

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Ontario adults Low prevalence of PG on sports

Currently no legal online sports betting

No single-bet sports betting

Government-operated/owned “Pro-line”

Pools 4.2% and lotteries 4.3 most common

Bookies: .4% (illegal)

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Ontario youth Sports betting is a huge issue and problem

Sports betting most common activity

Online the least common (growing?)

29,000 students have PG

PG prevalence: 2.8%

Youth with PG have concurrent issues• Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (2011)

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This involves multiple lenses

The player at various stages of gambling• low risk

• moderate risk

• problematic

The actual product safety/integrity

The gambling environment

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In Victoria

Codes of conduct

Betting oversight: VCGR

Industry voluntary measures; e.g. betcare

www.gamblinghelponline.org.au

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Sport (betting) is unique

Strong cultural value

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Sport has strong cultural meanings

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Local, regional, national and international

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Sport has strong identity meanings

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Being or “becoming” Australian

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Sports connects us to history

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Sports connects us to history

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Role Models

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Role models?

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Positive values: Perserverance

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Sports can be joyful

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The Underdog

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Sportsmanship and teamwork

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Sportsmanship

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Who is Responsible for RG?

bettor provider

regulator

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Who is Responsible for RG?

bettor

•Assumes individual responsibility/ability•Can = moral weakness approach•Blaming

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Who is Responsible for RG?

regulator

•Public health mandate

•Distribute taxes

•Provide protection for most vulnerable

•Detractors: “nanny state”

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Who is Responsible for RG?

provider

•Competing demands:

•marketing, promotion, revenue and RG

•RG affects the bottom line

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All essential to a culture of RG

bettor provider

regulator

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RG can reduce future incidence of PG

But does not provide the solution to PG

Some people cannot succeed in practicing the public health messages

These people need secondary and tertiary care; i.e. accessible professional PG treatment

Government, industry and treatment must work together

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Forecasting

Online and single-sports betting in Ontario

Online environment attractive to educated males

Prevention messages about odds/point spread

Keeping the game in gaming

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Virtual self-help tools Professional, confidential and free

Accessible

Technologically cutting-edge

Targeted

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Gambling quiz (Problem gambling severity index)

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Going forward

Utilising the technology

Collaboration among the sectors

Keeping the common goals in mind

Adapting approaches from other jurisdictions

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Let’s Keep the game in gaming: Janine_Robinson@camh.net