Sharp rise in young men contacting Ontario gambling helpline.

[AVE5]

What do you guys think about this? The article talks about researchers finding out that the rate of young men contacting Ontario's mental helpline for gambling related issues has increased by more than 300% from 2012 to 2025. The article also said that they noticed an increase when the government launched PlayOLG in 2015 and when they expanded the private online gambling in April 2022. I think this is a clear indication that, as online gambling becomes more mainstream and easier to access, more people will experience gambling problems.

Are you just learning about that through this report? I hope not because as many as those that're indicating interests in gambling now and then, not all of them are being interested with the necessary educations about how to gamble safely.
Lot of them who're signing in to gambling at their beginners stages are only focused on how they can have access and begin to gamble. Some are aware about the risks but are ignorant to take absolute control of their decisions and on that note, they becomes addicted victims with some struggling for rescue while some have zero conscience even while they're being financially and emotionally drained.

[acroman08]

Are you just learning about that through this report?

Does it sound like I am only learning about it through this report? Anyway, the reason I said that is because, if the cause of the action of what the government of Canada did is clear to people, then the government should also know it and should increase facilities that could tackle the increasing issue of gambling problem in their country.

[Sticky Bomb]

It's not surprising, since there are more games, more casinos and casinos are investing heavily in they're visibility, so it's natural that more people would naturally get interested and find their way into gambling. Those who gets into it with the wrong mindset would definitely be addicted and seek help where and when necessary.

The gambling industry is expanding and simultaneously the negative impacts on more people would also be expanding as well, it's happening as expected and there may be an increase in addicted people in the near future.

[Lida93]

Should we be surprised by this type of reports with how easily accessible the internet is to the young people  which they can just with a button press access any online gambling platforms with little or no relative restrictions. And with how some of the online casinos are not requesting KYC immediately on registration it gives this young guys easily use of gambling and they get addicted as they go without knowing that they have to be responsible for their actions.

[FirmWars]

I think this is a clear indication that, as online gambling becomes more mainstream and easier to access, more people will experience gambling problems.

Online gambling is already mainstream and more people are running into gambling problems every day, of course that's not an exaggeration, 15 years from now, the number will even increase twice what it is today because the economic is bad and it making a lot of people to see gambling as the solution, those people that have tasted fast win from gambling always wants to convert their friends or brothers to also join them and that's how the number keep increasing. Some people might stop gambling if they are earning well from a job and living a good life.

[goldkingcoiner]

What do you guys think about this? The article talks about researchers finding out that the rate of young men contacting Ontario's mental helpline for gambling related issues has increased by more than 300% from 2012 to 2025. The article also said that they noticed an increase when the government launched PlayOLG in 2015 and when they expanded the private online gambling in April 2022. I think this is a clear indication that, as online gambling becomes more mainstream and easier to access, more people will experience gambling problems.

I think this is to be expected, so,  yeah, I agree with you.  There is a growth of population that engages in gambling due to the easier access, and at the same time, the information about the help line service is propagating making more people knows about the service since it was launched.

As a result, with more people engaging in gambling, there is a higher chance of more people experiencing gambling problems, and more people contacting the service.  And as more people using the service the more people can refer the service to their friend that has the same issue thus, the growth of people reaching out to the service is inevitable.

I think the rise in gambling popularity might also be more of a fad that comes and goes in time but always has been part of human history, even ancient human history. Gambling sometimes seems to be more popular than other times. This current wave of popularity came with modern technologies of the internet and I won't even mention the cultural aspects.

But, I don't think it will keep growing as it is a unsustainable lifestyle.

 

[Don Pedro Dinero]

What do you guys think about this? The article talks about researchers finding out that the rate of young men contacting Ontario's mental helpline for gambling related issues has increased by more than 300% from 2012 to 2025.

I’m not surprised. I’ve been hearing for years that gambling addiction is the fastest-growing one in the US, along with porn addiction. I can’t remember which came first and which came second, but it doesn’t matter. The two have one thing in common: the fact that they’re accessible at any time from anywhere fuels addiction. When you had to physically go somewhere to gamble or to buy or rent a porn film, cases of addiction were much rarer. As well as access, the variety has increased significantly. So, unfortunately, it’s something that goes hand in hand with the times we live in.

[Ishicryptic]

It should be expected that there will be a sharp rise in the cases of online gambling and it's negative effect which is addiction due to the increased visibility of gambling adverts everywhere. The extreme of these gambling adverts is having them on bank apps so you can fund your gambling account very fast like you're recharging airtime from your your bank account, I know that curiosity will drag many youths to click on bet sites on their bank app. I believe that there are more youths going through gambling addiction that are suffering in silence than those that are open and seeking help about it.

