The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is urging a ban on all online gambling ads, claiming a proposed ban on celebrity spokespeople does not go far enough.

The ban was recommended in a submission to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), though CMHA also outlined a number of other measures it says would reduce the likelihood of gambling-related harms to vulnerable groups until a full prohibition is put in place.

Those measures include limiting gambling advertising to hours when children are less likely to see it; requiring prominent display of responsible gambling text in promotional materials and other ads; and being clear about the harms of problem gambling in all such communications.

“It is important that online gambling is not depicted as a risk-free recreational activity,” says Camille Quenneville, CEO of the CMHA Ontario. “Individuals who engage in the activity should be provided with local services and resources to support those at-risk of harmful gambling.”

In April, the AGCO proposed banning celebrities and athletes from gambling ads to “minimize potential harms” to people in Ontario. Submissions for public comments on the proposed measure closed on Monday.

While Quenneville said the CMHA “appreciated the AGCO acknowledging the emerging risks of promoting gambling to underage and vulnerable people and their calls for consultations,” CMHA believes that only a full ban will be fully effective in reducing the harms of online gambling, and that further restrictions need to be put in place until then.

“While we believe the AGCO’s proposed changes to the Registrar’s Standards restricting celebrity and athlete participation in promoting gambling is helpful, we encourage you to implement additional restrictions on advertising and marketing until all advertising for iGaming is prohibited,” CMHA’s submission read.

Other recommended actions include banning ads that include cartoon figures, symbols, role models, social media influencers, celebrities or entertainers; that encourage individuals to initiate gambling involving money or increase the frequency of gambling on igaming platforms; that depict gambling as a purely recreational activity without harms or the potential for financial loss; and that portray gambling as an activity associated with success, wealth, knowledge, endurance, courage or a sport.

CMHA also proposed mandating time-limit setting tools and banning gambling operators from delivering promotional material to users that have deactivated their accounts.

While surveys show that students who self-reported betting money online rose from 4% to 15% between 2019 and 2021, the CMHA further clarifies that those at risk include many groups, not just young audiences, but also older adults, low-income individuals, people with mental health issues and those with substance use dependancies. To that end, CMHA recommends all future gambling-related policies take an equity-based approach that takes those groups’ vulnerabilities into account.

CMHA Ontario’s own 2022 poll found 35% of Ontarians who gambled had increased those activities since 2020. Research shows that advertising of iGaming services increases the frequency of gambling among those who already do.