Ontario’s regulated online gambling market has grown quickly since its launch in April 2022, bringing in billions of dollars in revenue and attracting millions of player accounts. At the same time, concerns about gambling-related harm have increased, with addiction support services reporting a sharp rise in people seeking help.
An opinion article by ConnexOntario executive director Nerin Kaur argues that the province’s investment in support services has not kept pace with the growth of the online gambling industry. While the regulated market has generated substantial revenue, she says the public systems responding to gambling-related problems remain under pressure.
According to the figures cited, Ontario’s private iGaming market recorded more than $82.7 billion in wagers during the 2024-25 fiscal year. Gross gaming revenue reached nearly $2.9 billion, while active player accounts climbed to 2.6 million. The market also posted year-over-year growth of 32 per cent.
Help-Seeking Climbs After Market Opens
The opinion piece points to research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in March, which found a significant increase in people seeking assistance for gambling-related problems after Ontario expanded legal online gambling.
According to the study, gambling-related help-seeking rose by 198 per cent above the level researchers expected had the market not expanded. Among males between the ages of 15 and 24, the increase reached 317 per cent.
Kaur drew attention to the impact on younger people. She also cited figures showing that problem gambling prevalence in Ontario increased from about 1.1 per cent in 2018 to 11 per cent by the end of 2024. At the same time, approximately 44 per cent of Ontario residents participated in online gambling during the past year.
Kaur argued that these numbers show gambling-related harm now affects a much larger share of the population than in previous years.
Funding Gap Remains a Concern
The opinion article says Ontario anticipated risks when it introduced the regulated online gambling market, yet spending on prevention and treatment has remained limited.
Kaur wrote that the province allocates roughly $3 million each year to the Responsible Internet Gambling Fund and spends less than $45 million annually on problem gambling prevention overall. She said this represents less than two per cent of the gaming revenue generated each year.
She also compared spending on advertising with responsible gambling promotion. According to the figures provided, gambling operators spend approximately $184 million annually promoting their products, while responsible gambling messaging receives about $29 million each year.
ConnexOntario, which connects residents with mental health, addiction and problem gambling services across the province, has experienced a 169 per cent increase in overall contact volumes since 2021. Kaur said gambling-related contacts have risen faster than any other area, with callers often facing more serious situations and conversations taking about twice as long as they previously did.
Calls for Stronger Public Health Response
Kaur noted that Ontario is not alone in facing these issues, saying other jurisdictions that introduced expanded regulated gambling markets have also experienced pressure on public health services. She argued that these experiences should encourage stronger planning rather than serve as justification for delayed action.
She questioned what responsibility the province has toward younger generations who were encouraged to participate in the legal online gambling market and said stronger addiction services should accompany industry growth.
According to Kaur, a comprehensive approach to online gambling should include greater investment in services that respond to gambling-related harm.
She acknowledged the province’s announcement in June that it intends to restrict gambling advertising, describing the move as a positive development. However, she argued that limiting future advertising alone will not address the needs of people who already require assistance.
“Restricting gambling advertising, as the province signalled in June, is a meaningful step. But an ad restriction only addresses future exposure. It does nothing for the hundreds of thousands of Ontarians already in crisis, calling a helpline at midnight, waiting for someone to pick up.”
Kaur concluded by urging the province to match the expansion of its online gambling industry with greater investment in addiction support services.
Source:
OPINION: Ontario opened floodgates to online gambling — where is the safety net?, torontotoday.ca, July 3, 2026.
