Ontario-funded gambling-harm prevention reached millions of sports viewers and more than 1,800 people at South Asian community events. That is the finding of a Responsible Gambling Council report on programs launched through the province’s Responsible Internet Gambling Fund since 2024.

The report shows where prevention money is reaching people. It does not yet show how many changed their gambling behaviour or sought treatment.

The findings offer a rare look at prevention spending after Ontario expanded its regulated online gambling market. The programs target sports fans, young adults, parents, schools and ethnocultural communities.

Sports became the biggest public doorway

Safer-play messaging reached 50.8 million people through games involving teams owned or operated by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. They included the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Argonauts and Toronto Football Club.

The campaign promoted gambling-risk awareness during sports coverage and in venue activity, according to the Responsible Gambling Council report.

  • Estimated reach during Super Bowl LIX: 121 million
  • Reach during the Stanley Cup playoffs: 1.14 million

Those figures are estimated or measured media reach. They do not represent unique individuals or confirmed players.

Prevention moved into schools and families

Twenty-eight schools and organizations accessed the Beyond the Game training module. It helps parents model healthier gambling behaviour, support young people and reduce the stigma around seeking help.

All pilot facilitators recommended the module. That is an early satisfaction measure, not proof that the training reduced gambling harm. The difference matters as Ontario builds a prevention system around a fast-growing online market.

Community outreach used local partners

More than 1,800 people joined in-person activations at South Asian places of worship and faith-based cultural events. The project used a train-the-trainer model and delivered content in four languages.

A separate partnership with Caribbean Vibrations TV and its festival reached 1.49 million people through television, media and community activations.

Together, these projects point to a shift away from one national message. Prevention campaigns are also being shaped around local communities and languages.

Reach is not the same as support

The report records 5,773 visits to gambling support and self-assessment tools linked to an ongoing search campaign. That number shows engagement. It does not reveal how many people changed their gambling behaviour or entered treatment.

Ontario’s wider protection system includes duties for operators to identify and support people who may be experiencing gambling harm. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario says operators must actively work to reduce harm.

iGaming Ontario operates the province’s regulated online market. It launched BetGuard, a centralized self-exclusion tool, in May 2026.

The next test is measurable change

The Responsible Internet Gambling Fund was created in 2024 after Ontario expanded regulated online gambling. Its early results show broad exposure across sports, schools and cultural communities.

The harder question is whether that exposure leads to safer decisions, earlier help-seeking and fewer serious harms. The report maps where prevention money is reaching people. Longer-term evaluation must show what those contacts change.