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Canadian Study: Internet Gambling Up Tenfold

"That's an increase of more than 10 times from a poll done just a year earlier by the Edmonton-based Canada West Foundation.

"The Ontario study, billed as the first to comprehensively measure the prevalence of the phenomenon in this country, found Internet gaming is practised by people of all ages, sexes and income brackets.

"But women, divorced or widowed people and senior citizens seem more likely than others to dabble in Web-based wagering, said the survey by the Ontario Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

"…The study underlines that there's little to stop Canadians from spending money on online games of chance, even though Internet casinos are essentially illegal in Canada.

"Gaming operations, whether on land or on the Internet, can only be run or licensed by provincial governments, which have so far shied away from Web gambling.

"…Nancy Langille of the group Gambling Watch Ontario, said the figures are probably low because many respondents would not have admitted to gambling on the Internet. She said she is worried because Internet gambling has the potential to be particularly addictive.

"…Senior citizens suffering from depression or whose thinking is fogged by multiple medications and people with learning disabilities may be particularly susceptible to the mesmerizing nature of online games and the problems of addiction, she said…"

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