[crwth]

Those age ranges are definitely alarming; it's not surprising if other parts of the world have the same trend. With the technology that we have now, it seems like an easy coping mechanism for problems and solve it with gambling.

After a bit of research, I'm quite surprised by the amount of volume Ontario produces. 10 billion in revenue is crazy^[1] That's a lot! Those are licensed casinos BTW, so imagine the illegal gambling happening there as well.

There might be some connection here to why there is so much gambling happening there.


[1] - https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/ontario-s-regulated-online-gambling-market-surpasses-10-billion-usd-in-cumulative-revenue-as-consumer-shift-toward-licensed-platforms-accelerates/ar-AA1YvH2f

[bitbollo]

There is an evident bias as scientific point. I don't seee anything alarming. Or anything that should be "surprising.
If gambling was not legal (hence less available and adversited) It could be possible there was not the same easy access.
For sure this indtroduced a clear change that can lead more people to fell addicted etc etc...

[davis196]

It noted an increase after January 2015, when the government launched the gambling platform PlayOLG, as well as after the province expanded private online gambling in April 2022.

The government had launched a gambling platform? Really? I find it weird that the government wants to compete with private gambling operators. This is the price of easily accessible and socially acceptable gambling. More young people seeking for help. The government wants more tax revenue out of the gambling industry and more profits via the government-owned gambling platform, but in reality, all this revenue will have to cover increased healthcare costs, so there's no net benefit out of liberalizing the rules and regulations for the gambling industry.
Don't get me wrong. I don't want gambling to be banned. There's no easy solution for such complicated problem. That PlayOLG platform must shut down to begin with. Only private gambling companies must exist in this business. That would be a good start.

[Findingnemo]

I just assume this is a good thing, not because more people are gambling but whoever has problem is seeking solution which I consider that people have more awareness about the problems and they are not trying to get ir sorted on their own which is a good sign and helps them to quit their addiction or whatever the problem they are having.

And the numbers will be rising year after year because the population is increasing, people are moving towards onlin service for everything so it is another reason why we see the rise.

[CONVOAI]

While the data is important here but one thing to keep in mind is that the increase in helpline contacts does not mean that the problem has suddenly increased by 300% rather people may be more aware and seeking help. So, instead of seeing this as just a "negative trend" it can also be seen as an indication of increased access to support systems. As online gambling increases so do the problems that is true, but blaming the platform alone does not capture the whole picture. Sometimes stress and unemployment or social influence also play a big role. So the solution should be multi level not just restrictions but education and counseling and awareness need to be increased together.

[iv4n]

After a bit of research, I'm quite surprised by the amount of volume Ontario produces. 10 billion in revenue is crazy....

Well, your research made me check the average salaries in Ontario:

Low-skilled jobs → ~$35K–50K

Skilled/office jobs → ~$50K–90K

Tech/engineering → $80K–150K+

$10 billion is wild when we think about it, but I guess their average is pretty high compared to most of the world... So it kind of makes sense that they are reaching those high numbers.

Sharp rise in young men contacting Ontario gambling helpline.

Somehow I am not surprised... And I think it's happening everywhere, other countries probably see the same thing, just don't have the studies or research to show it.

[jcojci]

It seems those young men are not ready with the effect from gambling so that makes many contacts about gambling related issues. They found a new way to have fun but they can't think what is the effects that they can get.

If this is not solve immediately, more numbers will comes and the reports will increases.

Maybe PlayOLG needs to revised or checked so they can see what makes the report increased. The investigation needs to be done so no more young men will involved deeper in gambling or having gambling problems.

[Agbamoni]

Should we be surprised by this type of reports with how easily accessible the internet is to the young people  which they can just with a button press access any online gambling platforms with little or no relative restrictions. And with how some of the online casinos are not requesting KYC immediately on registration it gives this young guys easily use of gambling and they get addicted as they go without knowing that they have to be responsible for their actions.

The question we should be asking ourselves is whether they are old enough to take accountability for their actions. Dont be surprised, they started gambling at a very young age, which pushed them into addiction before 30. Imagine what their mental state will be when they get to 30 if they do not find help. However, their decisions up to now have kept them in this condition. One thing I've come to realise is that it is very difficult to recover from gambling addiction. It will take a very long time.

[aioc]

I think this is a clear indication that, as online gambling becomes more mainstream and easier to access, more people will experience gambling problems.

Its an international concern, and every country has its own way of addressing it. Technology is evolving, and it makes the world small, and everything is easy to access. There are many advantages, but also disadvantages, and accessibility to vices by underage individuals.

If a country is experiencing a sharp rise in gambling issues, then it's time to implement measures that will minimise underage addiction.

Educating parents and encouraging them to be on guard of their children's online activities is a good way to stop them from falling into online gaming and gambling.