Emergency visits for gambling addiction surge, especially among young males, new Ontario study shows

Emergency department visits for gambling-related harms have surged across Ontario, according to new research published Wednesday in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine, with young males bearing the brunt of the increase.

Researchers at Ontario institutions analyzed 14 years of data beginning in 2012 and found that 757 individuals made 952 emergency department visits related to gambling disorders during that period. Overall, visits increased 31.3 percent compared to the years before 2012, when visits had been stable.

The gender disparity is stark: men and boys comprise 72 percent of all hospital visits for gambling-related harms. Hospital visits increased 154 percent among males aged 10–29 compared to years prior to gambling liberalization, and 116 percent among men aged 30–44. No notable increase appeared among females.

The timing aligns with Ontario's expansion of gambling access. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation rolled out online gambling in 2012, and Ontario permitted private companies to operate in the gambling market in April 2022. More than 80 gaming and betting sites operated by over 40 private companies now exist in Ontario. Canada legalized single-game sports betting in 2021, with Ontario leading the way in private market openness.

Most people who visited the emergency department for gambling addiction had associated substance use disorders, the study found.

Teddy Wojtowicz, a Manitoba resident, exemplifies the potential trajectory. He escalated from spending $20 to $40 on a night out to wasting a paycheque every two weeks. Wojtowicz took out payday loans and wrote $22,000 in cheques to himself from his workplace. He also battled alcohol addiction. After beginning to think about suicide, Wojtowicz admitted himself to a hospital in Dauphin, Manitoba in April 2023 and underwent weeks of treatment. This was his second time seeking help in the past decade. He hasn't gambled in about three years, though his habit cost him his career and enough money to have bought a house, leaving him with a criminal record.

"When you're gambling and you see that you keep losing and you know that you're losing, there's some part of you saying, 'Well, the next time I'm gonna win,'" Wojtowicz said.

Ryan Forrest, a public health doctoral student at the University of Toronto and co-author of the study, said the research likely underestimates the true scope. "Anybody who gambles can experience harms," Forrest said, noting that the findings "may not account for much larger number of people who haven't reached point of seeking support."