{"id":794,"date":"2026-09-17T00:01:42","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T16:01:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/btbitcoin.net\/index.php\/2026\/09\/17\/er-visits-for-gambling-rise-in-ontario-since-expansion-of-online-betting-study\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T00:01:42","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T16:01:42","slug":"er-visits-for-gambling-rise-in-ontario-since-expansion-of-online-betting-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/btbitcoin.net\/index.php\/2026\/09\/17\/er-visits-for-gambling-rise-in-ontario-since-expansion-of-online-betting-study\/","title":{"rendered":"ER visits for gambling rise in Ontario since expansion of online betting: study"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure data-testid=\"article-figure-image\" class=\"yf-750ceo\">\n<div class=\"image-container yf-1f8hkhu loader\">\n<div class=\"image-wrapper yf-1f8hkhu\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" alt=\"\" height=\"674\" width=\"960\" class=\"yf-1f8hkhu loader\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"yf-750ceo\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->A person uses a cell phone in Ottawa on Monday, July 18, 2022.THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Sean Kilpatrick &#8211; The Canadian Press<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->TORONTO \u2014 A new study suggests emergency department visits for gambling disorders have doubled in Ontario since the expansion of online gambling and legalization of single-event sports betting a few years ago.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->The Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences says it analyzed data from January 2012 to September 2025 and found an increase in gambling-related emergency department visits among boys and men between the ages of 10 to 44.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->The researchers examined a total of 952 emergency department visits for gambling disorders made by 757 individuals during the study period and noted an overall increase of 99 per cent than what was expected before the relaxation of gambling rules.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->The study found that by the end of the study period, the number of gambling-related ER visits was 154 per cent higher than expected among males aged 10 to 29, and 116 per cent higher among males aged 30 to 44.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->It says no significant changes in gambling-related hospital visits were found among females during the study period.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, says the rise followed the legalization of single-event sports betting by the federal government in August 2021 and allowing private companies in Ontario to offer online gambling eight months later.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->The researchers say the private gambling market in Ontario has expanded rapidly over the last few years and more than 80 privately operated legal gaming and betting sites have been licensed in the province.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->They say private gambling sites hosted 2.1 million active player accounts that made a total of $63 billion in wagers in 2023\/2024. \u2028<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->A separate study published earlier this year suggested that the rate of young men contacting Ontario&#8217;s mental health helpline for gambling-related problems increased by more than 300 per cent after the province allowed private online gambling.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->The researchers behind that study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, said the findings highlight a need for stronger harm-reduction measures and more access to treatment.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2026.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A person uses a cell phone in Ottawa on Monday, July 18 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