Gambling advertising in Canada is targeting the demographic least equipped to resist it. Steve Joordens explains exactly why, and what two bills in Parliament are trying to do about it.

The brain science matters here. The limbic system, which chases rewards and makes gambling feel exciting, develops early. The frontal lobes, which apply judgment and inhibition, are not fully developed until age 25. A 15-year-old is all reward-seeking and very little restraint. Joordens says gambling ads are using every psychological trick in the book against exactly that profile, and in some studies, over 50 percent of youth who engage in gambling show signs of problem gambling.

The ask is not a gambling ban. Ontario’s Bill 107 targets harmful gambling advertising. A national Bill 211 does the same at the federal level. Joordens draws the parallel to cigarettes and cannabis: allow the activity, stop the push.

Topics: gambling advertising Canada, problem gambling youth, frontal lobe development, Ontario Bill 107, federal Bill 211

GUEST: Steve Joordens | linkedin.com/in/steve-joordens

Originally aired on2026-05-13