Young Canadian adults spend a lot of time online, mostly on Facebook, as well as watching hockey and trying to make their wishes come true by playing the lottery, according to a new survey.

Adults 18-34 spend an average of 27 hours per week on the Internet, 80 per cent have played a lottery game in the last year and 58 per cent say the National Hockey League is their favourite sports league to watch, found an Ipsos-Reid study.

Of those hours spend online, 81 per cent of Canadians said they have registered a Facebook profile, and 23 per cent have a MySpace account. When not online, Canadians have time to send an average of 78.7 text messages per week, watch 4.8 hours of television on an average weekday, and 4.6 on an average weekend day.

Lottery games such as 6/49 and Lotto Max garner a lot of attention; however, online gambling has been rising. Over 30 per cent of Canadians express an interest in Internet gambling, with 20 per cent playing for real money. Nearly one in five Canadians perceive Internet gambling as being an illegal activity.

"For those in the lottery and gaming sector, the interest in playing games on the Internet and the comfort with mobile and online communication are critical factors in determining and creating new and innovative product offerings," Samantha McAra, Senior Research Manager with Ipsos Reid.

Betting on sports may be a grey area, but Canadians do love watching sports. Hockey is first, with the National Football League (32 per cent) and Canadian Football League (29 per cent) being the other main choices.

"It should come as no surprise here—football culture in America and hockey culture in Canada run deep and tie in closely to national identity," says McAra. "But what is interesting is that for a country with no NFL team and a reputation for winter sports, many Canadians have an interest in the NFL."

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