More young men and boys are turning to the ER over gambling issues

• Young men and boys are increasingly seeking help for gambling-related issues in the ER in Ontario, Canada
• A new study has seen a dramatic increase in visits over the past 14 years, mostly men and boys
• Other studies have also noted an increase in calls to help lines by men and boys

A new study released in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine on Wednesday, September 16, has focused on the increased visits to the Emergency Room (ER) by young men and boys struggling with their gambling habits.

Men and boys in Ontario report more gambling-related visits to ER over past 14 years

The survey specifically focused on Ontario, Canada, and cited the rapid growth of regulated gambling, specifically the introduction of betting on single sports events.

This, argues public health doctoral student at the University of Toronto, Ryan Forrest, who co-authored the study, has led to an increase in the number of people with acute harms related to their gambling addictions.

According to Forrest, the numbers covered by the survey may not be the full picture, as there could be more people who have not yet reached that "breaking point" where they need to visit the ER because of harms inflicted due to their gambling addiction.

Forrest and her co-author, Dr. Daniel Myran, explained that 757 people have visited the ER a total of 952 times in Ontario alone since 2012. However, the authors argue that this is 31.3% higher than the period before that.

Hospital visits for gambling-related problems mostly come from men and boys, with 72% of the total. The authors also argued that hospital visits increased 154% for males aged 10-29 and 116% for men aged 30-44 over the surveyed period.

The people who ended up going to the ER went there due to substance use or mental health disorders, including suicidal ideation. Forrest argues that the study should serve as a warning sign to other provinces, and that legalizing gambling in the same way that it happened in Ontario would be bad for people’s mental health.

While the study by Forrest and Dr. Myran may cover a rather broad period to account for their findings, there have been other studies suggesting that the harm among young men and boys is increasing.

The group is calling addiction and help services more often

In March, the Canadian Medical Association Journal published research that there had been a 95.5% increase in calls from this demographic placing calls to ConnexOntario, which is the province’s addiction and mental health support line.

Drr. Myran also noted that there isn’t enough awareness of treatment options for gambling-related issues, especially when compared to the available marketing materials driving players to try the product for the first time.

The prevalence of gambling ads also means that struggling gambling addicts find it harder to stay on the straight and narrow and are constantly tested.

Image credit: Unsplash.com