GAMBLING FACTS & STATS
Relevant Statistics and Information on Gambling in Ontario
The Responsible Gambling Council’s 2005 Gambling Prevalence Study showed that:
- Over 60 per cent of Ontarians gamble in one form or another
- When asked which gambling activities they participated in during the past year, Ontarians said:
- Ticket lotteries (52.4 %)
- Scratch/Instant Win tickets (24.9%)
- Casino games and slot machines (23%)
- Online gambling among 18-24-year-olds has risen from 1.4% in 2001 to 5.5% in 2005
- Young adults, ages 18-24, have the highest rate of problem gambling: 6.9%
- The rate of problem gambling among the general adult population in Ontario is 3.4%
- One in 10 people report being negatively affected by someone else’s gambling
- Internet gamblers are spending more time online: 25% gamble at least weekly; 12.7% gamble daily
The Responsible Gambling Council’s 2006 Poker Poll, a telephone survey of Ontarians 18 and older, showed that:
- One-in-five Ontarians play poker for money
- One-in-five Ontarians are concerned that a friend or family member may be headed toward a gambling problem
- One-third (37%) of young adults aged 18-34 play poker for money
- 16% believe playing poker is a good way to earn extra money
- 4% believe they could earn a living playing poker
- 24 per cent of Ontario poker players between the ages of 18 and 34 are playing once a week or more often