Traditional forms of gambling have been on the decline for the last decade; however, a new study shows online gambling is going up in Montreal, especially among young men. A joint study between Concordia University and Montreal public health surveyed 8,500 adults to measure how gambling affects people in the city. “The last time we had data for Montreal was back in 2018,” explains Sylvia Kairouz, the research chair on gambling at Concordia University, and a professor in the department of sociology and anthropology. “We have to keep in mind that between 2018 and 2025, we had the pandemic. We have been seeing a change, a transformation in the gambling landscape and the increased popularity of online gambling.” The study found the number of Montreal adults who gambled at least once dropped from 54 per cent in 2018 to 39 per cent last year. On the other hand, online gambling was up. 13 per cent reported gambling online in 2025, up from four percent in 2018. Kairouz says what they’re seeing in Montreal is in line with what other countries are seeing around the world. The report also found young men between the ages of 18 and 34 were most at risk of online gambling. “It’s the nature of the activity,” says Kairouz. “Gambling is a risk-taking activity. For many people, it’s a leisure activity, but there is always the thrill that we get when we bet money. Especially when we bet big amounts. I guess that attracts more men, and when we look at the nature of the activities, we’re talking more and more about sports betting.” The report also found young men were more likely to get into problematic gambling and dependence, and the youngest section of this group, men ages 18-24, were less likely to perceive the risks associated with gambling online. In Quebec, Loto Quebec is the only legal online gaming platform, but Kairouz notes there’s nothing really stopping people from gambling on other sites. In addition to online gambling being easily accessible from your phone, advertising promoting online gambling platforms is everywhere, and often features influencers and celebrities. “It’s a direct impact on young people,” she says. “Of course they want to do what the person they admire is doing.” She says some countries have banned influencers from being in those types of ads, and feels Canada should follow suit. “The landscape is open, the market is open, and the advertisements are everywhere.” Kairouz says when gambling leads to severe dependence or addiction, it can affect a person’s entire life, including finances, relationships, and employment, which makes it a public health concern. Between 1 and 3 per cent of people are at risk of developing a severe dependence on gambling, but Kairouz says the risk is much higher when it comes to online gambling. “For online gambling, you can literally triple that number,” she says. “So online gambling comes with higher risk. We’re talking about 10-12 per cent of people who can experience significant harm and even addiction.” She believes the provincial government needs to do more to reverse the trend. “We don’t have a regulator, a strong regulator in Quebec. We don’t have anything around the regulation of online gambling.”
