Last year, the UCP staged a moral panic about books, in school libraries, that could potentially cause confusion if leant to a five-year old. Books that were not targeted at five, ten, or even 13-year old’s, but “mature teens” and “young adults”. Books that had suggestive cartoon drawings that were perfectly recognizable to an adult audience, but not necessarily to the audience either the Premier or the Minister of Education claimed to be protecting.
Only the parents of five year-old’s vote, however.
While the UCP couldn’t produce a single statistic to justify “protecting” children from suggestive cartoon drawings in books that weren’t meant for them, there are statistics about who is at higher risk of developing legitimately personally and socially harmful gambling addictions. Despite this, our airwaves are now being inundated with gambling ads; almost as if the UCP only acts if it’s politically useful.
The manufactured outrage that led to book bans and spilled over into the creation of public library inspectors was necessary, they said, to protect children from learning about consensual sexual relationships— and find out what Albertans were accessing at public libraries.
On protecting Albertans from developing gambling addictions, they’re silent.
Gambling addictions have been on the rise in Alberta since the introduction of Video Lottery Terminals (VLT’s) in the 1990’s; and so have government revenues from gambling.
Back in 2023, an excellent piece in Alberta Views demonstrated the benefits to the Alberta government, but also the tolls— and that was before the UCP opened up the province to U.S. gambling sites and their incessant advertizing.
The AGLC and the Problem Gambling Research Network (PGRN) put Alberta’s rate of problem gambling at 5 per cent. This includes moderate to severe gambling problems and would translate to roughly 160,000 adult Albertans. The PGRN says up to 14 more people are affected directly or indirectly by one problem gambler, through family dysfunction or stress, distraction or theft at work, or health problems, bankruptcy or suicide.
And young people are at higher risk. Almost 10 per cent of Albertans aged 12–17, says the PGRN, “gamble frequently and may be at risk of becoming problem gamblers.” (Emphasis mine.)
“Who wants Albertans to gamble more? All of us.” by Evan Osenton; Alberta Views, Oct. 2023
That seems important enough to reiterate: in 2023, the AGLC and PGRN believed young people were at higher risk.
Do you know what another word for 12-17 year old’s is? Children.
“Mommy, what’s a ‘parlay’?”
The same government that staged a moral panic over a suggestive cartoon image— to justify inspectors, lists, and book bans— not only authorized, but welcomed gambling ads on our radios, televisions, and billboards.
Accessible to all ages, targeted at all ages, and preying on all ages.
I started to hear about an excess amount of sport betting ads during hockey games in 2022/23. I hadn’t had cable in a few years but we added Sportsnet online to follow the Edmonton Oilers playoff run in 2023. I was shocked at how many gambling ads there were. In my naivety, I thought it must be worse if you were watching it online. I mean, that’s where the gambling is, right?
Wrong. I happened to be at a family event at a relative’s while a playoff game was on and I was astounded to find that it wasn’t just a bombardment of sports betting ads on the internet but also on cable television.
Fast-forward to 2026, when the UCP decided more gambling options should be available to Albertans, and I’m not the only one debating on calling 211 to complain about how gambling ads are affecting me.
When I can’t make a seven-minute drive to the recycling centre without hearing an ad for gambling on the radio— and another on the way back— or watch a hockey game with my family without seeing at least one gambling ad every commercial break, it feels less like marketing and more like predatory behaviour.
If you were a kid in the 1980’s…
Government intervention isn’t unprecedented (aside from banning books— in Canada, at least).
If you were a kid in the 1980’s, you probably made ashtrays for your parents in art class— when you were in elementary school. You likely bought candy stick “cigarettes” with a picture of Popeye on the package. You may also remember Camel’s cartoon mascot.
Eventually, people realized how insane it actually was and governments responded.
It became illegal for cigarette companies to advertize at all. There was no more smoking in movies or on television, candy cigarettes got the boot, and the province of Alberta banned smoking indoors in the early 2000’s. Now, all cigarettes are behind opaque doors, they all have the same brown packaging, and a full half of the package is a text warning accompanied by some grotesque image.
All of this was done in an effort to stop glamourizing smoking, signal that it was no longer socially acceptable to put one’s health (and everyone around them) at risk, and not allow cigarette companies to prey on new customers; specifically, children.
Governments were not silent, they didn’t look away, they acted.
But gambling? Something we already knew beforehand put children between the ages of 12-17 at higher risk of developing an addiction to?
Not a peep from the Premier about the potential harms.
Not a sound from the Minister of Children’s Services.
Almost as if protecting children is only worthwhile to the UCP if it’s politically convenient for them.
The eight-second “if you or someone you know” well wishes after the literal onslaught of gambling ads are not doing anywhere near the work that the UCP put into banning books to protect children from suggestive images.
Yet, in Alberta today, kids don’t need to sneak into a library to find suggestive content, they can access repetitive, targeted, and potentially harmful content by turning on the radio or a hockey game.
This isn’t about protecting children, it’s about protecting revenue; and the UCP no longer cares who will pay the price.
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If the Wicked Witch of the West could figure out a way to monetize "inappropriate material" she would.
Once again, the UCP government calculates gross revenues, without considering the social harms and the very real costs needed to address the harms. Have a look at https://banadsforgambling.ca