ER visits for gambling rise in Ontario since expansion of online betting: study

TORONTO — A new study suggests emergency department visits for gambling disorders have doubled in Ontario since the expansion of online gambling and legalization of single-event sports betting a few years ago.

The Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences says it analyzed data from January 2012 to September 2025 and found an increase in gambling-related emergency department visits among boys and men between the ages of 10 to 44.

The researchers examined a total of 952 emergency department visits for gambling disorders made by 757 individuals during the study period and noted an overall increase of 99 per cent than what was expected before the relaxation of gambling rules.

The study found that by the end of the study period, the number of gambling-related ER visits was 154 per cent higher than expected among males aged 10 to 29, and 116 per cent higher among males aged 30 to 44.

It says no significant changes in gambling-related hospital visits were found among females during the study period.

The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, says the rise followed the legalization of single-event sports betting by the federal government in August 2021 and allowing private companies in Ontario to offer online gambling eight months later.

The researchers say the private gambling market in Ontario has expanded rapidly over the last few years and more than 80 privately operated legal gaming and betting sites have been licensed in the province.

They say private gambling sites hosted 2.1 million active player accounts that made a total of $63 billion in wagers in 2023/2024.

A separate study published earlier this year suggested that the rate of young men contacting Ontario’s mental health helpline for gambling-related problems increased by more than 300 per cent after the province allowed private online gambling.

The researchers behind that study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, said the findings highlight a need for stronger harm-reduction measures and more access to treatment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2026.

Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press