The influence of celebrity endorsements on Montreal bettors

Celebrity endorsements seem to have slipped into Montreal’s fast-growing sports betting scene almost by stealth. One week it’s a former Canadiens hero on a billboard; the next, a familiar Quebec comedian smiling through a pre-roll ad. These faces appear to move the needle, though how much and for whom is still debated. Rather than just boosting name recognition, these campaigns seem to nudge how people interpret legitimacy and safety. Younger bettors—maybe because they grew up with parasocial ties to public figures—often read a trusted face as a shortcut for “this is fine.” Researchers and regulators have been circling the topic, especially with Quebec’s market shifting under newer rules. It remains a work in progress.

Trust and credibility factors

Put a respected athlete or entertainer next to a betting app and, almost instantly, it feels more official. Especially sports figures. A retired NHL player nodding toward hockey betting odds sounds, to many locals, like an insider giving a wink—credible, even when that confidence might be misplaced.

The trust piece runs on several tracks at once. People assume celebrities wouldn’t jeopardize their reputation on a shaky operator; that assumption may be wrong sometimes, but it’s hard to shake. Younger adults, in particular, can read an endorsement as a proxy for safety—quick, intuitive, and not always checked against details. The good vibes from the celebrity often get pasted onto the brand—automatic, like muscle memory.

Montreal’s sports identity adds another layer. Hockey legends carry outsized weight here, and their approval can spark bursts of activity. The same tends to happen with Quebec entertainers who match the language and humor of francophone audiences. Still, credibility by association is not the same as due diligence.

The normalization effect

Endorsements don’t just build trust; they normalize the whole thing. When public figures act casual or enthusiastic about betting, the activity can start to feel like another ordinary hobby. Some would argue that’s not inherently bad, but it may blur caution lines.

With teens and twenty-somethings, the normalization risk seems sharper. If your favorite athlete jokes about a parlay, the behavior can slide from “risky” to “routine” in a heartbeat. Multiply that across actors, YouTubers, radio hosts—suddenly it’s everywhere at once. There’s also the bilingual twist. French-speaking personalities shape francophone feeds; English-language sports voices sway anglophone pockets. The city’s media quilt speeds up the spread.

Then there’s social media, the big megaphone. A single story post about a “great night” can ripple into thousands of feeds in minutes. Traditional ads can’t keep up with that velocity or the illusion of intimacy.

Regulatory response and restrictions

Regulators in Canada have started to push back, cautiously but noticeably. Ontario’s rules limiting athlete and celebrity appearances in gambling ads—particularly content that might catch minors’ attention—signal a broader shift. These moves suggest a belief that the endorsement effect could magnify harm for people at higher risk.

The restrictions tend to focus on the sharpest levers: active athletes, testimonial-style success stories, and any gloss that glamorizes betting. Whether those measures hit the mark is still up for debate; some industry voices say the rules overreach, while public health folks argue they don’t go far enough.

Montreal bettors might see similar limits roll across provinces in a staggered way. If Ontario’s outcomes look promising—lower youth exposure, fewer impulse sign-ups—other regulators may follow. It isn’t guaranteed, but the trend line points that way.

Psychological mechanisms at work

The persuasion playbook here isn’t mystical—just layered. Attractiveness, perceived expertise, and trustworthiness feed into a single impression that feels persuasive before you even realize it. When the celebrity fits the product—hockey legend, hockey app—the effect can intensify.

Emotional transfer does a lot of the heavy lifting. People who feel attached to a celebrity often “lend” those feelings to the brand. That warmth can overshadow cooler calculations—odds reflect the probability assigned, bankroll risk, platform policies—that arguably matter more.

One more wrinkle: expertise. Former athletes look like they know the game, which many do, but game knowledge doesn’t automatically map to sharp wagering. It’s a tidy narrative, yet the data behind it is thinner than the ads imply.

Long-term implications

This trend is likely headed toward tighter oversight and more cautious creative, although not a total freeze-out of famous faces. Early research points to meaningful effects on attitudes and behavior, especially for younger or more impressionable groups. Regulators seem inclined to err on the side of protection rather than marketing freedom—at least for now.

Montreal’s scene may adapt: fewer overt celebrity cameos, more neutral branding, heavier responsible-gambling disclosures. The balancing act is messy. Brands want cut-through; policymakers want guardrails. And the audience—diverse, bilingual, sports-mad—will keep reading signals in ways that are not entirely predictable. This seems fine, but it is worth questioning.