One In Four (25%) Ontarians Are Likely To Bet On The Outcome Of The Stanley Cup

Toronto, ONTARIO - A new public opinion survey conducted by Ipsos-Reid on behalf of the Responsible Gambling Council (Ontario) reveals that one in four (25%) adult Ontarians are likely to bet on the outcome of the Stanley Cup play-offs this year. Seven percent said they would bet on the outcome NCAA or NBA basketball while one in five (21%) Ontarians say they will likely bet on the outcome of another sporting event this year. Of those who will bet on the outcome of another sport, football, soccer and baseball top the list of sports they are likely to bet on the outcome of.

When asked what the main reason is for betting on sporting events, the majority (53%) of Ontarians who are likely to bet on a sporting event this year say it's something they do with friends or people at work. Others say they bet because it's fun and they enjoy it win or lose (38%). Eight percent say they bet on sporting events because they are good at it and usually win.

These are the findings of the Ipsos-Reid poll conducted between March 5 and 14, 2002. The poll is based on a randomly selected sample of 900 adult Ontario Residents. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Ontario population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Ontario population according to the 1996 Census data.

One in four (25%) Ontarians are Likely to Bet on the Outcome of the Stanley Cup

One in four (25%) Ontarians say they are likely to bet on the outcome of the Stanley Cup play-offs this year, whether it be with friends, a sports lottery or an office pool. Fourteen percent say they bet on the outcome of the Stanley Cup last year. And, four in ten (42%) of those who bet on last year's outcome say they didn't lose the bet. Three percent lost less than $5, 38% lost between $5 and $50, while 9% reported losing more than $76.

• Men (33%) are far more likely than women (18%) to say they will bet on the outcome of the Stanley Cup.
• The likelihood of betting on the outcome of the Stanley Cup play-offs decreases with age: 18 to 34 (35%), 35 to 54 (26%) and 55+ (15%).
• Those with a post-secondary education (30%) are more likely to bet on the outcome of the Stanley Cup this year than those who have a high school education (24%) or a university degree (22%).
• A household income of $30,000 or greater increases the likelihood of betting on the outcome of the Stanley Cup:

  Likelihood of Betting on Other Sporting Events this Year

  Seven percent said they would bet on the outcome of basketball's NCAA or NBA while one in five (21%) Ontarians say they will likely bet on the outcome of another sporting event this year. Of those who will bet on the outcome of another sport, football (47%), soccer (17%) and baseball (17%) top the list of sports they are likely to bet on the outcome of.

  The Reason for Betting on Sporting Events

  When asked what the main reason is for betting on the outcome of sporting events, the majority (53%) of Ontarians who said they are likely to bet on a sporting event this year or have in the past say it's something they do with friends or people at work. Others say they bet because it's fun and they enjoy it win or lose (38%). Eight percent say they bet on sporting events because they are good at it and usually win.

  • Men (8%) tend to be more likely than women (3%) to say they bet on the outcome of sporting events because they are good at it and usually win. Whereas, women (41%) tend to be more likely than men (36%) to say they bet on sporting events because it's fun win or lose.

  Betting on the 2002 Winter Olypmpics

  Eight percent of Ontarians say they bet on at least one event in the 2002 Winter Olympics. Of those who bet on an event, most (89%) bet on the outcome of men's hockey followed by women's hockey (42%).

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For more information on this news release, please contact either:

George James
Responsible Gambling Council (Ontario)
416 499-9800 ext 241
cell: 416 706-7638
www.responsible gambling.org

Tricia Benn
Senior Research Manager
Public Affairs
Ipsos-Reid
(613)241-5802