GoKawiilOntario ER visits for gambling disorders double after online betting expansion, U of T study finds
A University of Toronto study found emergency department visits for gambling disorders doubled after Canada legalized single-event sports betting in 2021 and Ontario opened its online gambling market to private operators in 2022. Researchers examined 952 ER visits over 14 years and found the increase was concentrated among young men, with visits among males aged 10-29 up 154 per cent and those aged 30-44 up 116 per cent above expected levels, while rates among females stayed flat.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The findings suggest that opening gambling markets to private, heavily marketed platforms carries measurable public health costs, particularly for young men who are prime targets of sports betting advertising. With over 70 per cent of these ER visits involving co-occurring mental health or substance use issues, the data raise questions about whether Ontario's regulatory framework adequately accounts for addiction and crisis-care burdens as wagering volumes climb into the tens of billions annually.
- ER visits for gambling disorders doubled in Ontario after 2021-2022 market liberalization.
- Young men aged 10-44 accounted for nearly all the increase, with no change among women.
- Most gambling-disorder ER visits also involved another mental health or substance use issue, and nearly a third led to hospitalization.
Source: temertymedicine.utoronto.ca — Charlotte Lam, 2026-09-16
Published there as: “ER visits for gambling disorders doubled after expanded online gambling market”
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