Baseline study: Assessing the impact of the introduction of new casinos in Ontario 2014, Belleville, Kenora, London, North Bay, Collingwood/Wasaga Beach, Ontario [Canada]

In response to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) announcement of plans to introduce new and enhanced gaming sites, the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre (OPGRC) commissioned the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) to conduct a baseline study of gambling attitudes, motivations and behaviours, so that the impact of gambling expansion can be measured at a later date. A telephone survey was conducted with a sample of 2,300 adults from four Ontario communities in which OLG plans to introduce a new casino: Belleville, Simcoe County (Collingwood and Wasaga Beach), North Bay, and Kenora.

A fifth site, London, was added as a control because it currently hosts a slots venue. The present research will help determine the impact of a new casino in select Ontario locations by providing: • An estimate of attitudes, motivations, and behaviours related to participation in casino-gambling prior to the opening of a casino; • A baseline for future longitudinal research that would examine the impact of increased gambling accessibility; and, • A database that would be used in assessing the impact of gambling expansion in Ontario.