Rob Kilner's clients carry gambling debts ranging from a few thousand dollars to more than a quarter million.

One lost $250,000 on sports betting apps this year. Another spent $100,000 over two years, with his partner in the dark for most of it, he said.

“I just signed up a husband who had not told his wife until about two months ago,” said Kilner, a licensed insolvency trustee in Ontario.

While those sums are above average, Kilner has watched both his tally of clients and the depth of their gambling debts balloon in recent years.

“Ten years ago I didn’t see anyone, because you’d actually have to go into a casino,” he added. “It’s just the last two, three years.”

The rise of online sports betting and casino apps has yielded big profits for gambling companies. But insolvency and psycho

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