By George Passas

Gambling has been an issue for mankind since its first days. The earliest forms of gambling came from ancient China in 4000 B.C., where players used wooden tiles to play a lottery-style game. The portrayal of gambling in media like movies, television shows, and advertisements, all show gambling to be immensely attractive. Furthermore, the media likes to make promises about huge payouts and show people always winning big, which misleads viewers into believing that they have a good chance of seeing those earnings themselves. The legalization of sports betting in Canada has caused it to spread across the country like wildfire, with hundreds of thousands of Canadians wagering their money and valuables. The Canadian sports betting market is projected to increase from a revenue of US $0.99bn to US $1.40bn by 2028! The only solution to a problem with such devastating effects is to approve a complete ban on gambling. It would save millions of dollars, valuables such as cars, houses, and, most importantly, people’s lives.

The dangers associated with gambling can have a negative impact on both individuals and society as a whole. Gambling works by hacking and unnaturally stimulating the brain’s reward system. Many may not realize the danger of partaking in gambling, and the addiction that it can cause. Mayo Clinic even compares gambling to other addictions like drugs and alcohol. Gambling toys with people’s minds by testing whether or not they are willing to risk something of value for a chance to get something better in return. Unbeknownst to them, most gamblers are at a disadvantage when they play, as every game is biased towards the house. Casinos and other gambling sites are designed to make a profit over long periods of time, so most players will almost always lose. 

Roughly 2/3 (64.5%) of Canadians admit that they have engaged in gambling within the past year. One of the most common gambling activities is playing slot machines, which falsely advertise frequent huge payouts, but only have a top prize winning range of 1 in 5,000 to 1 in 34,000,000. Gambling can increase the risk of relationship and financial problems, legal issues, unemployment, and overall poor mental and physical health. These risks are often overlooked, but are not as uncommon as some may believe. 

The intense emotional toll caused by gambling affects not only the gambler, but also the people closest to them. There have been countless stories about how gambling affects the lives of those surrounding frequent gamblers. Families go hungry as a result of parent(s) gambling away savings, friendships are torn apart because of inability to pay back borrowed money, and people drown in debt with no way to earn back their previous wealth. All of these scenarios have happened countless times, and will continue to happen if the root issue of gambling addiction is not addressed.

A simple solution to gambling addiction is to completely illegalize gambling. This may seem like an extreme decision, but it would forcibly put a stop to people with debilitating addiction worsening their situations. A way to build up to a complete prohibition is to ban forms of gambling until it is entirely banned in Canada. Sports betting, which is rising in popularity throughout Canada should be banned first, followed by other forms such as commercial gambling (lotteries and number games), then games like poker and other casino games. Of course, the illegalization won’t stop every person in Canada, but it will reduce the number of people engaging in gambling, and encourage addicts to get help. The unfortunate reality is that gambling will always be a problem in greater society. The idea of making money quickly will always entice people, and our brains can be so easily hijacked to risk everything for a slim possibility. However, developing boundaries and restrictions for gamblers will reduce numbers of people and families that lose their homes, relationships, and even lives to this unfortunate addiction.