Six in Ten (60%) Canadians Partake in Gambling

Three percent spend over $100/month on gaming and gambling

Canadians were asked how much money they spend on gambling in an average month. The national data indicate that, six in ten (60%) Canadians partake in gambling, while four in ten (40%) do not spend any money on gambling. An additional four in ten (43%) spend between $1 and $20/month. A smaller proportion of Canadians (14%) spends between $20.01 and $100 in an average month on gaming and gambling. And, the smallest proportion of Canadians (3%) indicates gambling levels over $100 per month.

Depending on how the data is broken down (regional/socio-demographic), there are some cases where the proportion of those who do not gamble at all and those who spend between $1 and $20/ month may be higher or lower than the national average. In most other cases, these incidence levels are quite consistent across the country and within socio-demographic categories. Notably, a core of between two and six percent of Canadians spend over $100/month on gambling -- this does not appear to be affected by region, age, gender, employment status, education or income.

The data also indicate that the average Canadian spends $6.75 in an average month on gaming and gambling.

Regional Analysis

As demonstrated in the tables in the PDF for downloading, the amount of money that individuals spend on gaming and gambling does not fluctuate very much across the country.

In particular, the proportion of Canadians who spend over $20/month on gambling is quite consistent in each region. Specifically, between 12% and 17% spend between $20.01 and $100/month and between two and four percent of Canadians indicate that they spend more than $100 a month on gaming and gambling regardless of where they live.

Quebeckers are the most likely to partake in gambling (69%) and residents of Saskatchewan/Manitoba (50%) are the least likely to gamble.

The lower participation rate for gambling in Saskatchewan/Manitoba persists because a proportionately smaller number of people spend between $1 and $20 dollars a month on gambling vis a vis the national average (33% versus 43% nationally). However, the levels of gambling over $20 are consistent with the national data (17% in both Saskatchewan/Manitoba and nationally).

Conversely, in Quebec, there are proportionately more people that partake in gaming and gambling at all spending levels. Specifically, while 43% of Canadians indicate that they spend between $1 and $20 a month on gambling, 48% of Quebeckers indicates the same level of spending. Also, while 17% of Canadians spend over $20 on gambling in an average month, 21% of Quebeckers spend this same amount.

Age Analysis

Younger Canadians are the least likely to gamble and those 35-54 are the most likely to partake in gambling and gaming (45% of those 18-34 indicate that they do not spend any money on gambling each month compared to 36% among those 35-54 years).

As demonstrated in the report tables, the high gambling participation levels among those 35-54 persist because there is a proportionately large group of people who spend between $1 and $20 in an average month on gaming and gambling (45%).

The table also indicates that regardless of age, between three and four percent of Canadians spend more than $100 per month on gaming and gambling. Specifically, three percent of Canadians between 18-34 and 35-54 and four percent of Canadians over 55 spend more than $100 a month on gambling and gaming.

Gender Analysis

Women have a slightly lower propensity to gamble than men do (43% of women indicate that they spend 'no' money on gambling each month compared to 37% of men).

In addition, while women are slightly more likely to spend between $1 and $20 a month on gambling (44% versus 41%), men are slightly more likely to spend between $20.01 and $100 a month on gambling than women (18% versus 10%).

As in the analyses attached, a core of three percent of both men and women spend over $100 a month on gambling.

Income Analysis

Canadians with household incomes below $25,000 are among the least likely to gamble. Specifically, 45% of those with household incomes below $25,000 indicate that they spend 'no' money on gambling each month versus 39% of those with household incomes between $25,000 and $55,000 and 38% of those with household incomes over $55,000.

Although quite consistent across income ranges, the most affluent Canadians are slightly more likely than others to spend between $1 and $20 a month on gambling. In particular, 45% of Canadians with household incomes over $55,000 spend between $1 and $20 a month on gambling vis a vis 43% among those with incomes below $25,000 and 41% among those with incomes between $25,000 and $55,000.

Those with household incomes between $25,000 and $55,000 are the most likely to spend between $20.01 and $100 a month (17%) compared to those with incomes over $55,000 (14%) and those with incomes below $25,000 (9%).

The table also demonstrates that regardless of household income, there are between three and four percent of Canadians who will spend over $100 a month on gambling and gaming.

Gambling gets negative ratings

Canadians were read position statements about gaming and gambling and were asked to indicate whether they agreed or disagreed with the opinion being advanced.

Canadians Sense That over the past Couple of Years, Problems Associated with Gambling in Their Provinces Have Increased

Three-quarters (73%) of Canadians indicate that over the past couple of years, problems associated with gambling has increased in their province. Regionally, this belief is most acute in Atlantic Canada (89%) and in Quebec (88%). Those least likely to sense an increase in the problems associated with gambling hail from British Columbia (56%) and Ontario (63%).

The Onus Falls to the Individual

Eight in ten Canadians (83%) indicate that it is up to the individual to control their gambling, whatever the consequences. One in six (17%) do not believe that it is up to the individual to control their gambling, whatever the consequences.

Those who feel most strongly about the individual bearing the brunt of the responsibility are from Saskatchewan/Manitoba (85%), Ontario (85%) and Quebec (84%), have household incomes below $25,000 (87%), and are those for whom high school is the highest level of education obtained (89%). Those least inclined to share this perspective are from Alberta (74%) and Atlantic Canada (77%), those with household incomes between $25,000 and $55,000 (82%) as well as those over $55,000 (81%) and those who have a university degree (79%).

This CTV/Angus Reid Poll was conducted by telephone between February 9th and 12th 1998 among a representative cross-section of 1,000 Canadian adults.

These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the 1996 Census data.

With a Canada-wide sample of 1,000, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results are within ±3.2 percentage points of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

W. John Wright
Senior Vice-President
Angus Reid Group
(416) 324-2900