Gambling commercials and the NHL

[KootenayFlamesFan]

I love gambling, but it's way over the top. Even one ad once in a while I could see, but it is so extreme it's actually ruining some of my hockey watching experience. Inserting them during so many breaks in the play is nauseating, to put it mildly. I hate them.

[Ducay]

I think the one thing that is reassuring is that everyone (even in the US) is in agreement. r/hockey has just as much of a hate for it as we do.

If there are limits on advertising for other vices - you'd think betting should be the same...

[White Out 403]

I've become engaged with the NHL less and less each year, and this year is the worst it's been in ages. The games are too expensive to take a family to, it's wildly expensive to watch an out of market team and it's on an unreliable platform. The gambling and digital ads are in your face and off putting and in the case of gambling unethical. To top it off I really have genuine concerns about the viability of the NHL in my home town.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Ducay

I think the one thing that is reassuring is that everyone (even in the US) is in agreement. r/hockey has just as much of a hate for it as we do.

If there are limits on advertising for other vices - you'd think betting should be the same...

I was going to ask if this is an NHL sponsorship/marketing issue or if it was a TSN/Rogers related issue. I don't really know how the agreements work and who signs off on them. I don't watch enough US broadcasts to know if betting ads are more prevalent in Canada vs the US.

[edslunch]

And Gretzky looks creepy as hell

[The Fisher Account]

Remember in the 90’s when Gretzky got in trouble for appearing on cigar afficianiando?

Now look at this worthless sellout. Not rich enough that you’ve got to hawk addictive betting to the masses? Puke

[Goriders]

Must be fun watching hockey now if you have a gambling addiction.

[Snuffleupagus]

I love to gamble on sports but these ads still won't get me to bet much on hockey, it's the 2nd worst bet in sports only behind the CFL.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by The Fisher Account

Remember in the 90’s when Gretzky got in trouble for appearing on cigar afficianiando?

Now look at this worthless sellout. Not rich enough that you’ve got to hawk addictive betting to the masses? Puke

And nobody thought to themselves he might not be a good person to have in a gambling ad after that whole gambling ring in the late 2000's? Sadly the rest of us can't have our wife and friend take the fall for us

[Rick M.]

Originally Posted by The Fisher Account

Remember in the 90’s when Gretzky got in trouble for appearing on cigar afficianiando?

Now look at this worthless sellout. Not rich enough that you’ve got to hawk addictive betting to the masses? Puke

It’s hilarious considering the Rick Tocchet and Janet Gretzky gambling scandal.

[GS Skier]

It's really getting tedious and my wife and watching are both getting sick of it. To have this clown on 960 in the morning being a "betting" specialist has turned me off 960 as well.

[Engine09]

The gambling ads are disgusting, I despise them.

Between the endless gambling commercials and the distracting digital board ads they're really making watching hockey less enjoyable.

[Barnet Flame]

I despise them.

Everyone knows that ad revenue is important to the provider and disseminator of the product. It has always been the case and everyone involved, including the consumer have accepted this reality.

However, there is a tipping point where the balance becomes all wrong. And our noses are right up against it. Hockey broadcasts have become three hour shakedowns - and it shouldn’t feel like that. It is becoming far too difficult ti distinguish between what is legitimate programming and what is a shakedown - especially so during what is supposed to pass as expert analysis into the mechanics of the game.

Throw in legal, yet unethical commercials and game segments and the whole thing stinks. I’ve in the past become far too involved in sports betting, but am over it. I wonder how anyone with a gambling addiction deals with this bombardment from which other than turning the game off completely, there is no escape.

I also fear for the impact on younger people thinking this is a normal and acceptable part of the game.

[Royle9]

Speaking of adds.. it was only a matter of time before someone hacked the digital adds. Saw this on reddit:

NSFW - language

NSFW!

[klikitiklik]

Originally Posted by Snuffleupagus

I love to gamble on sports but these ads still won't get me to bet much on hockey, it's the 2nd worst bet in sports only behind the CFL.

I'm not a gambler and the stuff on tv just annoys me because it is so in your face.

Can you explain why the CFL and NHL are bad bets?

[N-E-B]

Originally Posted by CalgaryFan1988

Especially with so many kids watching hockey. It's reminiscent of cigarette ads.

This is what bothers me, too. And they know children are a big demographic. It's by design. Which makes it even worse, if you ask me.

Worse than the ads is Sportsnet running full on segments during intermission. Just deplorable. Might as well have them get hammered while they do it. If they want kids to think gambling is an integral part of the game, why not have them think everyone gets piss drunk while watching the game too?

[dustygoon]

So much revenue from advertising that I don't think many in NHL or networks have thought through the impacts of this trend. As someone from the investment industry, there is so much focus on ESG investing. I find it hard to believe that these ads don't fall afoul of properly applied ESG criteria.

[nfotiu]

I don't know if I've seen it in hockey games yet, but local baseball games and PGA tour events have had their commentators talk about live betting odds during the game and intermissions.

Moral issues aside, I just think it really cheapens the sport if it starts getting marketed as a vehicle for betting. It basically turns it into horse racing.

[Bingo Jr.]

Unsure as to why Gretzky feels the need to do all these Bet MGM ads

[Matata]

Kinda feels like the begining of the end of pro sports. They have to keep financially growing with a shrinking audience, so there really isnt a financial path away from gambling. The more gambling involved, the more motivation there will be for game-fixing and other methods of eroding integrity for money.

Pro wrestling started off as a legit sport and slowly became the way it is know over a century due to series of financial decisions that slowly pushed away the sport to make more money. It took the general public decades to figure out pro wrestling had become completely fake during tue mid 1900s.