Anyone who watches sports is used to seeing betting ads during games, but a collaboration between CBC’s Marketplace and British researchers at the University of Bristol found gambling messages fill up to 21 per cent of each broadcast, on average, based on an analysis that looked at seven games.
Marketplace asked the researchers to count the number of gambling messages — including betting company logos, commercials, sponsored segments and any time betting odds appeared on screen — viewers were exposed to during five NHL games and two NBA games broadcast live on television between Oct. 25 and Oct. 29.
An average hockey or basketball broadcast runs roughly three hours. The research team reviewed footage for all seven broadcasts, and also reviewed any available pre-game show, which usually ran about half an hour.
Their study tallied 3,537 gambling messages across all broadcasts, or about 2.8 every minute, totalling one-fifth of the viewing time.
“It’s shocking the amount of gambling-related messages that bombard the audience when they’re just trying to watch a game,” said Jamie Wheaton, who studies gambling at the University of Bristol and led the research on the NHL/NBA games with Raffaello Rossi.
More than 90 per cent of the logos or references were found directly on the playing surface, or court- or rink-side.
FanDuel was the brand with the most messages across the seven broadcasts, accounting for more than a quarter of the total gambling messages in the study.
Markus Giesler, a professor of marketing at York University in Toronto, reviewed the results and said he’s worried about how seamless the integration of sports and gambling has become.
“All of this is contributing to the normalization of gambling,” Giesler said. “Something that we conventionally think of as a very risky and a very dangerous practice [is framed] as something that’s actually just fun and harmless.”
Ontario launched regulated market in 2022
Wheaton, Rossi and their colleagues did similar work counting gambling advertisements during the opening weekend of English Premier League soccer games in the U.K. this past August. They found nearly five messages per minute across 24 hours of coverage and described the advertising as “inescapable.”
Ontario is the only province with a regulated market for private gambling companies to operate in. Regulated casino and sports betting in all other Canadian regions is handled through a provincially run website.
Since Ontario launched the regulated market in April 2022, gambling has exploded in the province. iGaming Ontario, which manages this market, reported players wagered more than $17 billion in the third quarter of 2022/23. Since the launch of the regulated market, revenues for gambling companies have quadrupled, from a total of $162 million as of June 30, 2022, to more than $658 million by Dec. 31, 2023.
Jamie Wheaton, a researcher who studies gambling advertising at the University of Bristol, says that during games, viewers are ‘bombarded just by the sheer appearance of logos around the playing surface.’ (Lauren Sproule/CBC)
Companies like FanDuel have apps where users can sign up to place bets on a variety of sports or play virtual slot machines. iGaming Ontario takes a share of the money made by operators through these activities.
Deirdre Querney, an addiction counsellor at Alcohol, Drug & Gambling Services in Hamilton, Ont., has seen a rise in calls for help since the launch of Ontario’s regulated market.
“A lot of folks are complaining about the increase in advertising,” Querney said. “It’s like they can’t watch a hockey game or football game without constantly being reminded of opportunities to gamble.”
Around 93 per cent of the gambling ads that were documented during the study were imprinted on the court, ice or boards of the sporting venue, either digitally or directly on the surface, as seen in this screen grab from the Oct. 27 NBA game between the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors. (TSN)
For Noah Vineberg, who is recovering from a gambling addiction and is a lifelong sports fan, avoiding gambling advertisements is impossible. The onslaught constantly threatens to trigger him to gamble again.
“It’d be a blatant lie to say it didn’t,” he said.
Noah Vineberg has spent the last five years recovering from a gambling addiction. He says ‘the relapses would have been far quicker’ if the volume of gambling advertisements had been at its current level when he was initially trying to stop gambling. (John Lesavage/CBC News)
Querney describes a shift in recent years, from people trying to control their betting habits in physical casinos to struggling with the pull of internet gambling.
“All of a sudden, you have something completely different — often younger men sports betting online,” she said.
FanDuel did not provide a comment to Marketplace about the ubiquity of its advertising messages, and deferred to the Canadian Gaming Association for a response. Paul Burns, the CEO of the CGA, which represents many gambling operators in Canada, noted that FanDuel is “a large brand and very popular in the marketplace.”
