Canada

Allowing online gambling ads has been a terrible idea. The commercials are awful and they are everywhere. They are probably the worst commercials dreamed up from the depths of frozen Canadian hell. I can't even leave the TV on in the background if I'm doing something else.

What confuses me is that I see them on "family friendly" platforms. Like they want to make all the content safe for kids, then they have adds for scams and online casinos.

Oh don’t worry, they put that split second “Have a gambling problem?” text in tiny font at the end, so people with gambling problems know that it’s bad.

It's kinda gross. Also, not saying that shouldn't be addressed, since it should, but I'm more concerned with the state of mobile app markets. Pick an game at random and i can probably show you a plethora of ways it is specifically designed to take advantage of subconscious habits and weaknesses. Especially of the vulnerable.

I've seen children gathering and spending excessive money in the most unhealthy habitual ways conceivable, and it's bad enough for vulnerable adults who weren't trained into the mindset since youth.

People don't even understand the problem, and will defend the practice as their freedom. Who, while compelled by addiction, won't be defensive when their problem is brought to light? But it's bad enough that the popular opinion seems to be in defence of the practices.

It's just sitting perfectly within the gray area outside of people's concerns or cares. the bastards with no qualms taking advantage of the vulnerable or incapable are running away with hundreds of billions of dollars. Money out of the pockets of those who couldn't mentally compete with professionally developed and financed methods of manipulation.

Deceptive designs are bad enough. Blatant scams or unethically disturbing advertisements should have been bad enough. Blatantly manipulating should be well over the mountain of shit that needs addressing on this front.

Won't even get into the topic of roblox..

This is the best summary I could come up with:

I had arrived home in time to catch the last bit of the Blue Jays game during this year's August long weekend.

The game has finished, but as I watched the replays of the Jays' thrilling win in extra innings, I'm tempted to give into those same dark urges that ruined my life not long ago.

I would hunch in my one-bedroom suite at the end of the hall with the burned-out light fixture, surrounded by stacks of crusted plates and bowls filled with stagnant water.

The room was dark apart from the harsh glare of my laptop screen, the light from an unending stream of digital cards flickering across my face as I played Texas hold'em poker online.

I don't know what time I would have started, but by early morning I'd be down hundreds of dollars, my eyes burning and bloodshot from staring at the screen.

My recovery was fuelled by the incredible support of friends and family, me learning the importance of honesty, and attending two Gambling Anonymous meetings a week.

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