‘I was gambling money that I didn’t have’: Former teen gambler speaks out about risks of betting

An online gambling website, on 16 March. (Photo by Jesus Hellin/Europa Press via Getty Images)

It started as small bets with lunch money - crumpled bills changing hands in the school yard. But soon, the wagers grew and so did the losses.

“I was trying to score a quick buck,” says Jordan, now 20. “I had no concept of money and gambled recklessly.”

Jordan estimates he lost about $60,000 before enrolling in Gamblers Anonymous to get help.

“I just kept going down deeper and deeper every time,” he says. “The more I gambled the more I would lose. And the more I won I would gamble more to win it all back.”

Stigma

There is a lot of shame and stigma surrounding gambling addiction, which is why CTV News agreed to conceal this man’s identity. While Jordan is not his actual name, his story is real and is becoming more common among teenagers.

This week the Canadian Medical Association Journal published an editorial calling for restrictions on sports betting ads, warning they are setting up young people for a future of problem gambling.

“Ads for sports betting have saturated sports broadcasts, constantly viewed by children,” Dr. Shannon Charlebois writes in the editorial. “Gambling is normalized as a natural part of spectatorship at a young age.”

The editorial goes on to say that “the legalization of online gambling in Ontario in 2022 turned any smartphone into a betting platform.”

Online gambling was new when Jordan was a teenager. He says he never bet online, but rather did most of his gambling through bookies. Gambling is now more accessible, and he worries about the impact smartphones and betting ads will have on those currently in high school.

“You can gamble at home, at school, at work, in your bedroom, on your computer, anywhere,” he says. “It should not be this accessible.”

While betting sites require users to be over the age of 19, Jordan notes there are ways to bypass the restriction.

Bill S-211

A bill that would regulate sports betting advertising is making its way through the Senate. Bill S-211 would create a framework similar to how advertising is regulated for alcohol and tobacco. Rules could include banning celebrities or athletes from appearing in gambling ads and limiting the number of ads that can run during a broadcast.

While initially reluctant to speak out, Jordan says he decided to share his story so others don’t go through what he did.

“The damage it could do to someone, to their families, to their loved ones. Financially, emotionally (gambling) can destroy you,” he says. “It can make you an ugly person and liar.”

Jordan hopes there will soon be stricter rules for how gambling is advertised in Canada, not only for young people but for himself as well.

“I have a couple of years of sobriety, but I will have to deal with this for the rest of my life,” he says. “With technology now it’s only going to be more advertised and thrown in everyone’s faces so I sill have a lifetime to go in recovery.”