Addiction psychologist says expansion of Ontario gambling is ‘potentially harmful’

Ontario’s top court says provincially regulated online gambling and sports betting sites could legally allow users to play with and bet against people in other countries.

But one addiction expert says expanding the scope of play could be harmful.

Ontario gamblers could soon be able to participate in peer-to-peer games, like poker and sports betting, with people outside of Canada.

It comes after the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled the change in game play would be legal, in a 4-to-1 decision.

Ontario has been waiting for the decision for over a year, after putting the request before the courts last February.

One expert who specializes in addiction psychology, highlights some concerns with this expansion.

“It’s a delicate balance here,” said Dr. Andrew Kim, an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the Toronto Metropolitan University. “What can we do to put regulations in place and how can we enforce it? How can we keep gambling fun and safe for most people, and try to prevent the harms for few that do experience an addiction?”

Kim says expanding the scope of online gambling allows it to be more accessible and potentially harmful.

“Imagine if you’re an Ontarian: It’s 3 a.m. — who’s online playing poker in Ontario at 3 AM?,” asks Kim. “There might be some, but not many, but you open it up where it’s a different time — yeah, you’re going to find players. That’s going to lead to more engagement, and when there’s more engagement, there’s more risk for potential harms and addictions.”

iGaming Ontario’s data shows online gambling has grown since it first launched in the province in 2022, with $82.7 billion in wagers between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025.

That’s a 31 per cent increase compared to the year before that.

Kim is hoping for additional safeguards to be implemented soon, like a centralized self-exclusion system where, if a person voluntarily bans themselves from one gambling site, that would be reflected across all platforms.

iGaming reported last year that they were working on developing a system like this.

The decision could still be appealed.

Four provinces pushed back on the initial case in 2024, with concerns that the expansion could lead to increased illegal online gambling.

READ ONLINE: Ontario’s online gamblers could legally bet against people outside Canada