Visits to the emergency department for gambling disorders have nearly doubled since Ontario expanded its online gambling market in 2022, with a newly published study finding younger males are most at risk. The Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences published its findings on Wednesday. The study was conducted over a 14-year period ending in 2025. It analyzed patients between the ages of 10 and 105 who went to Ontario hospital emergency departments for gambling disorders. The research analyzed the impacts before and after online gambling was expanded to private companies in 2022. That decision prompted an immediate surge in gambling in Ontario. In 2024, researchers noted that there were 2.6 million player accounts across 83 betting sites operating in Ontario, collectively wagering $82.7 billion. “There was no immediate jump. You just see a gradual increase over time, it actually goes up seven per cent every three months,” Dr. Daniel Myran, the study’s senior author, told CTV News in an interview. Myran works as the Gordon F. Cheesbrough Research Chair in Family and Community Medicine at North York General Hospital. He told CTV News that researchers found the number of trips to the emergency room—specifically for gambling disorders— is currently around 99 per cent higher than where it stood prior to the expansion of online gambling in the province. He said that by the end of the study period, there was a total of 952 visits to the emergency department seen in 757 patients who reported having a gambling disorder or referred to gambling as a contributing reason for their visit. Nearly three-quarters of those patients identified as male. The highest number of visits was seen in male patients between the ages of 10 and 29. Researchers say that visits from this group in which a gambling disorder was recorded as either the main or a contributing reason for the visit were 154 per cent higher than what would have otherwise been had expected if Ontario hadn’t opened the market up. “The new forms of gambling and probably doing gambling online are things that would particularly appeal to males. Sports betting, which has been a big increase and we’ve seen lots of marketing for it, I mean much of the marketing would appeal to a male demographic,” Myran said, pointing to the recent, controversial ad campaign for U.S. sports-prediction market Novig as an example. The advertisement featured a nude or scantily clad Sydney Sweeney posing with various sports equipment. The way that online gambling is offered can also be a factor as to why younger men are more prone to wager on a game, Myran says, pointing to play-by-play events and the rapid evolution of technology. ‘The tip of the iceberg’ Past research found that those with gambling problems seldom seek out formal treatment due to stigma, the study notes. The researchers say that individuals who have sought help only do so after worsening health and social harms. Myran said researchers also found a significant rise in calls to ConnexOntario, a helpline connecting Ontarians with health professionals. While gambling platforms have disclaimers directing people to contact ConnexOntario if they need help, Myran notes there is no mention of seeking help at the emergency room. “We’re seeing the same pattern of increase, which again makes me worried that this is capturing a real increase in gambling harms,” he said. “This is the tip of the iceberg of something. How big is that iceberg? And the size of the iceberg really has implications for the harms that you might see, the number of families impacted and individuals.” The study found more than 70 per cent of gambling disorder visits involved another mental health condition or heavy substance abuse, with one third of those visits leading to admission. Those with gambling disorders typically face a higher risk of suicide, Myran says. “It can have a very profound mental health impact,” Myran said.
