Many countries have introduced gambling regulations to reduce riskier gambling and prevent harms. Yet, the effectiveness of regulations is poorly understood. This study examined online gambling spending across six countries with different regulations: the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Canada (Ontario), and the United States. Data from 926,086 people who gambled with 15 licensed gambling websites in these six countries in October 2025 were examined.
Overall, countries with less restrictive regulations (the US and Canada) tended to have higher gambling spending. Across all six countries, a small percentage of people accounted for the majority of gambling spending. These findings provide insights into how gambling regulations may influence gambling behaviour and spending.
