Unregulated internet gambling is simply adding to the growing problem of addiction, delegates attending the Canadian Association of Suicide Prevention conference in Toronto were told this week.

An estimated 200 compulsive gamblers commit suicide in Canada every year, said Terry Flynn, a director of spiritual care at the Bellwood Health Services facility in Toronto.

The growth of gambling on the internet, where no regulations exist, is making the problem worse, Flynn said.

"It's hidden. You can lie about it and tell people you're doing your homework or that you're researching something, but in fact you're getting into deep trouble," he said.

The ever-increasing options available to gamblers in the North — everything from card games to the internet — are contributing to the growing problem, Iqaluit counsellor Sheila Levy told delegates.

"They are doing very well with their jobs and making a lot of money, and yet their children are going hungry often because the money goes perhaps in one night in gambling," Levy said.

Tuktoyaktuk delegate Helen Gruben said gambling addiction is also on the rise in the Northwest Territories.

"Gambling is a real problem," she said. "Now it's the kids that stay home alone."

Organizers of the conference say about 3,500 people commit suicide in Canada each year or about 10 per day.