Online gambling nearly triples in Montreal since 2018 as 38% use only unregulated sites

Online gambling among Montreal adults has nearly tripled in seven years. A report published November 5 by the Direction régionale de santé publique de Montréal and Concordia University's Research Chair on Gambling Studies found that 13.3% of Montreal adults gambled online in 2025, up from just 4.4% in 2018. Excluding lottery purchases, 38% of online gamblers used only unregulated websites, while another 16% used both unregulated sites and Loto-Québec, the province's official platform.

How the study was done

The report surveyed 8,500 Montreal adults: 4,002 by telephone between March and June 2025, and 4,500 through an online panel, which the report cautions has limits on representativeness. Overall, the share of Montreal adults who gambled fell from 54.5% in 2018 to 39% in 2025; the share affected by gambling harm fell from 12.1% to 7.7%, though 4.6% of gamblers were still classed at moderate or high risk.

Young men most affected

The report singles out young men: online gambling among men aged 18 to 34 has more than doubled since 2018, and 7.4% showed problem gambling behaviour, above the 4.6% for gamblers overall. Sylvia Kairouz, a Concordia professor and one of the study's authors, said gambling sites are so easy to reach on a phone that they are hard to resist, and that the abundance of gambling advertising is making sports betting more socially acceptable.

Seven in ten back an ad ban

Some 73% of respondents supported banning online gambling advertising, and 70% said gambling was too accessible. The Quebec Online Gaming Coalition cited the report on November 9, urging the government to clarify its plans to regulate private online gambling platforms before its fall economic update. Loto-Québec is currently Quebec's only legal online gambling operator; the Parti Québécois government backed licensing private sites during the election campaign. Quebec's gambling helpline, Jeu: aide et référence, offers free, confidential support around the clock at 514-527-0140 in Montreal.