Ontario Student Online Gambling Rises as Age Checks Come Under Pressure

Online gambling among Ontario students has increased again. New CAMH data puts participation at 12%, while a recent enforcement case has raised separate questions over age checks at licensed operators.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health surveyed more than 11,000 students in grades 7 to 12 for its 2025 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey. Twelve percent said they had gambled online during the previous year. The figure was 8% in 2023.

Sports Betting Drives the Increase

Sports betting has changed even faster. In 2019, only 1% of students reported betting on sports online. That reached 10% in the latest survey.

Advertising remains hard to avoid as well. Around 23% of students said they saw online gambling ads every day.

One point needs some caution. CAMH does not say whether those bets were placed with Ontario-licensed operators, offshore sites or elsewhere. The survey tracks participation, not the legal status of the platform used.

A Recent AGCO Case Shows Another Problem

Ontario has already had a separate case involving minors on a regulated gambling site. Earlier this month, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario issued C$120,000 in penalties against Betty Gaming.

The regulator said 23 people under the legal gambling age had managed to create accounts. Nine went further, depositing money and placing bets. Fourteen others registered but did not deposit.

Betty had reported the control failure to the regulator in November 2025. The case is notable because the issue went beyond a minor simply getting hold of an adult’s phone. Underage users were able to complete account creation on a licensed platform, and some reached real-money gambling.

Ontario operators are required to verify player information and prevent anyone under 19 from gambling.

Gambling Ads Remain Visible to Students

Ontario changed its advertising rules in 2024, limiting the use of athletes and celebrities in gambling promotions. They can still appear in responsible gambling campaigns.

However, that has not removed betting brands from sports coverage. In the CAMH survey, 23% of students said they saw online gambling advertising every day.

CAMH wants further restrictions, particularly around sports broadcasts. For Ontario, the bigger gap is in the data. The province knows that more students are gambling online, but the survey does not show where they are doing it.

That makes the response harder to target. Minors using offshore sites present one problem. Minors getting through checks at licensed operators present another. The Betty case confirms that the second scenario can happen, but it does not show how common it is.