University of Toronto Study Links Ontario Sports Betting Legalization to 99 Percent Rise in Gambling-Related Emergency Room Visits

University of Toronto researchers found Ontario’s 2022 sports betting legalization drove a 99% increase in gambling disorder ER visits by mid-2025, concentrated in males 10-44. Helpline contacts doubled, with a 317% rise for ages 15-24. The studies flag measurable public health costs from online market expansion.

SCCG Take — Regulators must treat this Ontario data as a prompt to tighten advertising rules and spending controls before harms scale. Operators face rising pressure to embed verifiable mental health referrals in platform design.

Legalization of online sports betting in Ontario produced a measurable increase in severe gambling-related health events. Researchers at the University of Toronto examined emergency room data from January 2012 to June 2025. The analysis, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found visits for gambling disorders rose steadily at about 7 percent per quarter.

By April-June 2025, observed visits reached 99 percent above expected levels. The increase measured 154 percent higher among males ages 10-29 and 116 percent higher for males ages 30-44. Nearly one-third of these cases resulted in hospitalization. More than 70 percent involved another mental health condition or heavy substance use.

A companion study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal recorded a doubling of gambling-related contacts to ConnexOntario after April 2022. The largest jump, 317 percent, occurred among males ages 15-24. Study co-author Ryan Forrest stated there are two data sources confirming a real health signal. Forrest described the ER rise as a warning signal of wider harms. The details appeared in reporting by Casino.org News.

Online Gambling as an Accelerant

The April 2022 launch followed Canada’s August 2021 federal change permitting single-event sports betting. That shift produced rapid platform expansion, aggressive advertising, and nonstop promotions. Public health experts have warned that online models create distinct risks through constant access, rapid betting cycles, targeted marketing, and anonymous wagering. Ontario’s experience supplies clear evidence that such legalization can generate immediate spikes in severe harm.

The Warning for Regulated Markets

Forrest and co-authors recommend that regulators adopt stronger guardrails. These include advertising limits, mandatory spending caps, and tighter integration between gambling platforms and mental health services. Emergency rooms capture only the most extreme cases. Similar patterns could emerge in any jurisdiction with widespread online sports betting access.

Reporting: Casino.org News

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