This screen grab shows an NHL game from Oct. 28, 2023, between the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks, and provides examples of advertisements for gambling companies that the researchers were looking at during their analysis. (Sportsnet)
He said gambling messages are “part of branding and advertising” and that FanDuel advertises “within the scope of the leagues and the broadcast partners who set the parameters around what’s permitted.”
Burns said he did not find the overall number of messages to be unreasonable, and argued it’s no different than the advertising practices of other industries.
“This is a legal, regulated industry,” he said. “There’s a high level of oversight.”
Responsible gambling
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) stipulates that advertising should contain a responsible gambling message “where effective.”
Wheaton and his research team found that fewer than three per cent of the gambling messages they saw during the NHL/NBA games in the study contained reminders that you must be 19 or older to gamble or directed viewers to resources to help with problem gambling.
Burns said operators in Ontario are now required to hit “a minimum level of spend on responsible gaming,” a policy he said they put in place after the first year of the regulated market. He said we will start seeing those changes soon.
“The gaming industry knows people have control issues with our products,” Burns said. “There’s always more we can do, and we will continue to do that.”
Wheaton reviewed Ontario’s gambling regulations as they pertained to the games he and his team studied. He says the regulations are “ineffective at regulating the current volume … of advertising.”
Several of the gambling brands regulated in Ontario have been using celebrities and athletes in their advertising. Sports Interaction, for example, features NHL players Leon Draisaitl and Mitch Marner in a commercial promoting the company’s online sportsbook.
Paul Burns, the CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association, says there are ‘lots of controls and oversight’ when it comes to the content of gambling advertising. (John Lesavage/CBC)
Marketplace reached out to the leagues and broadcasters, but received no official comment from the NBA or NHL.
CBC, which aired two of the Hockey Night in Canada games included in the analysis, said Rogers Sportsnet holds the national NHL rights and controls the advertising.
In a statement to Marketplace, Rogers Sports & Media, which owns Sportsnet, said the AGCO reviews and approves all sports betting-related ads that air on their TV channels. “We want our viewers to enjoy sports betting safely and responsibly and we use some of our airtime to share messages about responsible gaming and how to get help if needed.”
Bell Media, which owns TSN, also said they follow the standards set out by the regulator and added that “responsible gaming is a key element of TSN’s approach to sports betting content.”
One stakeholder, who did not want to be named, told Marketplace that the findings appear to be overstated, and that counting each logo is not the right way to think about how you limit advertising overexposure in this space.
As a result of public pressure from various groups — including mental health and responsible gambling advocates — the AGCO will ban the use of athletes in gambling ads starting in February, unless they’re promoting a responsible gambling message.
Giesler says this is a start.
“Detaching athletes from gambling marketing is an important first step,” he said. “It’s not the only step.”
Wheaton says this will do little to address the volume of gambling messages, including the ones imposed directly on the rink or court.
Should gambling messages during sports broadcasts be limited?
A new study from CBC’s Marketplace and researchers in the U.K. finds that sports fans are exposed to gambling advertisements about three times a minute during a sports broadcast.
In a statement to Marketplace, the AGCO said it has “significant advertising rules for igaming operators to ensure ad content is truthful and responsible” and added that “advertising has played a key role in addressing one of the government’s important goals, which is to shift gambling to regulated sites that meet high standards of player protection and block access to minors.”
Vineberg, who still watches sports, has developed strategies to try and avoid these advertisements. They include starting up a conversation with someone about something unrelated when the commercials are on or taking his dog for a walk during the sponsored segments.
But he acknowledges it’s harder than ever for people with a gambling addiction to avoid the temptation. His advice? Talk about it.
“I texted my wife every single time that I either thought about [gambling] or was tempted,” Vineberg said. “It really helped for me.”
TORONTO – TD Bank Group, which is mired in a money laundering scandal in the U.S., says chief executive Bharat Masrani will retire next year.
Masrani, who will retire officially on April 10, 2025, says the bank’s, “anti-money laundering challenges,” took place on his watch and he takes full responsibility.
The bank named Raymond Chun, TD’s group head, Canadian personal banking, as his successor.
As part of a transition plan, Chun will become chief operating officer on Nov. 1 before taking over the top job when Masrani steps down at the bank’s annual meeting next year.
