iGaming Ontario Withheld Its Own Problem Gambling Study

iGaming Ontario commissioned a problem gambling study before the province's regulated online market launched in April 2022. It then kept the findings private, according to records obtained by the Toronto Star.

The agency had pledged to publish the research. Internal documents show executives grew concerned after researchers reported higher-than-expected problem gambling rates. Separate notes also asked whether the academics involved faced a gag order.

Ontario has never released a study on how legal online gambling has affected problem gambling rates.

iGaming Ontario says the study's methodology fell short. The Star has appealed to the province's privacy watchdog for more records.

Baseline Results Prompted Doubts and a Push to Change Methods

The Responsible Gambling Council won the contract to run the two-year longitudinal study. iGaming Ontario promoted the project in presentations as a key responsible gambling measure for the Ontario market. The first wave of data collection, in February 2022, was meant to set a baseline before the regulated market opened.

Undated meeting notes say the baseline rates deviated significantly from other research. Martha Otton, then the agency's executive director, reportedly doubted the results.

Unsigned notes proposed adding a telephone sample to the second survey wave. The change mattered because online panels often produce higher problem gambling rates than other survey methods. A December 2022 email also asked a colleague not to widely circulate the baseline results.

Researchers Push Back, Then Gag Order Talk Surfaces

Iris Balodis of McMaster University and Michael Wohl of Carleton University said they worked on the project without pay. Records suggest they opposed changing the methodology midway through the study.

In a joint statement, they pointed to "the explicit condition that we publish the findings of the study." The pair later parted ways with the council and iGaming Ontario.

In 2023, the agency hired a public relations firm to help with messaging on the study. Meeting notes from that period asked, "Is there a gag order?" The notes also weighed sharing data with the researchers to limit criticism. Neither researcher appeared to have leaked the data, the Star reported.

Final Report Shelved Ahead of Election, Toronto Star Appeals

A final draft reached iGaming Ontario in August 2024. Notes dated January 2025 say the agency chose not to release it. One redacted section referred to election considerations. The following month, Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives won a third straight majority.

iGaming Ontario told the Star that the study did not "meet the standard required to inform policy development." The agency has not disclosed how much the research cost.

Ontarians wagered C$82.7 billion online in the 2024-25 fiscal year. Calls to Ontario's problem gambling helpline have also climbed since the market launched. None of the records released included the study itself. The Star has appealed to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario for the remaining records.