Noteworthy: Your loss is literally their gain – and that’s fine with them

By Bruce Penton on December 17, 2025.

In U.S. states where gambling on sporting events is legal, there has been a 148 per cent increase in calls to problem gambling hotlines. On the other hand, the increase is much smaller (45 per cent) in states where gambling is illegal.

The addiction is two-fold: The gambler is running the risk of becoming hooked on the betting lifestyle, waiting for that one big jackpot that theoretically could change their life. Unfortunately, most of the life changing is found under the negative column, as relationships suffer, jobs are lost and crime can become a byproduct of a bad gambling habit.

Part two of the two-fold addiction: Governments are becoming addicted to the proceeds from legal sports gambling. Ontario reports revenue of $3.2 billion in 2024-25. In Alberta, a total of $1.9 billion went into government coffers from gaming activity in 2023-24. Where else could Danielle Smith’s government generate that kind of dough? Higher personal and corporate taxes? A full-blown photo radar system? A provincial sales tax? Hiking the taxes on booze and tobacco products? None of that would be palatable to a government wanting to stay in power, so the gambling revenue lives on, rises every year and, as for the collateral human damage? Well, the government insinuates, adults should be able to control themselves when it comes to laying down money on an Oilers’ victory, when activating a slot machine, buying lottery tickets, or playing bingo.

That’s why gambling is age-restricted. Adults theoretically make adult decisions. Society’s vices – booze, tobacco, gambling – are big winners for governments and they’re not going to go away.

Most of these ‘adult decisions’ however, are being made by young adults. In the U.S., reports Axios.com: The “gambling boom is driving more people into financial and emotional distress, with young men at the epicentre. But the industry continues to expand at breakneck speed, powered by aggressive marketing, state budget incentives and AI.”

And to make it easier for Albertans to gamble and bump up those government revenues, Play Alberta was introduced recently to allow gamblers to place their bets online from the comfort of their living room couch. Net sales in 2023-24 were $235 million, an increase of $42 million from the year before. An online report on Play Alberta said “the government estimates the new regulated online market could generate an additionalÂ $700 million to $1 billionÂ in annual revenue within the first few years.”

Governments are rubbing their hands in glee while thousands of gamblers are wringing theirs.

â€¢ Last week’s mention in this column of the federal government considering some changes to the Old Age Security system contained an error, and Medicine Hat’s Doug Bird sent along a note to rectify things:

Said Bird: “The OAS recovery tax is based only on individual income, not family income. Since not all income can be split, this leads to some interesting scenarios. If one spouse is still working, family income could far exceed $180,000 while the non-working spouse picks up OAS. And if one retired spouse has an income over $90,000, while the other has only OAS, the family clawback starts at around $100,000.

What Bird didn’t say (thank you) was that I shouldn’t try to act like I know what I’m talking about when discussing complicated tax matters.

â€¢ Maybe Michael Ma just really loves attending Christmas parties.

Ma, the rookie Ontario Member of Parliament who last week bolted from the Conservatives to the Liberals, was criticized for a number of things connected to his move, but the most hilarious came from Conservative MP Jamil Jivani, who said he was Ma’s ‘Silent Santa’ at Wednesday’s Christmas party for the Conservative caucus. He gifted Ma an Amazon fire stick, but said he didn’t get anything in return from Ma. The next day, Ma did his floor crossing, just in time to attend the Liberal Party’s Christmas party, where he was jubilantly introduced by Prime Minster Mark Carney.

Thankfully, the New Democrats’ Christmas Party had either already been held or was cancelled because the broom closet needed to hold the party was occupied.

â€¢ Short snappers: How ironic is that Rob Reiner, whose entertainment world stardom began with a role in the 1970s sitcom All in the Family, was allegedly murdered, as was his wife Michele, by one of his family members, son Nick, on Sunday. The Reiners had two other children. … Donald Trump may have hit a new low when he posted online about the Reiner death, ostensibly saying Reiner’s anti-Trump political rhetoric was responsible for his death and all but celebrating the murderous act. … The best Canadian golf story last week was A.J. Ewart of Vancouver finishing first at the 179-player PGA Tour Qualifying tournament. Ewart had a decent year on the Canadian tour in 2025 but needed a good showing at Q School to get to the minor league Korn Ferry Tour. By winning however, he’s leapfrogged all the way to the big league, the PGA Tour. Fellow Canadian Adam Svensson was another of the five golfers who earned their cards.