iGaming Ontario withheld a problem gambling study after its initial findings showed significantly higher harm than expected, records obtained by the Toronto Star under freedom of information legislation show. The agency commissioned the research before Ontario launched its regulated online sports betting and casino market in April 2022 and had promised to publish the results.
The Responsible Gambling Council, which accredits operators in the province, designed the study as a longitudinal survey covering the same sample over two years. Its first wave was conducted in February 2022, two months before the market opened. Internal notes described the results as unexpected and inconsistent with other research. Disputes centred on online panels, a method used in gambling studies that can produce higher estimates because participants spend more time online than the average resident.
Former executive director Martha Otton backed adding a telephone sample during the second wave to test the effect of the methodology. In December 2022, senior responsible gambling manager Melissa Ball asked a colleague not to circulate the first wave's data while internal discussions continued. Researchers Iris Balodis of McMaster University and Michael Wohl of Carleton University said they had agreed to participate only if their findings would be published. The parties parted ways after the first wave, and in February 2023 Ball sought legal advice on what to do if the researchers retained copies.
iGaming Ontario hired Counsel Public Affairs in 2023 for strategic planning and reactive messaging on the study. Notes from that autumn discussed the risk of a public dispute with the researchers and the possibility of a 'gag order' to prevent criticism of the agency. Concerns about disclosure remained until March 2025.
RGC said the contract gave iGaming Ontario ownership of the results and the publication decision. The agency attributed the withholding to questions about the methodology and said the study did not meet the standard required for policy decisions. It did not disclose how much public money the research cost.
The gap is material for operators and affiliate managers setting responsible gambling controls. Ontario residents wagered more than $82.7bn in 2024-25, generating nearly $3bn for the province, according to iGaming Ontario. Preliminary figures for 2025-26 and the first quarter of 2026-27 show growth of more than 25%, while calls to the problem gambling helpline are rising. The agency has still not published an assessment of how online gambling legalization and advertising affected harm in Ontario.
