Contact Us
Gambling and Public Health in Ontario
Although gambling is not mandated as a public health issue in Ontario's Public Health Standards, many of Ontario's public health units have responded to the potential health impact of casino development on a regional level. In 2012, the Board of Toronto Public Health published a position statement outlining specific measures to prevent or minimize gambling harm in response to a proposed casino development in the area, followed by a technical report published in partnership with CAMH. This perspective was applied throughout the province, when casino development was proposed in other communities.
The gambling environment, consisting traditionally of land-based opportunities, has expanded far beyond the casino. Currently, thousands of new opportunities to gamble exist and are offered through the internet, video games, social media, and other sources. As the gambling environment continues to change, increasing community capacity to address the emerging factors that contribute to gambling harm will facilitate more better-informed strategies and interventions. By carefully regulating the gambling environment, promoting healthy behaviour, educating people on the risks of gambling and healthy lifestyle choices, and protecting vulnerable or high-risk populations, a public health approach can reduce the negative health outcomes from gambling and prevent gambling-related harm.
Greo’s BET: System Impact funding program and its Gambling and Public Health Community of Practice worked diligently to move a public health perspective forward, with nine projects piloted and an active network of public health professionals committed to sharing knowledge and informing best practices. In conjunction with the BET: Community Initiatives program, significant strides were made to create a top down and bottom up approach to reducing harms from gambling at a community and systems level.
Unfortunately, in light of the elimination of Greo’s funding from Ontario's provincial budget, the future of GREO’s Gambling from a Public Health Perspective program is unknown at this time.
Gambling and public health in other jurisdictions
The movement towards a public health approach to gambling is building nationally and internationally, although there is still much work to be done. This jurisdictional scan offers a snapshot of national and international initiatives and projects that adopt a public health approach to gambling. This video highlights the evaluation of New Zealand’s work in this area.
Related resources
Gambling as a Public Health Issue (Project Summary)