TORONTO —More than one-third of Ontario teens who participated in the first-ever study to examine the gambling habits of students aged 15-17 already are gambling, and their ranks likely will double by the time they’re 20, the study’s authors say.

The study, to be released today, was conducted by the Responsible Gambling Council—an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention of problem gambling.

Of the 2,140 teens surveyed, 34.9 percent said they’re already gambling. Of those, 40 percent said poker is their game of choice while another 36 percent admitted to regularly buying raffle tickets, including scratch-and-win lottery tickets.

Sports betting was next at 23 percent, followed by playing dice at 15 percent and online gambling at 10 percent.

Poker is the most popular form of gambling because of its accessibility, ease of play, and recent explosion in popularity, said Jon Kelly, chief executive of the council, which has programs funded by the Ontario government.

“It’s relatively easy to learn, you could play it at home, you can play it with your friends, you can play it online, you can watch it on TV . . . so access is an important feature, as well,” Kelly added.

While the majority of teens surveyed cited entertainment as their main reason for gambling, 20.7 percent said they did it because they needed the money and 15.3 percent said it was to win back cash they already had lost.

Thirteen percent of teens who play poker admitted they spend more money than they can afford on gambling.

Of those respondents who admitted to gambling, 3.9 percent said they’re already experiencing gambling problems. That number jumps to 6.9 percent in the case of gamblers aged 18-24, Kelly said.

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