A report by Statistics Canada concludes that 64 percent of Canadians aged 15 or older reported gambling at least once in the past year. The report was released August 9.
Most did so responsibly, but 2 percent who gambled were at moderate-to-severe risk of gambling-related problems. Buying a lottery ticket was the most common form of gaming.
People from lower income households, while less likely to gamble than those in higher economic strata, were more likely to experience problem gambling.
Indigenous people reported a higher rate, but Drew Lafond, the president of the Indigenous Bar Association, said the figure was misleading.
He told CBC News, “Any discussion regarding gaming and First Nations has to start with a historical perspective.” He added, “I think we have well-documented reasons for the systemic factors that play into the on-reserve struggles and addictions that Indigenous people face. Gaming has always been a part of First Nations’ cultural, ceremonial and economic lifestyles and backgrounds … something that remains part and parcel of their cultural fabric.”
Statistics Canada used data from the 2019 Canadian Community Health Survey.