TD also announced that Riaz Ahmed, group head, wholesale banking and president and CEO of TD Securities, will retire at the end of January 2025.
TD has taken billions in charges related to ongoing U.S. investigations into the failure of its anti-money laundering program.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
“Communication is one of the most important skills you require for a successful life.” — Catherine Pulsifer, author.
I’m one hundred percent in agreement with Pulsifer, which is why my evaluation of candidates begins with their writing skills. If a candidate’s writing skills and verbal communication skills, which I’ll assess when interviewing, aren’t well above average, I’ll pass on them regardless of their skills and experience.
Why?
Because business is fundamentally about getting other people to do things—getting employees to be productive, getting customers to buy your products or services, and getting vendors to agree to a counteroffer price. In business, as in life in general, you can’t make anything happen without effective communication; this is especially true when job searching when your writing is often an employer’s first impression of you.
Think of all the writing you engage in during a job search (resumes, cover letters, emails, texts) and all your other writing (LinkedIn profile, as well as posts and comments, blogs, articles, tweets, etc.) employers will read when they Google you to determine if you’re interview-worthy.
With so much of our communication today taking place via writing (email, text, collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, ClickUp, WhatsApp and Rocket.Chat), the importance of proficient writing skills can’t be overstated.
When assessing a candidate’s writing skills, you probably think I’m looking for grammar and spelling errors. Although error-free writing is important—it shows professionalism and attention to detail—it’s not the primary reason I look at a candidate’s writing skills.
The way someone writes reveals how they think.
Clear writing = Clear thinking
Structured paragraphs = Structured mind
Impactful sentences = Impactful ideas
Effective writing isn’t about using sophisticated vocabulary. Hemingway demonstrated that deceptively simple, stripped-down prose can captivate readers. Effective writing takes intricate thoughts and presents them in a way that makes the reader think, “Damn! Why didn’t I see it that way?” A good writer is a dead giveaway for a good thinker. More than ever, the business world needs “good thinkers.”
Therefore, when I come across a candidate who’s a good writer, hence a good thinker, I know they’re likely to be able to write:
Emails that don’t get deleted immediately and are responded to
Simple, concise, and unambiguous instructions
Pitches that are likely to get read
Social media content that stops thumbs
Human-sounding website copy
Persuasively, while attuned to the reader’s possible sensitivities
Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: AI, which job seekers are using en masse. Earlier this year, I wrote that AI’s ability to hyper-increase an employee’s productivity—AI is still in its infancy; we’ve seen nothing yet—in certain professions, such as writing, sales and marketing, computer programming, office and admin, and customer service, makes it a “fewer employees needed” tool, which understandably greatly appeals to employers. In my opinion, the recent layoffs aren’t related to the economy; they’re due to employers adopting AI. Additionally, companies are trying to balance investing in AI with cost-cutting measures. CEOs who’ve previously said, “Our people are everything,” have arguably created today’s job market by obsessively focusing on AI to gain competitive advantages and reduce their largest expense, their payroll.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that most AI usage involves generating written content, content that’s obvious to me, and likely to you as well, to have been written by AI. However, here’s the twist: I don’t particularly care.
Why?
Because the fundamental skill I’m looking for is the ability to organize thoughts and communicate effectively. What I care about is whether the candidate can take AI-generated content and transform it into something uniquely valuable. If they can, they’re demonstrating the skills of being a good thinker and communicator. It’s like being a great DJ; anyone can push play, but it takes skill to read a room and mix music that gets people pumped.
Using AI requires prompting effectively, which requires good writing skills to write clear and precise instructions that guide the AI to produce desired outcomes. Prompting AI effectively requires understanding structure, flow and impact. You need to know how to shape raw information, such as milestones throughout your career when you achieved quantitative results, into a compelling narrative.
So, what’s the best way to gain and enhance your writing skills? As with any skill, you’ve got to work at it.
Two rules guide my writing:
Use strong verbs and nouns instead of relying on adverbs, such as “She dashed to the store.” instead of “She ran quickly to the store.” or “He whispered to the child.” instead of “He spoke softly to the child.”
Avoid using long words when a shorter one will do, such as “use” instead of “utilize” or “ask” instead of “inquire.” As attention spans get shorter, I aim for clarity, simplicity and, most importantly, brevity in my writing.
