Skip to main content

ENHJEU.com

The ENHJEU.com study, Portrait of Online Gambling in Québec: Insights into a Transformation Sparked During the Pandemic, documents how online gambling practices have evolved in Québec since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis.

This mixed-method research project examined:

  • changes in online gambling participation among Québec’s adult population;

  • players’ experiences during the pandemic;

  • the evolution of the gambling offer and advertising strategies;

  • the use of control measures and support services.

Findings indicate that online gambling participation has significantly increased since the last population survey in 2018, with the pandemic further accelerating this growth—especially among players with higher-risk gambling habits, who reported more negative impacts. Despite widespread awareness of available help resources, relatively few players made use of them. A large segment of the market remains unregulated, and advertising was perceived as more prominent during the first year of the pandemic. Many players, particularly those most at risk, reported being influenced by promotional strategies.

The project recommends that Québec develop an independent gambling regulatory body to oversee online gambling and its promotion, improve and innovate support services, and address barriers to seeking help, including stigma.

This research provides evidence to inform the Ministry of Health and Social Services and other governmental agencies in the development of public policies and interventions better adapted to the needs of the population.

Information for participants 

Will the information I share be protected?

The information you provide in this project will be kept strictly confidential. All research material will be stored on Concordia University’s secure server. No personal information will be disseminated in any presentations or publications. The results will always be presented in a summarized way to avoid the identification of respondents.

For any questions regarding the research project, you may contact the project coordinator:

Jessica Agathangelou
Tel: 1-866-924-0524
Email: projet.enhjeu-com@concordia.ca

For any questions related to ethics, you can contact the Concordia Ethics Office:

Research Ethics, Concordia University
Tel: 514-848-2424, ext. 7481
Email: oor.ethics@concordia.ca

Research Team

Sylvia Kairouz, Ph.D. Chairholder of the Research Chair on Gambling Studies (FRQ-SC/Fondation Mise-sur-toi), Director of the HERMES research team (FRQ-SC), Full Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Concordia University

Name Affiliation
Annie-Claude Savard, Ph.D.  Associate professor, School of Social Work and Criminology, Université Laval
Magaly Brodeur, MD, Ph.D. Associate professor, Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine, Université de Sherbrooke
Magali Dufour, Ph.D. Associate professor, Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal
Francine Ferland, Ph.D.  Researcher at CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale, Associate professor, School of Psychology, Université Laval
Martin French, Ph.D. Associate professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Concordia Univeristy
Eva Monson, Ph.D. Assistant professor, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke
Adèle Morvannou, Ph.D.  Assistant professor, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke

Name Affiliation
Jean-François Biron      Coordinator of the “communauté de pratique en prévention des dépendances”, Planning, research and programming officer, CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Regional Public Health Department
Nadine Blanchette-Martin Planning, programming and research officer at the CISSS de Chaudière-Appalaches and the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale in the Mental Health and Addiction Programs
Jean-Michel Costes    Scientific Director, Observatoire des Jeux in France
Ingo Fiedler, Ph.D. Researcher, Concordia University and Gambling Research Team at University of Hamburg

Valérie Van Mourik  

Research Clinician at CIUSSS Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, Centre de réadaptation en dépendance de Montréal
Michael Wohl, Ph.D. Full professor, Department of Psychology, Carleton University

Name Affiliation
Jessica Agathangelou Project coordinator, Research Chair on Gambling, Concordia University

For more information or help

Project's funding: 

Back to top

© Concordia University