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Sports betting has quickly become one of Canada’s fastest-growing gambling sectors. Ontario’s regulated market continues to break records, and Alberta is set to launch its own competitive framework next month. But the industry’s momentum is increasingly being met with public skepticism.
A new Angus Reid Institute survey found that 69% of Canadians are worried the number of problem gamblers will increase as sports betting expands. The survey, conducted among 1,803 Canadian adults in May 2026, captures a public that is processing the rapid expansion of an industry that has fundamentally changed how Canadians engage with sport.
The findings arrive as provinces continue embracing regulated betting markets as a source of tax revenue and consumer protection. Yet they suggest public concerns about addiction and financial harm may be growing almost as quickly as the industry itself.
Concern is Becoming Personal
The survey’s most striking finding may be how frequently gambling concerns are showing up in people’s own lives. In fact, 28% of Canadians say they are concerned someone they know already has a sports betting addiction
More than a quarter of Canadians say they are worried someone they know has developed a sports betting addiction. Among sports bettors themselves, that figure rises to 39%, while 37% of men aged 18 to 34 report the same concern.
Among respondents who said they were worried about someone in their life, 81% identified that person as male.
The findings suggest concerns about sports betting are no longer limited to abstract debates about regulation or public policy. For many Canadians, they are increasingly tied to people they know personally.
Revenue Remains the Strongest Argument
Despite the concerns, many Canadians still see value in regulated sports betting.
Three in five Canadians say regulated betting markets generate valuable revenue for provincial governments, one of the main arguments policymakers have used to justify expansion.
Since single-event sports betting was legalized in 2021, provinces have increasingly steered bettors toward regulated platforms. Supporters argue that those markets offer stronger consumer protections than offshore alternatives, including responsible gambling tools, self-exclusion programs, deposit limits, and regulatory oversight.
That argument has real weight when you consider that roughly 22% of active bettors are currently using either offshore sites or platforms where they genuinely don’t know the country of origin, meaning they are operating entirely outside the consumer protections that regulated markets are required to provide.
Ontario has become the clearest example of that approach. Its regulated market has attracted dozens of operators and generated $724 million in revenue from $11.4 billion in total wagers during the 2024/25 fiscal year alone.
Canadians Remain Uneasy About Betting’s Expansion
Despite recognizing the revenue potential, almost half of Canadians say the growing presence of sports betting is a bad thing, while only 8% describe it as a good thing. Another 31% say it is neither good nor bad.
That finding highlights one of the industry’s biggest challenges. Canadians may support regulated markets in principle, but many remain uncomfortable with the growing visibility of sports betting itself.
The advertising campaigns, sponsorships, and mobile betting apps that helped fuel growth have also made gambling far more visible. As a result, concerns about addiction, financial losses, and youth exposure are becoming harder for the industry to ignore.
One in five parents with children aged 10 to 17 said their child has already asked about sports betting, another indication of how deeply gambling has entered mainstream sports culture.
Alberta’s Launch Puts the Spotlight on Concerns
That dynamic could become particularly important in Alberta.
The province is set to become Canada’s second competitive regulated online gambling market when private operators begin launching this summer. The move is expected to bring many of the same major sportsbooks currently operating in Ontario into Alberta’s sports betting market.
For operators, the opportunity is obvious. For regulators, the challenge may be balancing that growth with a public increasingly focused on the potential downsides.
The Angus Reid data suggests Canadians are not rejecting sports betting outright. Many recognize the economic benefits of regulated markets. But as betting becomes more accessible and more visible, public concern appears to be growing alongside the industry itself.
That may be one of the defining realities facing Alberta’s new market from day one.
