Ontario study finds gambling-disorder emergency visits rose after market expansion
A population study of more than 17.3 million Ontario residents found gambling-disorder emergency visit rates averaged 31.3% higher after market liberalisation than before it. Researchers said the increase developed over time and measured the combined effect of the private online market and wider legal single-event sports betting, rather than either change separately.
Ontario operators and regulators can consider reported increases in gambling-disorder emergency visits without attributing them to one policy change.