AGRI: Ontario problem gambling estimate reaches nearly 130,000 since online casino launch in 2022

The number of people in Ontario showing signs of problem gambling has risen sharply since the province legalized online casinos in 2022, according to research from the Alberta Gambling Research Institute (AGRI). The estimate stands at nearly 130,000 residents, compared with about 43,000 in 2018.

The figures are based on a sample analysed with the Problem Gambling Severity Index. AGRI's provincial breakdown puts Ontario first with 129,736 people, followed by Quebec with 45,255 and Alberta with 40,197. Alberta has only recently launched its private iGaming market model, and the institute's work on Ontario suggests its own figures could rise over time.

Carrie Shaw, an AGRI researcher, said the number of problem gamblers increased in Ontario after legalization but fell elsewhere in Canada. She cautioned that online gambling is changing how people interact with and experience gambling. In her words, with online gambling the barriers to access are completely removed, as it can be reached at any time of day or night from a computer or mobile phone, even while sitting at a desk at work.

Matthew Young, chief research officer at the non-profit research network Greo Evidence Insights, also voiced concern about the trend. He said he has long called for more to be done to protect consumers. Young told CBC.ca, which carried out the original reporting, that some of the harm identified in the latest research had been flagged previously.

Young strongly objected to how mass-market legalization of gambling products has proceeded across Canada, citing both Ontario and Alberta as examples. He argued that provincial governments moved to legalize gambling without properly studying the potential effects of those decisions on public health.

The findings add to the debate over how regulated online markets should balance consumer access with harm prevention, particularly as other Canadian provinces consider or begin to implement similar models.