Ontario study finds gambling-related emergency visits nearly doubled after 2022 expansion

University of Toronto researchers found that gambling-related emergency department visits in Ontario nearly doubled after the province opened its online market to private operators in 2022. By the end of the study period, visits among males aged 10 to 29 were 154% above the level researchers expected without the expansion. More than 70% of visits involved another mental health condition or heavy substance use, the study found.