“The Ford government’s own igaming policy is leading to more children exposed to online gambling, more families with loved ones dealing with addictions, and still they’re choosing to bury a publicly funded problem-gambling study.” – Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates
A News Release from the Constituency Office of Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates
Posted October 29th, 2026 on Niagara At Large
Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates
QUEENS PARK – NDP Shadow Minister for Tourism Gaming and Sport, Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls) pressed (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dJXZywTaLk-w3ha2rrdwUi5kMgp8-W-s/view) the Ford government over its handling of an unpublished study into problem gambling.
“It’s absurd that the Minister won’t even say if he’s read the report that his own ministry promised to publish,” said MPP Gates. “Instead of keeping its commitment to release the publicly funded findings about problem gambling, they are spending more time and money in court to keep it hidden – families in this province deserve to know why.”
Independent research released over the past eight months has shown that underage online gambling has increased tenfold, gambling-related emergency visits are nearly twice expected levels, helpline calls have doubled, and gambling-related suicides have tripled.
“The Ford government’s own igaming policy is leading to more children exposed to online gambling, more families with loved ones dealing with addictions, and still they’re choosing to bury a publicly funded problem-gambling study. It raises a serious question of whose interest is Ford’s Minister protecting – the offshore online gambling industry or the health of Ontario families.
Recent reports revealed that IGaming Ontario had received a final draft of the commissioned problem-gambling study in August 2024 and decided not to publish it due to its negative impact on its “economic interests”.
BACKGROUND (Ontario Public Gambling Reports):
- * March, 2026: Gambling related Helpline Contacts doubled since igaming was introduced in Ontario (CMAJ (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12948453/) )
- * August, 2026: Underage online sports betting increased tenfold since 2019 (CAMH (https://www.camh.ca/en/camh-news-and-stories/rsch-ontario-student-mental-health-rebounds-from-pandemic-lows-but-long-term-trends-remain-troubling) )
- * September, 2026: Emergency department visits for gambling have doubled since 2022 (IC/ES (https://www.ices.on.ca/news-releases/emergency-room-visits-for-gambling-disorders-nearly-doubled-after-expanded-online-gambling-market) )
- * October, 2026: Chief Coroner of Ontario reports gambling suicides tripled since 2022 (CBC (https://www.cbc.ca/news/investigates/problem-gambling-and-suicides-ontario-9.7388296) )
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