Gambling addiction worries aired with NHL playoffs soon to begin

As the NHL playoffs are set to begin this weekend, local addictions experts worry more people may struggle with gambling problems. Evan Kenny reports.

With the National Hockey League playoffs soon to start, some addictions experts worry more people may struggle with gambling problems.

Alana Brown, a mental health and addictions instructor at Edmonton’s NorQuest College, says advertisements for legalized sports gambling – from 50/50 to online sports books – run up to 60 times each game and take up 20 per cent of a TV broadcast.

She also says one in five Canadians has reported placing a sports bet in the past year.

“There are certainly risks associated with problem gambling, including a higher chance of developing depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, substance use issues, as well as elevated suicide risk,” Brown told CTV News Edmonton.

And because the NHL playoffs are about to begin this weekend, involving the hype around the Edmonton Oilers, she says she’s concerned the intensity surrounding them could push some people too far.

“You also want to be aware of your own emotional state of mind,” Brown said. “It’s a high-intensity, emotionally charged game.”

And soon, Albertans will have more platforms to gamble on. Online sports betting companies Draft Kings and theScore are coming to Alberta in July.

“What we’re doing is we’re trying to create regulated legal format for those that want to participate in onliine gambling that is a little more safer than the black market today,” Dale Nally said Thursday at the Alberta legislature.

The Service Alberta minister says people are betting online anyway and that the province wants to make sure they’re doing it in a responsible way, which he says is why it has introduced the I-Gambling Act to regulate the market.

Thirty-two private companies are applying to be provincially regulated, with 20 of them having already paid a $150,000 deposit.

“I would say that those 20 companies are committed to player safety,” Nally told media.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Evan Kenny