Posted on: March 5, 2026, 04:54h.
Last updated on: March 5, 2026, 04:54h.
- New study raises questions about impact of gambling on public health
- Study looked into contact information at ConnexOntario from January 2012 to September 2025
- Ontario market, with 48 licensed operators, saw $4 billion in gross gaming revenue in 2025
Researchers in Ontario have found that gambling-related calls from young men to the province’s mental health helpline surged 317% over the past decade, especially since Ontario’s igaming market expanded in April 2022.
ConnexOntario Data
The research was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal this week, calling for more access to treatment for problem gambling.
Researcher analyzed calls to ConnexOntario for gambling-related concerns between January 2012 to September 2025.
ConnexOntario is a not-for-profit organization funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health, a primary resource for connecting people with mental health, alcohol and drug addiction issues, and problem gambling issues, to support services across the province. People can connect via toll-free phone, live web chat or text.
$4 Billion in Market Revenue
The province expanded online gaming in April 2022, when a new regulated market went live. Major operators like DraftKings, FanDuel, BetRivers, and BetMGM were licensed and launched, to compete with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s Proline+ platform.
As of today, there are 48 licensed operators in Ontario, according to iGaming Ontario, and 82 live websites, offering sports betting, casino and poker. In 2025, the Ontario market saw $4 billion in gross gaming revenue.
Over the period the study was conducted, ConnexOntario was contacted 745,700 times, with 37,000 of those being gambling-related calls from young men aged 15-24 – a 317% increase from the time the Ontario government launched the PlayOLG gambling platform in January 2015 to the period after the private market launched in 2022, according to Canadian Press.
According to the Journal:
The introduction of online gambling and subsequent privatization with single-event sports betting were each associated with substantial increases in gambling-related helpline contacts, specifically in adolescent boys and young men, suggesting increased gambling problems, care-seeking, or both. This underscores the need to strengthen preventive measures and treatment access.
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