Governments must rein in online gambling before it’s too late, say public health experts [Video]

Adam Pettle recognized he had a gambling problem as a teenager when he began to hide his behaviour.

Pettle felt powerless to stop and struggled with his mental health. Eventually, the debts he accumulated led him to sell his family’s home. 

“I just reached the point where I was completely defeated. I have such a beautiful family that I love so dearly, and I thought the only way out would be if they could cash in my life insurance,” said Pettle. 

The rise of online gambling — such as through virtual casinos, bingo and sports betting — allows people to gamble anytime and anywhere. Pettle says it worsened his situation.

“[Addiction] is a progressive illness in my opinion,” Pettle, 51, who lives in Toronto, told The Current‘s host Matt Galloway. 

“It progressed so rapidly when I had a casino sportsbook, a racetrack in my pocket 24 hours a day.”