More people are seeking emergency care for gambling, a new study says — and it's mostly men and boys

Warning: This story contains discussion of suicide, as well as gambling, alcohol and drug addition.

Teddy Wojtowicz hasn't gambled in about three years, after his betting habit cost him his career and enough money to have bought a house, and left him with a criminal record.

He says his addiction escalated from spending $20-$40 on a night out, to wasting his paycheque every two weeks, to getting payday loans — and writing $22,000 in cheques to himself from his workplace.

"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.

The former accountant, who also had an alcohol addiction, admitted himself to a hospital in Dauphin, Man., in April 2023, after he began to think about suicide, and went through weeks of treatment to deal with his gambling. It was the second time he had sought help in the past decade.

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Wojtowich is one of a rising number of men and boys who are turning to hospital emergency departments after reaching rock bottom with gambling and related addictions and disorders, according to a new study published Wednesday in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Researchers in Ontario found a dramatic increase in emergency department visits in just the past few years, following the rapid growth of online gambling in that province and the legalization of betting on single sports events.

But those are just the people with acute harms related to gambling addiction, says Ryan Forrest, a public health doctoral student at the University of Toronto who co-authored the study.

"Anybody who gambles can experience harms," she told CBC News, saying these findings may not account for a much larger number of people who haven't reached the point of seeking support.

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Over 80 private gambling sites in Ontario

Forrest and co-author Dr. Daniel Myran logged 757 individuals who made a total of 952 emergency department visits in Ontario related to care for gambling disorders during a 14-year period beginning in 2012 — the year the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) rolled out online gambling.

The numbers marked a 31.3 per cent increase from before this time, when the number of visits was stable, the researchers said.

Although Ontario wasn't the first province introduce online gambling, it later led the way when it came to permitting private companies to operate in its market, in April 2022.

There are now more than 80 gaming and betting sites operated by over 40 private companies in the province.

Beyond that, Canada legalized single-game sports betting in 2021.

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Forrest and Myran's research also suggests men and boys have been significantly affected, as they comprise 72 per cent of the total hospital visits.

Broken down by age and gender, hospital visits increased 154 per cent among males aged 10-29 and 116 per cent for men aged 30-44, compared to the years prior to the liberalization of gambling laws.

There was no notable increase among females.

Most of the people who went to an emergency department due to their gambling addiction often had associated substance use or mental health disorder, including thoughts of suicide, says Myran, a physician and associate professor with the department of family and community medicine at the University of Toronto.

"These are the very severe moments when people where people are showing up in crisis and gambling has either been the cause of that, mixed with other substance use, or it's been a contributing factor," he said.

Forrest says she hopes this data, and other research, will encourage other provinces and territories to consider that "liberalizing gambling in the way that has happened in Ontario is not good for people's health and well-being."

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Helpline study showed spike in demand

Other studies have sounded the alarm about the impact of online gambling and sports betting.

Research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) in March found there was a 95.5 per cent increase in men and boys making gambling-related calls to ConnexOntario — the province's 24-hour mental health and addictions helpline — between the 2015 launch of the OLG's regulated online gaming portal PlayOLG and September 2025.

Among males aged 15-24 the increase was 317 per cent, according to the CMAJ study, which Forrest was also a part of.

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Ottawa pediatrician Dr. Shawn Kelly, who specializes in adolescent addiction medicine, says the data has long been clear that gambling disorder is "considerably more common in males than females sort of across the ages."

The evidence should signal there needs to be an increased awareness and support for those struggling with gambling addiction, particularly younger males, he says.

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He adds he has not seen any increase in suicidal thoughts or ideation related to gambling problems among the adolescents he's dealt with — "but we also see that there are worsening of anxiety disorder, worsening of school attendance problems there, worsening of depressive symptoms."

Adding to that, he says, is the significant financial harm it can cause families.

Kelly, who is not affiliated with either study, says access to smartphones and other devices at young ages means parents may need to watch for signs their child may be struggling with an online gambling habit.

Those signs could include preoccupations with money and sports scores, as well as withdrawal from family, school, work and other activities.

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Hard to watch

Myran says the access and promotion of gambling treatment pales in comparison to the prevalence of new forms of gambling and the promotion of apps and betting services on television and social media — much of it targeting men.

For a recovering gambling addict like Wojtowich, it can be difficult just to watch sports because viewers are bombarded by ads.

Even though he has gone through treatment and is now working in peer support to help others overcome their addictions, he says it's hard to tune out hosts talking about odds and commercials for betting apps.

"It's troublesome to see," he said.

Wojtowich would like to see limits on gambling ads appearing on television, similar to restrictions on cigarettes.

Kelly agrees there needs to be more controls on the promotion of gambling.

"It's past time for us to detangle these things, so that watching a sports broadcast doesn't mean that we are being subjected to the powerful effects of this advertising," he said.

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If you or someone you know is struggling, here’s where to look for help:

• Canada’s Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 988.
• Provincial and territorial mental health support.
• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868. Text 686868. Live chat counselling on the website.
• This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about.

If you or someone you know is struggling with problem gambling disorder or substance abuse, here's where to look for help:

• Responsible Gambling Council
• Provincial and territorial substance use assistance