An advocate for men’s mental health is sounding the alarm about the prevalence of online gambling and the problems it poses to those living with addictions.

Bill Jeffrey is the founder of the Lonely Man Project and is an advocate for men struggling with, and masking, depression and other serious mental health issues.

He’s also a certified addictions counsellor and has seen several people coming to him since the “explosion” of online gambling.

“Some of the dangers you’re looking at is addiction, compulsive behaviour and the financial risks that come with that. People are accumulating a lot of debt, mental health issues, there’s stress, there’s anxiety, there’s a lot of isolation and loneliness,” he told VOCM News.

He says relationships suffer, and there is a real danger posed to underage people who can lie about their age when participating in online gambling.