A Losing Hand (The Human Costs of Canada's Gambling Epidemic)

A Losing Hand exposes a hidden crisis at the heart of Canada’s booming gambling industry: suicide.

As governments expand casinos, sports betting, and online gaming, they meticulously track the revenue they receive, but turn a blind eye to its most devastating human cost. Through gripping personal stories and a comprehensive investigation, journalist Rob Csernyik shows how public officials evade accountability for lives shattered by gambling addiction—for instance, rarely recording gambling as a risk factor in suicide. They refuse to confront the disturbing question of how many Canadians are dying from activities actively promoted by their governments.

From the rise of video lottery terminals to the explosion of smartphone betting, A Losing Hand shows how modern gambling has become more accessible, more immersive, and more dangerous than ever. The result is a crisis hiding in plain sight, one that policymakers have ignored for decades.

A powerful work of investigative journalism, this book forces a reckoning with the true cost of gambling in Canada.