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As Alberta enters the early days of its regulated online gambling market, new research could help answer some of the biggest questions surrounding sports betting’s rapid expansion.
Arnold Ventures announced on July 7 that it had awarded approximately $2.6 million to 12 independent research projects examining the effects of legal sports betting on consumer behaviour, financial well-being, mental health, household stability, and government revenue.
The research focuses on the US, but many of the issues are equally relevant in Canada. Since single-event sports betting was legalized in 2021, Ontario has opened a competitive market, and sportsbooks in Alberta have now launched.
The launch raises many of the same questions Ontario has faced since opening its market in 2022, from advertising and responsible gambling to whether the economic benefits outweigh the social costs.
Those concerns are already reflected in public opinion. An Angus Reid Institute survey of 1,803 Canadian adults found that 69% fear the continued expansion of sports betting will lead to more problem gambling, while 28% said they were concerned someone they knew already had a sports betting addiction.
The findings highlight the ongoing debate over whether regulated betting markets can balance consumer protection with economic benefits. Together, the 12 studies will examine whether those concerns are reflected in measurable changes to betting behaviour, household finances, and public health.
Studies Will Test New Responsible Gambling Approaches
Responsible gambling remains one of the biggest policy challenges as Canada’s regulated sports betting market expands.
The Angus Reid Institute survey found that 46% of recent Canadian bettors had used at least one responsible gambling tool. Deposit limits and spending trackers were the most common, followed by cool-off periods and self-exclusion programs.
Because those safeguards depend largely on bettors taking action themselves, the new research will examine whether interventions become more effective when triggered by betting behaviour in real time.
Behavioral Insights (US) Inc. and West Virginia University will study whether narrowly losing a parlay or experiencing an unexpected result encourages bettors to continue wagering, spend more, or take greater risks. Researchers will also test whether targeted messages delivered after a near miss can interrupt play.
Another study will track how individual bettors respond to financial shocks, wins, losses, and sportsbook promotions over time. The findings could be particularly relevant in Ontario and now Alberta, where private operators use bonuses and other promotional offers to compete for customers.
Both provinces prohibit operators from publicly advertising inducements, bonuses, and credits, although they may still display them on their own platforms or send them directly to eligible players who consent to marketing.
If the studies find that certain betting patterns or promotions encourage repeated or riskier gambling, provinces could face pressure to introduce more timely interventions and tighten how promotional offers are designed, targeted, and delivered.
Advertising Study Could Influence Canadian Restrictions
Advertising has become one of the biggest policy questions now that Alberta has launched its competitive market.
While Alberta has adopted Ontario-style restrictions on athletes, celebrities, and public bonus advertising, those rules focus largely on the content of gambling ads rather than how frequently sportsbook marketing appears. Ontario’s experience has raised concerns that Alberta could see a substantial increase in gambling advertising now that private operators are competing for customers.
The survey also linked sports betting’s growing visibility to mobile apps, online platforms, and the surge of advertising during live sports broadcasts. It also found that 22% of parents with children between the ages of 10 and 17 said their child had already asked about sports betting, including what it is or whether they could place bets themselves.
A UCLA research team will examine whether greater exposure to sports betting advertising leads to more app downloads, engagement, and betting participation.
If the study finds that heavier advertising directly increases betting participation, it could strengthen calls for broader restrictions on when and where sportsbook ads appear. A weaker relationship could instead shift regulators’ focus toward misleading claims, inducements, and marketing aimed at minors or other vulnerable groups.
Either outcome would give Alberta and other Canadian regulators stronger evidence as they evaluate whether existing advertising rules go far enough.
Financial Studies Will Look Beyond Betting Losses
Four grants will examine whether legal sports betting affects credit health, housing security, and household stability.
Researchers will study whether legalization is followed by higher credit card delinquency rates and whether gaining access to legal betting contributes to broader financial distress.
The research is particularly relevant given how Canadians describe their reasons for betting. Angus Reid found that 57% of recent bettors cited making money as a motivation, slightly ahead of entertainment at 51%. Yet half disagreed that betting was a good way to earn extra money through their own expertise.
Other Arnold Ventures studies will examine eviction filings, foreclosures, housing insecurity, and household formation. Rather than measuring betting losses alone, the research will test whether financial pressure spills into debt obligations, housing stability, and major family decisions.
Evidence of those effects could push Canadian governments to treat gambling harm as a broader consumer-protection issue rather than relying mainly on voluntary responsible gambling tools.
Those findings could also help provinces compare different market models, with Ontario and Alberta both operating competitive markets, while most other provinces continue to rely primarily on government-run platforms.
Mental Health and Treatment Costs Will Be Examined
Three of the studies will investigate whether sports betting legalization is associated with changes in suicide rates, mental health diagnoses, prescription use, healthcare utilization, and behavioural health spending.
Those questions are already becoming more personal in Canada. The Angus Reid survey found that concern about knowing someone with a sports betting addiction was reported by 39% of bettors and 37% of men aged 18 to 34. Among respondents concerned about someone in their life, 81% identified that person as male.
The research could help determine whether expanded betting access contributes to greater demand for counselling, addiction treatment, and other health services, or whether those concerns are not reflected in measurable outcomes.
Stronger evidence could also help provinces identify which groups are most at risk and how much gambling revenue should be directed toward prevention, early intervention, and treatment.
Can Sports Betting Meet Revenue Expectations?
The Urban Institute will examine whether projected sports betting tax revenue materializes after legalization.
Revenue remains one of the strongest arguments for regulated gambling expansion. Three in five Canadians told Angus Reid that sports betting could generate valuable provincial revenue, even as 46% viewed its growing presence negatively and just 8% viewed it positively.
The findings could help policymakers weigh those fiscal benefits against the financial, health, and social costs of expansion.
That balance is especially relevant in Alberta, where the government has framed regulation as a way to capture revenue flowing to unregulated operators while introducing stronger safeguards.
Under Alberta’s model, 3% of gross gaming revenue will be allocated upfront, including 2% for First Nations initiatives and 1% for social responsibility programs. The remainder will be split, with 80% going to operators and 20% retained by the province.
What the Research Could Mean for Alberta
The 12 studies will run between 2026 and 2029, meaning their findings will arrive as Alberta’s market matures alongside Ontario’s.
While the findings will not translate perfectly to Canada because of differences in healthcare systems, gambling laws, and consumer protections, they address many of the same policy issues Alberta will face in the years ahead, from advertising and consumer protection to gambling-related financial harm and the long-term value of regulation.
As private operators compete for customers in Alberta, those issues are likely to become more prominent. While the research will not provide a blueprint for regulation, it could give policymakers stronger evidence as they decide whether existing safeguards around advertising, responsible gambling, and consumer protection remain sufficient or need to evolve.
