Opinion: We need to do something about these gambling ads on hockey helmets

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Timothy Dewhirst is a professor and senior researcher in marketing and public policy at the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics at the University of Guelph.

The Edmonton Oilers’ impressive playoff run this season brought more attention to the team. While watching the Stanley Cup Final, it became apparent to a wider audience that Oilers players’ helmets featured Play Alberta ads during their home games.

At first glance, the NHL team sponsor might seem misidentified as a non-profit, public entity dedicated to promoting exercise and healthy lifestyles. But Play Alberta is the brand name of the province’s only approved gambling website.

It’s a fairly recent phenomenon. Advertisements first appeared on NHL players’ helmets during the shortened 2020-21 season, as the National Hockey League scrambled to find ways to offset lost revenue as it felt the brunt of the pandemic.

Furthermore, helmet advertising served as a stepping stone for NHL team jersey advertising and, apparently, the ever-increasing commercialization of the games. The Washington Capitals home jerseys featured a logo for Caesars Sportsbook.

Looking beyond team-level sponsorships, the NHL now includes a staggering number (16) of partners that span sports betting, including BetMGM, FanDuel, Betway, DraftKings, ESPN Bet, Bet365, Bet99, Sports Interaction and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG).

This is a problem. Canadian federal law leaves it up to provincial and territorial governments to determine how to regulate single-event sports betting. In Ontario, standards now prohibit the use of athlete endorsers in sports betting ads because of their appeal to young people. Yet, as Play Alberta’s partnership with the Oilers shows, stars like Connor McDavid continue to be associated with betting promotions.

Provincial standards have so far proven unsatisfactory, prompting calls for federal legislation to more tightly control the promotion of sports betting, including measures to limit its reach among young people.

Just look at how successful Play Alberta's helmet commercials were.

The Play Alberta website, operated by Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC), launched in 2020. The website saw unprecedented traffic and usage during the recent Stanley Cup Final, when many Albertans bet on the Oilers to win.

As Dan Keene, vice president of gaming at AGLC, told the Edmonton Journal: This run with the NHL playoffs is the largest activity-wise we've ever seen for Play Alberta in sports.

Mr. Keene noted that more than 300,000 Albertans registered for Play Alberta during the Stanley Cup Final.

For Play Alberta, the NHL is always the most active sport on the site. And we are currently seeing unprecedented betting activity, Mr. Keene claimed, referring to the Oilers' playoff run.

This unprecedented gambling activity comes at a price. The AGLC’s mandate is to maintain the integrity of gambling operations while maximizing financial returns. Yet, maximizing financial returns at Play Alberta comes at the cost of mounting losses for many Albertans who gamble.

Among these losses are gamblers with an uncontrollable urge to bet despite the negative consequences of their actions.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Gambling Policy Framework published this year reveals that gambling is associated with a range of harms. Negative outcomes include the potential for significant financial loss, further contributing to poor mental health, experiencing problems with friends and family, and leading to potential criminal activity.

Play Alberta also offered several promotional activities during the NHL playoffs, including prizes such as ticket giveaways.

Marketing and advertising functions tend to increase overall consumption. And since Play Alberta is the only approved online gambling site offered to Albertans, the role of its marketing activities in influencing market share is minimal.

Play Alberta prominently highlights that revenues generated go to support worthy public initiatives such as education and healthcare. The harms associated with betting and gambling are largely overlooked in marketing communications.

Hockey is a big part of the Canadian identity. But the abundance of sports betting promotions when you’re watching our beloved NHL teams in action has crossed the line and should be considered offside.