The prevalence of pathological gambling in Canada

This paper critically reviews prevalence estimates of problem and pathological gambling in Canada. Populations studied are adults, adolescents and primary school children. The proportions of pathological gamblers found in Canadian studies (ranging from 1.2% to 1.9% for adults) are similar to prevalence rates reported in the United States. Given the apparent link between gambling availability and increases in the prevalence of problem and pathological gambling, it is hoped that provincial and federal authorities in Canada will make investments in research and treatment of pathological gambling in the future.The author wishes to thank Mark Freeston for his helpful comments. Portions of this paper were written while the author had grants from Counseil de Recherche en Sciences Humaines du Canada (410-91-1514) and from Loto-Quebec.