BetMGM announced Thursday that it renewed its marketing partnership with NHL star Connor McDavid, despite public health warnings that such a relationship boosts the risk of harm.
McDavid will continue to promote gambling on BetMGM in Ontario under the so-called “responsible gambling” messaging, a widely discredited framework for dealing with the public health consequences of commercialized sports gambling. The World Health Organization is among the groups that have called the framework ineffective.
Canadian medical experts have also severely criticized it.
In late 2025, the Canadian Medical Journal Association explained how the process works:
“Recognizing that youth are particularly vulnerable to the messaging of betting as an augmentation of spectatorship, in 2024 the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario banned online gambling ads that feature athletes and celebrities. However, within days, commercials with celebrity athletes promoting ‘responsible gaming’ features of sports betting platforms were released to sidestep the ban. Warnings to game responsibly have, however, been shown in a systematic review of 166 studies to be ineffective, which highlights the weak efforts of provincial governments who stand to make substantial revenue from iGaming (Ontario’s open single-game industry produced a total tax revenue of more than $1.4 billion during its first 3 years).”
BetMGM Praises McDavid
McDavid has endorsed BetMGM since 2022, and the company praised him in a press release.
“Connor has been an exceptional partner in helping us show that responsible gambling can be both engaging and effective,” said Adam Greenblatt, BetMGM Chief Executive Officer. “The results of our campaign reflect how thoughtful messaging can drive meaningful action, with more players using tools like deposit limits to play within their comfort level. We’re proud to continue working with one of hockey’s most respected leaders to ensure that gaming is always fun and entertaining.”
What data did BetMGM provide in the announcement to back up the efficacy claim?
“Since launching in December 2025, the company’s ‘Mullet Over’ campaign has contributed to a 27 percent year-over-year increase in the number of accounts with deposit limits.”
That’s meaningless slop.
BetMGM provided no evidence that the campaign actually reduced gambling-related harm. It didn’t disclose whether its customers lost less money, experienced fewer financial problems, or even reduced their gambling meaningfully. Instead, the company offered a percentage increase in accounts using a tool, without disclosing how many accounts used it in the first place.
Zooming Out
As absurd as the athlete endorsement of gambling products is in Ontario, it almost appears like a breath of fresh air compared with the anarchy of gambling advertising in the U.S., where active athletes like LeBron James can give gambling picks, for example. Or softcore porn ads promoting gambling from the likes of Sydney Sweeney can air on national TV. On the flip side, France-born NBA star Victor Wembanyama recently slammed these athlete endorsements.
Ontario’s gambling regulation, as weak as it may be, makes the U.S. look like a sports gambling wasteland by comparison. Former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams has called it the “new opioid crisis.”
Some are looking to make Canada’s online gambling safer, with one bill calling for a total ban on gambling ads and another calling for a national framework to curb them. Both bills are pending and could gain more momentum.
Image By All-Pro Reels via Wikimedia Commons
