ConnexOntario Reports Increased Gambling Helpline Usage in 2025 Amid Awareness Campaign Growth
ConnexOntario has reported a rise in gambling-related calls and contacts to its helpline services in early 2025, with increased awareness campaign activity linked to the growth of Ontario's regulated online gambling market cited among contributing factors.
ConnexOntario, the provincial information and referral service for mental health, substance use, and problem gambling services in Ontario, has reported increased gambling-related contacts to its helpline in 2025. The data, released as part of ConnexOntario’s service utilization reporting, reflects both growing demand for support and the impact of expanded awareness campaign activity associated with Ontario’s regulated online gambling environment.
ConnexOntario’s Role
ConnexOntario operates a 24-hour helpline that connects Ontarians with local mental health, addiction, and problem gambling services. For gambling-specific contacts, ConnexOntario serves as a first-point-of-contact resource, providing information about available services and facilitating referrals to treatment programs, counselling, and peer support resources across the province.
The service is funded by the Government of Ontario and operates under the health system rather than the gambling regulatory system, positioning it as an independent resource rather than one administered by gambling operators or regulators. This independence is considered important for encouraging help-seeking among individuals who might otherwise be reluctant to contact support services associated with gambling providers.
Usage Data for Early 2025
ConnexOntario has reported that gambling-related contacts — including phone calls, text messages, and online chat interactions — have increased in early 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The increase spans both new contacts from individuals seeking help for the first time and repeat contacts from individuals already engaged with services or seeking updated referral information.
The data does not distinguish between contacts related to online gambling and those related to land-based casino or lottery gambling, meaning the specific contribution of Ontario’s iGaming market to helpline volume cannot be precisely isolated. However, ConnexOntario’s reporting notes that the demographic profile of gambling-related contacts has shifted in recent years toward younger age groups and toward contacts describing sports betting as their primary gambling activity, both of which are consistent with patterns expected from a market expansion into online sports betting.
Awareness Campaign Contributions
iGaming Ontario, the Crown agency subsidiary that manages Ontario’s regulated online gambling market, requires licensed operators to contribute to problem gambling awareness and prevention funding as a condition of their operating agreement. This funding supports awareness campaigns that include the ConnexOntario helpline number in advertising and promotional materials.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) also mandates responsible gambling messaging in gambling advertising under its advertising standards for registered operators. The cumulative effect of helpline promotion through mandatory operator advertising is considered a contributing factor to increased contact volumes.
Research on help-seeking behaviour in gambling consistently shows that awareness of available resources is one of the primary barriers to help-seeking. Campaigns that make helpline information visible during or alongside gambling activity are associated with increased contact rates, though the relationship between contact rates and eventual treatment engagement requires further study.
Treatment System Capacity
Increased helpline contact volumes create downstream pressure on Ontario’s problem gambling treatment system, which includes residential treatment programs, outpatient counselling, and peer support services distributed across the province. ConnexOntario’s reporting has flagged that in some regions, wait times for specialized problem gambling counselling have increased alongside demand.
The Ontario government funds problem gambling treatment services through the Ministry of Health, with funding allocations informed in part by ConnexOntario utilization data. The 2025 data will be relevant to policy discussions about whether current treatment system capacity is adequate relative to the scale of Ontario’s expanded gambling market.
National Context
Ontario is the province with the most developed infrastructure for tracking gambling helpline utilization alongside a regulated commercial online gambling market, making its data particularly relevant for other provinces considering market expansion. ConnexOntario’s reporting contributes to the national evidence base on the relationship between market structure, awareness activity, and help-seeking behaviour.
The Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) and the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) have cited the importance of robust helpline and treatment system investment as a prerequisite for responsible market expansion, a position supported by the utilization trends documented in ConnexOntario’s 2025 data.
Sources
- ConnexOntario: https://www.connexontario.ca
- iGaming Ontario Responsible Gambling Requirements: https://igamingontario.ca/en/responsible-gambling
- Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario: https://www.agco.ca
- Responsible Gambling Council: https://www.responsiblegambling.org