A new study suggests the number of young men contacting Ontario’s mental health helpline for gambling-related issues has surged since the province expanded online gambling.
The research, published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, examined contacts to ConnexOntario — the province’s free, 24-hour mental health and addictions helpline — between January 2012 and September 2025.
Researchers observed a noticeable increase in gambling-related contacts following the 2015 launch of PlayOLG, Ontario’s government-run online gambling platform.
A sharper spike occurred after April 2022, when the province allowed private online gambling operators to enter the market.
Over the 13-year study period, ConnexOntario received more than 745,700 contacts, with approximately 37,000 related specifically to gambling.
Among males aged 15 to 24, the mean monthly rate of gambling-related outreach per million people rose by 317 per cent after the expansion of online gambling.
For men aged 25 to 44, the rate increased by about 108 per cent.
Prior to these policy changes, researchers say the rates had remained relatively stable.
The study also found that from April 2022 to August of last year, the number of active online gambling accounts per 100,000 Ontarians aged 15 and older rose from roughly 2,160 to more than 7,300 — a 239 per cent increase.