Betting My Life

A memoir of addiction, desperation and the dangers of sports betting

- Noah Vineberg

For the past 20 years, I've been a public bus driver in Ottawa. I've seen a lot of change during that time: new highrises in the downtown core, big-box stores dotting the suburbs, rail transit emerging above and below ground. To me, though, the biggest change has been the rise of sports betting ads. Ever since the federal government legalized single-game sports betting in 2021, flashy advertisements for gambling sites have popped up everywhere. On billboards towering over roadways. On posters plastered to the sides of buildings. On the backs of other buses. On sports radio. During my shifts, I hear teens and twentysomethings discuss their bets as they board the bus.

I'm a recovering gambling addict, abstinent since 2018. Over the past few decades, I've played through more than $1 million, betting on games like house poker and virtual blackjack-even gas station scratcher cards. Of that total, more than $600,000 went to sports gambling. I've laid down wagers on hockey, football, horse racing, even cricket, even though I don't know a damn thing about cricket. I did most of it illegally, placing bets with bookies or foreign sports gambling sites.

When I see the new ads around Ottawa, I get angry. I know that recovering addicts like me are going to struggle with temptation. I've experienced first-hand how sports betting can ruin a life. I've lied to family members, compromised marriages, missed mortgage payments, contemplated suicide, all because of my addiction. I've lost a hell of a lot more than money.