Emergency department visits for gambling disorders nearly doubled after Ontario expanded its online gambling market
Emergency department (ED) visits for gambling disorders doubled following the legalization of single-event sports betting and expansion of Ontario's online gambling market, according to a new study from ICES. The increase was observed predominantly among young men.
The legalization of single-event sports betting and the rapid expansion of Ontario's online gambling market in April 2022 led to a near doubling of emergency department (ED) visits for gambling disorders, according to a new study published in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The increase in ED visits was most notable among young males, with a 154% rise for those aged 10-29 and a 116% rise for those aged 30-44, while there was no increase among females.
Most of these visits involved co-occurring mental health or substance use issues and nearly a third resulted in hospital admission. The study, led by Ryan Forrest, highlights the potential harms of rapid expansion of online gambling, particularly among younger males, and calls for additional safeguards such as restrictions on marketing and higher-risk gambling forms, alongside better recognition and treatment of gambling-related harms.
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