The Nova Scotia government is keeping a close eye on how other provinces are expanding online gambling, but opposition leaders are warning the province should “tread very, very carefully.”
Finance Minister John Lohr told reporters this week that “gaming is in a time of incredible transformation.”
Ontario expanded its online gambling markets in 2022 and Alberta most recently did so in July.
“We’re watching what’s happening in Ontario and Alberta, in particular, very carefully. And obviously, those are conversations that are underway right now,” Lohr said.
The only government-authorized and regulated platform for online gambling in Nova Scotia is currently operated by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation. But Lohr said he’s aware that Nova Scotians are betting on unregulated sites.
“I think anyone can access thousands of gaming sites on their phone through the internet and this is a very significant issue,” he said.
He added he’s worried about potential negative health impacts.
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“We don’t feel like we have any handle on it at all as a province. And I don’t know if anybody does. It’s just available on the internet and there are significant harms for people who become addicted to gambling through it,” he said.
A study released last month suggested emergency department visits for gambling disorders had doubled in Ontario since the expansion of online gambling and legalization of single-event sports betting.
Dr. Peter Selby, a senior scientist with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, said young people are especially at risk of harm.
“The addiction pathways in our brain are geared to consume and lose control. And so what happens is because these games have an element of risk, there’s an excitement to it,” said Selby.
“When we take a look in Ontario at the youth surveys [of] high school kids, [online gambling] went from about one per cent in 2019 to about nine per cent now. So I think the problem is the way age verification is done, the way sports betting is marketed by sports figures, celebrities, influencers, etc.”
NDP Leader Claudia Chender said she’s concerned and doesn’t want to see government involve itself more in online gambling.
“I think that we should tread very, very carefully before we get more into that business as a government,” she said.
Interim Liberal Leader Iain Rankin said “the first thing that should happen” is a public health risk assessment before expanding gambling services.
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