“I can bet on over 780,000 games every year.”

“The latest live odds are on your screen now.”

“You can do it anytime, anywhere in Ontario.”

“Want more? You got it.”

Sound familiar?

If you’re a sports fan, you will undoubtedly recognize the above commentary in the plethora of gambling ads that are taking over what we’re being peddled during TV time outs.

I first noticed the ads last summer, during Toronto Blue Jays baseball games. The ads have carried over into hockey games and have seemingly multiplied. Except they aren’t just showing up as commercials. They now ring the boards of ice rinks. They’re written onto the ice itself. They appear in a split screen during a break in the on-ice play.

I did a very unscientific count and kept track of all the ads that popped up during eight Toronto Maple Leafs games. Some were on CBC, some on Sportsnet, some on TSN. I caught games on every day of the week except Sunday.

Bombarded with betting ads

I counted 708 ads across those eight games (not including promos for tv shows or sporting events). On average, over a span of 2.5 to 3 hours, 20 percent of ads were pushing gambling.

Sportsnet on Tuesday was the worst with 22 ads (or just under 28 percent) about gambling. The next closest were ads promoting vehicles, at 13.

CBC Saturday Night Hockey was the best but still had 16 out of 98 ads telling us all that we should lay down some of our hard earned cash and bet on which team will be the first to record five shots on net. Seriously, that’s how ridiculous some of the bets being made are! Well respected host Ron MacLean must be cringing inside when he now has to throw to a colleague for live gambling updates.

Many of the ads are dark with gambling being done in the shadows or showing a man sneaking off to the bathroom so he can place a bet while sitting on the toilet. It’s being hawked by mega sports stars such as the Great One (Wayne Gretzky for those who aren’t hockey fans), Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Connor McDavid.

Kids look up to their hockey heroes. What do you think their takeaway is when they hear Matthews talking about the odds it took for him to make it to the NHL as an elite star when he grew up in the desert? Likely something along the lines of, if it’s okay for Matthews to roll the dice, then it’s okay for me.

When recently asked about his endorsement of gambling, Matthews couldn’t even talk passionately about why he’s jumped on board, although I would hazard a guess that the amount of dough he’s pocketing has something to do with his motivation. He bumbled his way through a response on a recent episode of CBC’s The Fifth Estate. “I don’t think I’m going to get into it…You guys got any more hockey related questions?”

Get in the action

Could you imagine the same kind of ads being run for alcohol?

“I can drink over 780,000 kinds of vodka every year.”

“You can have your favourite bottle of rum delivered to your door right now.”

“You can order a drink anytime, anywhere in Ontario.”

“Want more? You got it.”

That would never happen. Why? Because although the Canadian Radio and Television Commission doesn’t directly regulate advertising content, it does keep a close watch when it comes to ads aimed at kids and ads for alcohol. Maybe it’s time to add gambling to that regulation.

Gambling ads on television are a relatively new thing. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman used to say that the activity didn’t fit with the values of the league. But money talks because he’s now singing the tune that gambling provides an opportunity for more fan engagement during the game.

For parents who don’t want their kids to see all the ads, the head of the Canadian Gaming Commission told The Fifth Estate that they can just change the channel. Right.

Now, to be fair, some ads do say things like “Please play at your own pace” or “Play responsibly”. Others have teeny tiny writing at the bottom of the screen warning about the potential negative impact of gambling. Or is that the industry just undertaking the ultimate CYA?

Budweiser put out to pasture

So, where have all the beer ads gone? I’ve been watching hockey games since I was in Brownies. I remember coming home on a Wednesday evening and being allowed to stay up to watch til the end of the second period of the Leafs game.

All through the years, there were ads for beer. They showed beautiful people having fun, not slinking off to the loo to make a bet like it was something to be ashamed of. Back to my unscientific study, and of the 8 games I tracked, beer ads didn’t air in 3 of them. Those that did, for the most part, promoted fun, friendship, and fitness.

Now, even the classic and soul stirring Budweiser Christmas commercials with the iconic Clydesdales seem to have been put out to pasture.

I’m not suggesting that gambling ads should be banished. But surely there should be some balance. “Milk” is now advertising on the jerseys of Leafs’ players. What I wouldn’t give for a commercial about a good, tall, cold glass of milk!

Now that’s something I’d bet on.

Where do you land on this issue? Should sports channels be allowed to show as many gambling ads as the industry is willing to purchase? What about the potential negative impact on those who struggle or who are on the cusp of falling into a gambling addiction? What about the potential impact on all those young kids who idolize their hockey heroes?