The legalization of online casinos in Ontario, Canada, in 2022 has sent the number of people reporting gambling-related harm on the rise. Nearly 130,000 residents of the province now exhibit signs of problem gambling, with their number only 43,000 in 2018.
AGRI Warns of Increase in Problem Gambler Numbers Since 2018
The estimate is based on a sample from the Alberta Gambling Research Institute (AGRI), which has been paying close attention to the market dynamics in the wake of mass-market legalization, leveraging the Problem Gambling Severity Index.
The AGRI has provided a breakdown of problem gambling by province, noting that Ontario led the way with 129,736 people, followed by Quebec with 45,255 and Alberta with 40,197. Alberta has only just launched its private iGaming market model, which could see its own numbers climb over time, based on AGRI’s research into Ontario.
Commenting on the findings, Carrie Shaw, an AGRI researcher, argued that the number of problem gamblers climbed in Ontario in the wake of legalization, but interestingly fell elsewhere in Canada. Shaw cautioned that online gambling is changing the dynamic of how people interact with and experience gambling.
“With online gambling … the barriers to access are completely removed. You can access it anytime from your computer, your mobile phone, any time of day or night. You can be sitting at your desk at work and still be engaging.”
Matthew Young, chief research officer for the non-profit gambling research network Greo Evidence Insights, has similarly worried over the rate of problem gamblers, arguing that he has long been calling for more done on protecting consumers.
Lack of Proper Assessment of How Mass Legalization Affects Provinces
He spoke to CBC.ca, which did the original reporting, clarifying that some of the harm registered in the latest research on problem gambling has already been flagged in the past.
Young has strongly objected to the way mass-market legalization of gambling products has been happening across Canada, citing both Ontario and Alberta.
He argued that provincial governments have moved to legalize gambling without properly studying the potential impact these decisions would have on public health.