CON: The research is pretty clear that new gambling opportunities are usually associated with an increase in problem gambling, but the impact tends to be time limited, Williams says. “So Hamilton would most likely experience an increase in problem gambling for a few years, but then it would probably return to what it was before, as the community got used to this new gaming offering,” he added. Ontario’s Responsible Gaming Council says about 3.4 per cent of the population are “problem gamblers.”