Don’t just string words together; learn to organize your thoughts, think critically, and communicate clearly. Solid writing skills will significantly set you apart from your competition, giving you an advantage in your job search and career.
Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.
MONTREAL – Politics, public opinion and salary hikes south of the border helped push Air Canada toward a deal that secures major pay gains for pilots, experts say.
Hammered out over the weekend, the would-be agreement includes a cumulative wage hike of nearly 42 per cent over four years — an enormous bump by historical standards — according to one source who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. The previous 10-year contract granted increases of just two per cent annually.
The federal government’s stated unwillingness to step in paved the way for a deal, noted John Gradek, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made it plain the two sides should hash one out themselves.
“Public opinion basically pressed the federal cabinet, including the prime minister, to keep their hands clear of negotiations and looking at imposing a settlement,” said Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University.
After late-night talks at a hotel near Toronto’s Pearson airport, the country’s biggest airline and the union representing 5,200-plus aviators announced early Sunday morning they had reached a tentative agreement, averting a strike that would have grounded flights and affected some 110,000 passengers daily.
The relative precariousness of the Liberal minority government as well as a push to appear more pro-labour underlay the prime minister’s hands-off approach to the negotiations.
Trudeau said Friday the government would not step in to fix the impasse — unlike during a massive railway work stoppage last month and a strike by WestJet mechanics over the Canada Day long weekend that workers claimed road roughshod over their constitutional right to collective bargaining. Trudeau said the government respects the right to strike and would only intervene if it became apparent no negotiated deal was possible.
“They felt that they really didn’t want to try for a third attempt at intervention and basically said, ‘Let’s let the airline decide how they want to deal with this one,'” said Gradek.
“Air Canada ran out of support as the week wore on, and by the time they got to Friday night, Saturday morning, there was nothing left for them to do but to basically try to get a deal set up and accepted by ALPA (Air Line Pilots Association).”
Trudeau’s government was also unlikely to consider back-to-work legislation after the NDP tore up its agreement to support the Liberal minority in Parliament, Gradek said. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, whose party has traditionally toed a more pro-business line, also said last week that Tories “stand with the pilots” and swore off “pre-empting” the negotiations.
Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau had asked Ottawa on Thursday to impose binding arbitration pre-emptively — “before any travel disruption starts” — if talks failed. Backed by business leaders, he’d hoped for an effective repeat of the Conservatives’ move to head off a strike in 2012 by legislating Air Canada pilots and ground crew to stick to their posts before any work stoppage could start.
The request may have fallen flat, however. Gradek said he believes there was less anxiety over the fallout from an airline strike than from the countrywide railway shutdown.
He also speculated that public frustration over thousands of cancelled flights would have flowed toward Air Canada rather than Ottawa, prompting the carrier to concede to a deal yielding “unheard of” gains for employees.
“It really was a total collapse of the Air Canada bargaining position,” he said.
Pilots are slated to vote in the coming weeks on the four-year contract.
Last year, pilots at Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines secured agreements that included four-year pay boosts ranging from 34 per cent to 40 per cent, ramping up pressure on other carriers to raise wages.
After more than a year of bargaining, Air Canada put forward an offer in August centred around a 30 per cent wage hike over four years.
But the final deal, should union members approve it, grants a 26 per cent increase in the first year alone, retroactive to September 2023, according to the source. Three wage bumps of four per cent would follow in 2024 through 2026.
Passengers may wind up shouldering some of that financial load, one expert noted.
“At the end of the day, it’s all us consumers who are paying,” said Barry Prentice, who heads the University of Manitoba’s transport institute.
Higher fares may be mitigated by the persistence of budget carrier Flair Airlines and the rapid expansion of Porter Airlines — a growing Air Canada rival — as well as waning demand for leisure trips. Corporate travel also remains below pre-COVID-19 levels.
Air Canada said Sunday the tentative contract “recognizes the contributions and professionalism of Air Canada’s pilot group, while providing a framework for the future growth of the airline.”
The union issued a statement saying that, if ratified, the agreement will generate about $1.9 billion of additional value for Air Canada pilots over the course of the deal.
Meanwhile, labour tension with cabin crew looms on the horizon. Air Canada is poised to kick off negotiations with the union representing more than 10,000 flight attendants this year before the contract expires on March 31.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
