Researchers find sharp increase in number of youth contacting Ontario gambling helplines
The rate of youth contacting Ontario’s mental health helpline for gambling-related problems increased by more than 300 per cent after the province allowed private online gambling, a new study shows.
The researchers behind the study published in Canadian Medical Association Journal It said on Monday the findings represent the need for stronger harm-reduction measures and greater access to treatment.
The study analyzed the number of contacts to ConxOntario, the province’s free 24-hour mental health and addictions helpline, for gambling-related concerns from January 2012 to September 2025.
This saw an increase after January 2015, when the government launched the gambling platform PlayOLG, with the province expanding private online gambling in April 2022.
The study said researchers contacted ConxOntario more than 745,700 times over a 13-year period and about 37,000 of those contacts were gambling-related.
Researchers and professors at Concordia University recreated a casino experience to study the impact of these environments on gambling and decision making. The goal is to help those regulating the industry prevent problem gambling.
The study found that among boys and men aged 15 to 24, the average monthly rate of gambling-related outreach per million people increased by 317 per cent from the period before Ontario launched PlayOLG to the period after the privatization of online gambling.
The study further found that the rate increased by nearly 108 percent over the same time frame for men aged 25 to 44. Before the policy change, the rates were stable, it said.
Doctor expressed warning on advertisements
Although improved awareness of the hotline may be a factor, the increase cannot be explained solely by people seeking help for existing problems, said Dr. Daniel Myron, research chair at North York General Hospital, who co-authored the study.
As sports betting grows, experts warn that the prevalence of sports-betting advertisements is putting Canadians at risk – especially young people. CBC’s Sheehan Desjardins spoke with pediatric addiction expert Dr. Shawn Kelly about why youth are “particularly vulnerable” to these ads.
Myron said the amount of gambling marketing has increased since the privatization of betting in the province.
He said, “I think we need to think very carefully about who these ads are reaching and what messages they’re conveying. And I think we need to ban them because they’re happening right now in places that are widely viewed by young people.”
“When we see that visits or contacts have really increased among young men, I think it’s those who are being targeted by ads and who are betting on sports.”
Advertising restrictions exist: regulator
The study further found that between the start of privatization of online gambling in April 2022 and August last year, the number of active player accounts per 100,000 people aged 15 or older increased from about 2,160 to more than 7,300 – an increase of 239 percent.
Myran said there are concerns about micro-betting and other types of gambling that are associated with a higher risk of addiction.
“Let’s say you bet on the outcome of the Super Bowl. That’s a bet that you’ve made. … But now you can bet on events that actually happen within the game,” he said.
“That means if you lose money, you can do what’s called loss chasing, where you try to bet it again to win more, and that can actually accelerate people into gambling disorders.”
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, which regulates the online gambling market, said the province has “some of the strongest advertising and promotion regulations in North America.”
This includes banning athletes and celebrities in public-facing gambling advertisements and limiting bonus promotions to the operator’s own website.
“Within the regulated market, AGCO requires operators to meet strict standards, including proactively monitoring player behaviour, identifying signs of risk or harm, and intervening with tailored support when concerns arise,” the agency said in a statement.
self-harm consequences
Ultimately, the study’s findings emphasize why gambling disorders should be treated as a public health problem and treatment should be readily available, Myran said.
“Gambling can have really serious consequences for individuals. People who have a gambling disorder are at really high risk of mental health conditions, including self-harm and suicide,” Myron said.
“It can also have a huge impact on families and the communities around them,” he said. “I think we haven’t adequately considered how some of the changes that have happened might have a broader impact on the health of society.”
Dr. Luke Clark, director of the Gambling Research Center at the University of British Columbia, said the study’s period of time spans the early days of online gambling, which is a strength.
Clark, who was not involved in the study, said that while other provinces offer online gambling through their provincial operators, advertisements from Ontario-licensed operators have been broadcast across Canada.
“It is an important question to what extent these findings are mirrored in other provinces or may be more specific to Ontario,” Clark said. “We don’t know yet.”
Evin Day, 22, said he learned to play poker and blackjack by the time he was 12.
“I’ve always been afraid to really put any money into it,” said Day, a fourth-year Rotman commerce student at the University of Toronto. He wrote a 2025 opinion article on online gambling draws university.
“In my peer circles, I definitely see more discussion about it online,” Day said. “But no one really mentions that when they lose or even when they win.”
Day also called for more regulation to prevent the problem from worsening, pointing to the growing prediction market Betting on more than just sports.
