“Ontario Opened the Floodgates without any Guardrails in Place”

Content warning: suicide, addiction, gambling

Severe gambling disorders among males aged 10 to 29 were 154 per cent higher than expected by researchers at the University of Toronto.

“The increases in both helpline contacts and severe gambling-related presentations to the emergency department add to evidence that the expansion of online gambling has been accompanied by an increase in gambling-related harm, particularly among younger men,” researchers wrote in the study. 

The researchers also noted that gambling harm is often linked to a greater risk of anxiety and mood disorders, substance use disorders and increased suicidality.

“It affects your ability in normal moments to feel happy, and that can lead to a lot of mental health disorders,” said Dr. Nick Clarridge, who has been an emergency room physician at Mackenzie Health in Toronto for 10 years. “A gambling disorder is never a patient’s presenting complaint; it’s more likely to be running in the background.”

“There’s going to be more issues with gambling because it’s more accessible,” Clarridge said.

iGaming Ontario (iGO), the commercial agency that manages internet gaming by private operators, has overseen 84 gaming and betting sites run by 49 private companies since it expanded its market in April 2022. 

“Ontario opened the floodgates without any guardrails in place,” said Dr. Andrew Kim, a professor of psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) whose lab studies the effects of gambling on students. 

Responsible Gambling Canada (RGC) has run a Post-Secondary Campus Tour with iGO for over 25 years. In September, the two announced they are doubling the tour to reach 40 campuses. According to a press release, this year’s tour adds an interactive component about BetGuard, a system that lets users set exclusionary periods on online gambling sites.

“The tour’s focus is on providing students with evidence-based information about gambling, helping them understand gambling myths and risks, recognize signs of harm, and build awareness of available supports and resources,” Patrick Moore, Senior Manager, PR & Communications at RGC, said in an emailed response to OTR. 

For one student at TMU, responsible gambling messages from operators come off as superficial.

“I don’t believe it, and I don’t think they even believe it themselves. They just have to do it legally, but you need other people to say it, not them,” said TMU student Luis Frias. He said he believes that responsible gambling messages should be present, but not when they come from the operators themselves.  

Kim also questions whether that model can work at all when the industry is involved.

“Responsible gambling initiatives go directly against the mandate of gambling companies, which is to increase profits, so are gambling companies really doing it in terms of effectiveness? I would argue that they aren’t because the people driving the profits for that company are the ones experiencing the most harm,” said Kim.

Operators promote responsible gambling and include responsible gaming messaging to satisfy legal requirements, which makes it contradictory to leave harm reduction in their hands, Kim said.

Kim points to this widespread online accessibility as explaining why Ontario added 52,000 new problem gamblers between 2018 and 2025, while problem gambling rates in other provinces dropped. 

“All provinces saw a decrease in problem gambling during that time except Ontario,” said Kim.

“When I was starting to gamble, it wasn’t as convenient,” said Rick Campanelli, author of the memoir, Tempted: My Story, which details a gambling addiction that cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars.

He started gambling in his 20s, before it became accessible online. Over time, his gambling slowly spiralled out of control, and he was only able to seek help once he hit what he described as “rock bottom.” The first step was attending Gamblers Anonymous meetings, where he connected with others facing similar struggles with gambling addiction.

“I want people to go into this with a good head on their shoulders, because once you lose control, you could lose everything,” Campanelli said.

Kim cautions against one-time harm prevention methods that involve pathologizing gambling, arguing that early, informed, and long-term education should be the priority.

TMU Health Promotion Program incorporates gambling harm prevention workshops for students into broader harm reduction initiatives, primarily during Safer Choices Week and Wellbeing Week. 

“This approach creates opportunities to reach students who may not actively seek out gambling-specific education,” Priyanka Sahajpal, TMU’s Health Promotion & Peer Support Manager, wrote in an emailed response to OTR. 

An Oct. 9 panel at TMU entitled “Generation Bet: Students and Sports Betting” will bring together researchers and experts to discuss sports betting, advertising and the harms facing young people.

If you or someone you know is in need of support, here are some resources below:

• Canada’s Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 988.
• Provincial and territorial mental health support.
• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health – A guide on how to support someone who may be considering suicide. 
• Provincial support for mental health, addictions and problem gambling: Call or text 1-866-531-260.

The post “Ontario Opened the Floodgates without any Guardrails in Place” first appeared on On The Record.