Canadian responsible gambling experts are urging players to set spending and time limits before betting on World Cup matches, as Canada prepares to co-host the tournament with the US and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July.
The advice comes amid continued growth in Ontario’s regulated online gambling market, where total wagers reached CA$82.7bn ($60.6bn) in 2024-25, up 31% year-on-year.
Regulated gaming revenue reached CA$3.2bn over the same period, according to iGaming Ontario.
Andrew Kim, Toronto Metropolitan University associate psychology professor, said sports betting should be treated as recreation rather than a way to make money.
Kim said: “Don’t think of (it) as a way to make money; set aside the amount of money that you’d be comfortable losing and don’t go over that budget.”
The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction’s lower-risk gambling guidance recommends gambling no more than 1% of household income before tax per month, gambling no more than four days per month and avoiding regular play across more than two gambling types.
Sarah McCarthy, Responsible Gambling Council CEO, said users should set affordability limits before an event begins, rather than during a match when emotions can affect betting behavior.
Ontario’s online market operates under a licensing structure involving iGaming Ontario and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), with the latter responsible for registering and regulating online gambling sites.
The province has also tightened advertising standards. Since 2024, Ontario has prohibited the use of active and retired athletes in iGaming advertising except where they are used for responsible gambling messaging.
McCarthy identified parlays and in-play betting as higher-risk formats because they can encourage repeated decisions during live games and make it harder for players to track spending.
Earlier this month, the RGC published a white paper calling for banks and credit unions in Canada to take a more active role in identifying gambling-related financial harm, including through voluntary gambling blocks and monthly spend limits.
The CCSA’s lower-risk gambling guidance states that all three limits should be followed together to reduce harm risk
