Week 120.
As a young man still in short pants, Elder Advice remembers watching and listening once annually as his father whispered conspiratorially with his local barber, and then furtively splurged on a $2.00 ticket to the Irish Sweepstakes. Gambling was illegal in Ontario. Everywhere. And the Leafs won the Stanley Cup. Constantly.
Clearly, it was a very, very different time.
Elder Advice has not given sport betting much thought since, although a favourite client of mine is an inveterate gambler who often boasts that, at a craps table, he turned $20 into $20,000 in only a few hours. What he rarely reveals is that he turned the $20,000 into $0 in even less time. As a favourite German proverb goes: “Das Glück besucht manchmal einen Narren, setzt sich aber nie mit ihm zusammen" - Luck sometimes visits a fool, but never sits down with him.
Then my friend John alerted me to Cathal Kelly’s scathing indictments in the Globe and Mail of sports betting, its cronies: the NHL, Sportsnet and the CBC, and the relentless gambling ads long-suffering hockey fans must now endure. Chyrons, digitally enhanced dasherboards - no blank screen space is safe from Bet 99, Bet 365, BetMGM, PointsBet, and an assortment of other pickpockets - who let you use your own hands.
Looking into the matter, Elder Advice had the misfortune to read the following pious drivel from a Sportnet spokesperson: “Sportnet is extremely thoughtful about the volume and content of the commercial inventory we are allotting to sports betting partners”. A true statement, Elder Advice supposes, assuming all those thoughts are directed solely to making a profit. Then, proving there is no such thing as unutterable rubbish, the spokesperson continued: “…we are dedicating a portion of our airtime to PSA and responsible gaming messaging to help raise awareness and ensure consumers have the tools and information they need to participate safely and get help if necessary.” Elder Advice has just thrown up a little in his mouth. The express purpose of Bet365, for example, if we are to believe the name, is to encourage the gullible to gamble every single day of the year. All bets are, literally, never off.
Lest you think Elder Advice is the sort to collapse on his fainting couch at the mere mention of gambling, or that he has become like one of the elderly members of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union who still prowled his uniquely dry neighbourhood in the 1970s, railing against the demon rum and staring down those impertinent enough to think they could apply for a liquor license, he has no issue with the right of every Canadian to waste their money and destroy their lives as they choose. But we should not make it easy for them. And Elder Advice should not have to watch. Especially during the playoffs.
Elder Advice’s view of this vice would be different, of course, if rich assholes were the only ones betting. But they are not. When those suffering from affluenza want to take unreasonable chances, they traditionally play the stock market, go heli-skiing or marry a pole dancer named Raven without a prenup. The people who are betting are largely those the deck is already stacked against. The ones we all see lining up each week at every small retailer in Ontario, buying up the Lotto 49, Lotto 649 and Lotto Max tickets. Who are weighing the likelihood of eviction for non payment of rent against the nanoscopic chances of hitting the jackpot. And convincing themselves that going for broke makes good sense because a fraction of the revenue goes to fund Ontario ‘s infrastructure, like public housing. That they will soon need.
Gambling, when run by governments, is a heinous tax on the poor. Gambling, when run by private interests, is legalized theft from the same group.
Then there is the question of those who play, or own teams, who are now brand ambassadors for the betting companies, or own pieces of them. Like Wayne Gretsky, Connor McDavid and now Austin Matthews. Cathal Kelly mused that the average viewer might reasonably conclude that the people financing the broadcast of the game and the people starring in it and the people hyping it might collude in predetermining the outcome. Right. Because any connection between sports, sports figures and gambling on the games is problematic. And we used to understand that. Time was when we refused to countenance betting on, or profiting from, outcomes by those involved. From Shoeless Joe Jackson of Chicago Black Sox infamy, who had a .356 career batting average, to Rick Tocchet, the NHL All-Star and Stanley Cup champion who pleaded guilty to involvement in a sports gambling ring, even a whiff of connection was enough. Clearly, understanding things is no longer our strong suit.
Elder Advice would be remiss if, in the apportionment of blame, he failed to note that Canada’s federal and provincial governments, with their infinite capacity to make matters worse, sweetened the pot for the gambling industry by legalizing single event sports betting last year. That decision, Elder Advice wagers, is singlehandedly responsible for the recent flood of money into this odious business and the furious onslaught of ads you must suffer, simply to watch the game.
Elder Advice? For permitting, participating and profiting from sports betting, Elder Advice calls a misconduct penalty on the players, the NHL, the broadcasters and the federal and provincial governments. For especially unsportsmanlike conduct. And for suspension of play until it stops.
When did making money become the only reason for doing anything? Seriously.
Well said. Gambling destroys families and lives. People commit suicide around casinos (not publicized unfortunately).