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Canadian Gambling on Stanley Cup Rising
Friday, May 3, 2002
Wagering on the rise: Poll
Quarter of Ontarians will bet on Stanley Cup playoffs
By BRETT CLARKSON, TORONTO SUN
Almost twice as many Ontarians, or 25%, will bet cash on this year's NHL playoffs compared with last year's 14%, suggests a new Ipsos-Reid poll done for the Responsible Gambling Council (Ontario).
No surprise that workplace hockey pools are the main betting outlet, group spokesman George James said yesterday.
Most hockey gamblers are males aged 18 to 24 -- 35% of them put money on the line -- and these guys have "twice the problem rate as the rest of the public," said the council's director of research, Dr. Jamie Wiebe.
Wiebe said issues often arise when bettors start gambling "to forget problems" or "to really depend on it to make money.
"They're fighting with this notion that all they have to do is have one big win and their problems are gone," Wiebe said. "It's all in the attitude, hope to win, expect to lose."
If the Vegas bookies are any indication, Maple Leaf fans hoping to win big will probably be better off with somewhat lower expectations.
Respected Vegas oddsmaker Roxy Roxborough and his americasline.com Web site has both the Leafs and Senators pegged at 9/1 odds to hoist Lord Stanley's grail. A safer bet, although less lucrative, would be the 7/5 odds-on favourite Detroit Red Wings.
Of those who wagered last year, 42% won their bets, the poll reported.
Broken down by gender, the poll revealed that 18% of women are likely to bet on the playoffs, compared with 33% of men.
As for the 35 to 54 age group, 26% will bet, whereas only 15% of those 55 and older do.
The poll was conducted March 5 to 14 on a randomly selected group of 900 Ontario adults, and is considered accurate to within plus or minus 3.3 percentage points 19 times out of 20.
Wagering on the rise: Poll
Quarter of Ontarians will bet on Stanley Cup playoffs
By BRETT CLARKSON, TORONTO SUN
Almost twice as many Ontarians, or 25%, will bet cash on this year's NHL playoffs compared with last year's 14%, suggests a new Ipsos-Reid poll done for the Responsible Gambling Council (Ontario).
No surprise that workplace hockey pools are the main betting outlet, group spokesman George James said yesterday.
Most hockey gamblers are males aged 18 to 24 -- 35% of them put money on the line -- and these guys have "twice the problem rate as the rest of the public," said the council's director of research, Dr. Jamie Wiebe.
Wiebe said issues often arise when bettors start gambling "to forget problems" or "to really depend on it to make money.
"They're fighting with this notion that all they have to do is have one big win and their problems are gone," Wiebe said. "It's all in the attitude, hope to win, expect to lose."
If the Vegas bookies are any indication, Maple Leaf fans hoping to win big will probably be better off with somewhat lower expectations.
Respected Vegas oddsmaker Roxy Roxborough and his americasline.com Web site has both the Leafs and Senators pegged at 9/1 odds to hoist Lord Stanley's grail. A safer bet, although less lucrative, would be the 7/5 odds-on favourite Detroit Red Wings.
Of those who wagered last year, 42% won their bets, the poll reported.
Broken down by gender, the poll revealed that 18% of women are likely to bet on the playoffs, compared with 33% of men.
As for the 35 to 54 age group, 26% will bet, whereas only 15% of those 55 and older do.
The poll was conducted March 5 to 14 on a randomly selected group of 900 Ontario adults, and is considered accurate to within plus or minus 3.3 percentage points 19 times out of 20.