Research highlights sharp rise in gambling addiction help requests in Ontario following online market growth

The number of young men contacting Ontario’s mental health helpline for gambling-related issues has skyrocketed by more than 300% since the province expanded its online gambling market, a new study reveals.

Published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the study analyzed data from ConnexOntario, the province’s mental health and addictions helpline, covering the period from January 2012 to September 2025. During that time, the service logged over 745,700 contacts, with roughly 37,000 related to gambling.

The research found that men aged 15 to 24 experienced a 317% increase in the average monthly rate of gambling-related contacts per million people from before the launch of the government-run PlayOLG platform in 2015 to after the subsequent opening of the market to private online operators in April 2022. Men aged 25 to 44 saw a smaller, but still significant, increase of about 108%.

Daniel Myran, co-author of the study and research chair at North York General Hospital, said the rise likely reflects broader increases in harmful gambling behavior, not merely heightened awareness of the helpline.

“I think that we need to think very carefully about who these ads are reaching and the messages that they’re conveying," he said. "And I think we need to move to place restrictions on them because they’re right now occurring in venues that are widely seen by youth."

Researchers emphasized that the findings underscore the importance of treating gambling addiction as a public health issue and improving access to care for those affected.

The surge in help-seeking coincides with record gambling activity in the province. Last week, iGaming Ontario reported that wagers in January reached CA$9.5 billion (US$6.9 billion), the highest total since the market opened to private operators in 2022.

Ontario’s regulated online gambling market also posted a record-setting year in 2025, with licensed operators handling nearly CAD 100 billion ($73.3 billion) in wagers and producing just over CAD 4 billion ($2.9 billion) in non-adjusted gross gaming revenue (NAGGR).