Please share a description of your research.

My essay looks at the growing issue of online gambling, particularly how it targets people like me—young men with some disposable income. It dives into how the legal framework fails to fully protect those who struggle with gambling addiction, even when they sign up for self-exclusion programs designed to prevent them from gambling. Using a well-known case, Donoghue v Stevenson, I argue that online gambling platforms should have a clear duty of care to these individuals, making sure they can’t gamble after they’ve opted out. My research shows that online casinos often profit from addictive behaviours, and my paper suggests legal reforms to hold these companies accountable.

Why does this area of research interest you?

This issue hits home for me because online gambling preys on people like me—young men with some money to spend. They use celebrities and sports figures we grew up admiring to sell gambling, making it seem cool or harmless when, in fact, it can be devastating. I’ve seen firsthand how easily gambling can spiral out of control and hurt people financially and emotionally. My passion for fairness in the legal system drives me to push for stronger laws that protect vulnerable people from being exploited. I want the law to step up and stop these platforms from taking advantage of people who need help, not more ads urging them to bet.

What are your future plans?

When I graduate in June, I’ll start my articles. I’ll be doing that as a clerk in Toronto. Clerking is essentially acting as an assistant to judges who are hearing and writing judgements on cases. I think the good thing about that is it will provide a broad experience in so many different areas of the law. I know some people come to law school knowing what type of law they want to practice, but I don’t want to miss an area of law just because I haven’t experienced it. This will let me explore and do research and learn.

What prompted you to apply for the Global Undergraduate Awards?

I got an email and I thought, “What do I have to lose?” My mentality going into my last year is to take advantage of any opportunity I can, because after I'm done with school, I'm not going to have any of these opportunities.

I think the Global Summit will be an amazing experience. In law school, we're always learning about things from an Ontario perspective or Canada. We don’t focus on this broader perspective of what the international community needs. Sometimes having a broader perspective about things is really an advantage.