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Alberta’s regulated iGaming system has been in operation for a month now, and with more than 20 registered sites allowed to operate in the province, the ads promoting online gambling seem to be everywhere — on billboards, the sides of buses, on television and social media.
The sheer volume of ads for online gambling has some people raising concerns about the harm they could be causing.
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The sheer volume of those ads is a concern to some addictions specialists who worry about the harm they could be causing for problem gamblers — especially young people.
“Adolescents are developmentally vulnerable and at risk of developing things like substance use disorder and (other) harms from gambling,” said Dr. Shawn Kelly, an adolescent addiction medicine specialist with the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine.
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“Their brains are not the same as young adult brains and we can’t simply educate them out of this sort of behaviour,” Kelly added.
He wants more restrictions on how much online gambling advertising is permitted.
University of Alberta marketing professor Katie Mehr said the huge number of ads is a result of companies trying to keep up with their competitors.
“If there are a couple of companies that are big players here and one of them is doing advertisements everywhere, the others feel like they have to to make sure they don’t lose out,” Mehr said.
The Minister responsible for the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission says Alberta has strict rules surrounding advertising for online gambling and it will consider taking further action if needed.
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In a statement to Global News, the minister responsible for the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission, Dave Nally, said the province has “strict advertising rules” that “prohibit operators from using professional athletes and celebrities to encourage people to place bets.”
“They cannot target youth or those experiencing gambling harm,” said Nally, who added, “If further action is needed to protect Albertans, we’ll look into potential next steps.”
The provincial government expects online gambling to provide a $76 million boost to provincial coffers in the first year of operation, with one per cent of gross online gambling revenue being set aside to spend on problem gambling programs, resources and treatment.
–with files from The Canadian Press.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
