Ontario gambling helpline overwhelmed by calls, strained by low funding

Ontario's 24-hour problem gambling helpline is struggling to cope with a dramatic rise in calls, many of which are more complex than before, attributed to the province's liberalized betting market. ConnexOntario, the non-profit agency operating the service, states that a lack of adequate funding is hindering its ability to manage the increased demand.

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Our staff are seeing more demand on our service. The calls are changing; there’s more complexity with the calls.

Since the introduction of the iGaming system in 2022, which allowed non-government online gambling companies into the Ontario market, ConnexOntario has seen a substantial increase in interactions. Call takers handled 92,780 interactions averaging just under eight minutes in the 2019-20 year. By 2025-26, this number climbed to 155,391 interactions, with average call durations extending to nearly 12 minutes.

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People are requiring more supportive listening, more understanding about the mental health and addiction sector, more education, more ability to follow up with them, as well as help them set clear expectations and what to see when they want to access care.

Nerin Kaur, executive director of ConnexOntario, highlighted that staff are facing greater demand and more intricate cases. "People are requiring more supportive listening, more understanding about the mental health and addiction sector, more education, more ability to follow up with them," she explained. This surge in need has not been matched by a proportional increase in government funding, which stands at $4.2 million annually. ConnexOntario received only modest increases of 4% and 5% in recent years.

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I think the government needs to invest more in the prevention promotion piece and the supportive piece for the community sector to support the demand in problem gambling.

The agency is specifically concerned about the rise in calls from young men aged 15 to 24 and those between 35 and 45. Kaur stressed the need for greater government investment in prevention and support services to address the growing problem of gambling addiction. While Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming Stan Cho's office did not comment, Cho has previously acknowledged the escalating issue of online gambling, particularly among young men.

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We’ve definitely seen an increase in gambling-related calls in, and specifically young men ages 15 to 24, and then also the 35-to-45 mark. We want to make sure that there are sufficient resources going for that target population to ensure that they’re healthy and safe as they’re engaging in these behaviours.