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.
Final report:
Publications:
Kairouz, S., Savard, AC., Murch, W.S. et al. A portrait of online gambling: a look at a transformation amid a pandemic. Harm Reduct J 22, 136 (2025).
Savard, AC., Kairouz, S., Nadeau-Tremblay, J. et al. “It would Never have Happened Without the Pandemic”: Understanding the Lived Experience of Individuals who Increased Their Online Gambling Participation. J Gambl Stud (2024).
Kairouz, S., Savard, A.-C., Murch, W. S., Dixon, M. R., Blanchette Martin, N., Brodeur, M., … Van Mourik, V. (2025). Self-reported changes in online gambling habits and reasons during the first year of COVID-19 pandemic. Research Snapshot, GREO.
Media:
Study: Online gambling in Quebec surged during 1st year of pandemic
Study: More women started online gambling during the pandemic
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 |
For more information or help
Project's funding:
