Stanley Tromp
Problem gambling is on the rise in British Columbia over the past year, according to 473 pages of surveys done for the B.C. Lottery Corporation, obtained by theBreaker.news under the freedom of information law.
These include reports by Ipsos Research (with 500 respondents) and Harris Polls (1,009 people). Several pages were withheld under FOI law Section 17, to protect government economic interests.
Statistically, in the fiscal year ended March 31, versus the same period a year earlier, “significantly more players indicate that their gambling has caused financial problems, that other people have criticized their betting and that they have borrowed money or sold something to gamble,” Ipsos concluded.
Results of a BCLC poll from Ipsos about problem gambling trends. (BCLC/FOI)
One-armed bandits
Online slot machine players indicated increases in health problems due to gambling. Moreover, “gambling literacy” is dropping across the games. Slot machine and other casino players are growing more likely to believe in gambling myths, such as their “chances of winning get better after a loss.”The question was asked: “Have you bet more than you could really afford to lose?” For games in casinos, the response climbed from 44% last year to 55% in the current fiscal year, and with online games it climbed by 14%.
There were roughly similar increases in response to the questions, “have people criticized your betting?”, “have you felt guilty about the way you gamble?” and “has your gambling caused financial problems for your household?”
Can you spare a C-note?
On the question, “have you felt that you might have a problem with gambling?” the number rose by 12% at bingo halls, 8% for casino slots and 15% for other casino games.
Meanwhile, lottery-only players dropped over the past year, but the number of Lotto 6/49 players increased. Core players at casinos and bingo halls rose, as did core players of PlayNow online games.
Results of a BCLC poll from Ipsos about problem gambling trends. (BCLC/FOI)
Opinions about BCLC
theBreaker.news also obtained a poll by Angus Reid Group from August 2025. It found: “British Columbians view BCLC positively. However, fewer feel informed about where gambling revenue goes, and many don’t feel the organization makes on impact on their community.”
Yet there was an average 12% drop over the past year in poll respondents’ agreement to the statements: “BCLC makes positive contributions to the province of B.C.,” “I have trust and confidence in the games offered by BCLC,” and “BCLC promotes their games and products in a socially responsible way.”
“Consumer spending on gambling in B.C. has recovered from the [COVID-19] pandemic losses,” said a June 2024 economic analysis by Deloitte LLP. “However, gambling expenditures have fallen as a share of real disposable income since 2010.”
Government response
A Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General spokesperson told theBreaker.news that it is overseeing a B.C. prevalence study to obtain detailed demographics of problem gamblers. In the coming months, BCLC is also launching two targeted marketing campaigns focused on common gambling myths and higher-risk behaviours.
Stanley Tromp is a longtime Vancouver journalist and author of Fallen Behind, a book on world FOI laws. www.canadafoi/author
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