Support growing for MSFIN-led push to ban celebrity iGaming ads

DAN CEARNS The Standard

SCUGOG: The Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation (MSIFN) have secured support for their proposed ban on celebrities appearing in iGaming advertisements.

On Wednesday, June 28th, the MSIFN posted a statement, on Facebook, announcing the Chiefs of Ontario (COO) had adopted their resolution.

“Significant improvements to society can rarely happen without the support and collaboration of like-minded individuals and organizations. Therefore, it is profoundly meaningful that the Chiefs of Ontario have adopted the resolution brought forward by MSIFN’s Chief and Council last week, to support the ban of celebrities in gaming advertisements. For years, MSIFN has been an advocate for responsible gaming, in our province, and has championed a system to protect vulnerable Ontarians, such as gambling addicts and youth. The excessive advertisement for iGaming, led by some of the greatest celebrities this country has ever produced, has been a deeply disturbing contradiction of the responsibility we all have to protect our fellow Ontarians,” read the statement.

The statement added, the COO’s support is evidence “First Nations work collaboratively on matters [which] are important for protecting our rights, as well as the well-being of all Ontarians.”

In May, the MSIFN posted letters online, to hockey icons Connor McDavid, Wayne Gretzky and Auston Matthews, about their concerns about iGaming. iGaming involves either online sports betting, where people bet on the outcomes of games, sports or other events, or online casinos.

The letter mentioned how the local “community has watched gambling revenue increase in the province, while gaming addiction has increased exponentially among the people of our province and beyond.