Gambling-related suicides have tripled and nearly 130,000 residents now show signs of severe addiction in Ontario following the 2022 expansion of private online casino games and sports betting, according to data from the Alberta Gambling Research Institute cited by cbc.ca. While public health metrics worsened, internal government records reveal that provincial regulators quietly shelved a baseline harm study after initial findings showed addiction rates significantly higher than anticipated.
The suppressed research project began in the months before the regulated market opened in April 2022, with its first data collection wave in February 2022, as reported by WellPlayed. Designed by researchers Iris Balodis and Michael Wohl to track problem gambling over a two-year period, the study was commissioned by iGaming Ontario to establish provincial addiction baselines. However, documents obtained through freedom of information legislation show that agency executives decided to keep the results confidential once early figures came in, arguing that public release could damage economic interests.
Ontario Government Shelves Baseline Addiction Research
Internal emails demonstrate that iGaming Ontario actively restricted access to the data. In a December 2022 message cited by WellPlayed, senior manager for responsible gambling Melissa Ball instructed a colleague who requested first-round figures not to share the findings widely. By 2023, the provincial agency hired public relations firm Counsel Public Affairs to manage strategic planning and reactive messaging regarding the suppressed data.
Researchers Balodis and Wohl stated that their participation was contingent on academic publication, noting that Carleton University’s Research Ethics Board cleared the project. Nevertheless, the Responsible Gambling Council, which later handled a related contract, confirmed that under the agreement with iGaming Ontario, data ownership and publication rights remained entirely with the provincial regulator, according to reporting by Gaming News Canada. The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario subsequently found iGaming Ontario in deemed refusal on May 14, 2026, setting a deadline for a final access decision.
Financial Stakes Behind Regulated Online Wagering
The controversy surrounds a rapidly expanding digital marketplace. Ontarians wagered $82.7 billion online during the 2024-25 fiscal year, generating approximately $3 billion in provincial government revenue, with wagering growing more than 25 per cent in subsequent periods, WellPlayed reported. In response to mounting criticism, the Ontario government stated it has spent $421 million on responsible gambling education, research, and addiction treatment since 2018.
Opposition politicians, including NDP critic Kristyn Wong-Tam, have demanded full transparency regarding both the suppressed research and the expenditures on public relations contracts designed to manage the fallout.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Ontario iGaming Investigation
What was the original purpose of the shelved iGaming Ontario study?
The study was commissioned prior to the April 2022 market launch to establish a provincial baseline for problem gambling and to guide targeted player protection programs through three data collection waves over two years, according to WellPlayed.
Why did regulators decide to keep the study confidential?
Internal records show that iGaming Ontario executives withheld the findings after initial data indicated problem gambling rates were significantly higher than expected, citing potential damage to the province’s economic interests under freedom of information exemptions.
What legal action forced the release of internal records?
Access-to-information requests pursued under freedom of information legislation uncovered the internal emails and public relations strategies, leading the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario to find the agency in deemed refusal on May 14, 2026.
How much revenue does Ontario generate from regulated online gambling?
Ontarians wagered $82.7 billion online during the 2024-25 fiscal year, which contributed roughly $3 billion directly to provincial coffers, as detailed by WellPlayed.
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