Responsible Gambling Council 2024 Annual Report: Help-Seeking Behaviour Up, New Research Released
The Responsible Gambling Council's 2024 annual report documents an increase in help-seeking behaviour among Canadians with gambling-related concerns, alongside new research findings on the effectiveness of responsible gambling tools and population-level gambling harm.
The Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) has published its 2024 annual report, documenting a year of expanded programming, new research outputs, and data indicating increased help-seeking behaviour among Canadians experiencing gambling-related harm. The report provides one of the most comprehensive annual snapshots of responsible gambling activity and gambling harm trends in Canada.
Increased Help-Seeking Behaviour
A headline finding in the 2024 report is an increase in Canadians proactively seeking assistance for gambling-related concerns. This trend, which the RGC tracks through its RG Check accreditation program data, helpline referral volumes, and research partnerships with provincial treatment providers, appears across multiple regions and demographic groups.
The RGC notes that increases in help-seeking are not straightforwardly positive or negative in isolation. An increase can reflect both greater awareness of available resources and potentially broader gambling harms requiring support. Distinguishing between these interpretations requires longitudinal data and contextual analysis, which the report addresses through its research sections.
The growth of Ontario’s regulated online gambling market is referenced as a contextual factor. The introduction of legal, regulated online casino and sports betting products in Ontario in 2022 increased the overall population of people engaging with gambling products, and the RGC’s report acknowledges that market expansion creates both risks of increased harm and opportunities for harm reduction through regulatory requirements applied to licensed operators.
New Research Findings
The 2024 annual report includes summaries of several research initiatives completed or published during the year:
Responsible Gambling Tool Effectiveness: Research examining the effectiveness of mandatory responsible gambling tools — including deposit limits, time limits, and reality check pop-ups — found that while these tools are used by a portion of players, uptake among higher-risk players remains lower than among lower-risk populations. The report calls for further investigation into design and delivery approaches that increase engagement from the players most likely to benefit.
Population-Level Gambling Harm: The RGC contributed to and cites research examining the distribution of gambling harm across the Canadian population. This research, consistent with international findings, indicates that gambling harms are distributed across a wider population than only those meeting clinical criteria for gambling disorder. Moderate-risk gamblers, who may not seek formal treatment, account for a significant share of aggregate population harm.
Youth and Young Adult Gambling: Research on gambling initiation and engagement patterns among youth and young adults found that sports betting has become one of the most common forms of gambling among young male adults in Canada, a trend that has accelerated since the legalization of single-event sports betting in 2021 and Ontario’s market opening in 2022. The report notes the implications for early intervention programming.
RG Check Accreditation Program
The RGC’s RG Check program, which accredits gambling venues and platforms that meet defined responsible gambling standards, continued to expand in 2024. Both land-based casinos and online operators are eligible for RG Check accreditation, and the program is recognized by several provincial gaming authorities as a credentialing standard.
The report notes that accreditation renewal requirements encourage operators to maintain and improve their responsible gambling programs over time, rather than treating certification as a one-time exercise.
Advocacy and Sector Engagement
The RGC engaged with federal Senate committee hearings on online gambling oversight legislation during the period covered by the annual report, submitting testimony on minimum responsible gambling standards that a national framework should require of operators. The organization advocated for mandatory interoperable self-exclusion registries that would function across provincial boundaries.
The RGC also participated in consultations on advertising standards, particularly regarding gambling advertising during live sports broadcasts. The organization’s position emphasizes the need for restrictions on advertising that could be seen by minors and on promotional messaging that emphasizes winning to the exclusion of risk information.
Organizational Notes
The RGC is a national non-profit organization based in Toronto. It operates independently from gambling operators and regulators, funding its work through a combination of government grants, research contracts, and accreditation program fees. The organization’s 2024 annual report is publicly available through its website.
Sources
- Responsible Gambling Council: https://www.responsiblegambling.org
- Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction: https://www.ccsa.ca
- iGaming Ontario: https://igamingontario.ca