Personalizing technology is the crucial next step in managing player risk and decreasing the levels of problem gambling, according to experts at the Canadian Gaming Summit.

Moderated by Bill Pascrell III, Partner of Princeton Public Affairs Group, the ‘Managing player risk through tech’ panel held a wide-ranging discussion on the collection of data in gambling and how information can be best utilized to protect and empower consumers.

After captivating the audience with a personal, thought-provoking story of his own, Pascrell III invited Paul Foster, CEO of Crucial Compliance, to explain the cutting-edge technology that the industry is using to help with consumer protection.

“The actual cutting edge technology is data – that’s as good as it gets,” said Foster. “What we’ve been able to do over the last few years is collect huge amounts of data, analyse it, and actually create [player] behaviour models. If we then take that and apply the research that everybody else is doing, that crea..

Former NHL goaltender from Pickering, ON and the current Executive Director of the NHL Alumni Association (NHLAA), Glenn Healy, is set to make a special appearance on a live episode of the ‘Safe Bet Show.’

The podcast, which is hosted by Martin Lycka, Entain’s Senior Vice President of American Regulatory Affairs and Responsible Gambling, will be featured at the Player Protection Symposium, a limited-capacity exclusive event taking place on June 13th at the Metro Toronto Convention Center (Rooms 205 & 206).

This pre-day conference is part of the Canadian Gaming Summit, Canada’s premier gaming and betting event. In its 26th edition, the Summit will be produced by SBC for the first time ever, with the core conference and exhibition also occurring at the same location on June 14-15.

Launched in collaboration with SBC in April 2021, the ‘Safe Bet Show’ is a podcast where Lycka examines how the industry is addressing player protection and social responsibility. Through interviews with lea..

Karl Subban, father of the former ice hockey star PK Subban, has vocalised his opposition to the level of sports betting advertisements in Canada.

It’s a topic that has set tongues wagging recently, particularly in light of the proposal announced by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) last month to ban the use of athletes as part of a significant reform of online gambling advertising standards.

The Ontario crown agency has been engaging with a ‘broad range of stakeholders’ on the topic, and has received approximately 40 submissions to aid its final decision.

The proposal looks to have gained further momentum after the formation of the Coalition for Responsible Sports Betting Advertising, a voluntary organization made up of major sports leagues like MLB and NFL, and leading broadcasters such as Fox and NBCUniversal.

Subban, meanwhile, has joined the Campaign to Ban Ads for Gambling, which is calling for sports betting advertisements to be removed from all hockey broa..

The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) is bolstering identification requirements at casinos in the province, a move designed to support people enrolled in its Game Break self-exclusion program.

Game Break underwent a rebrand earlier this year, with one of the key changes being the introduction of an active reinstatement process for individuals who choose to return to play, enabling better support for those that feel resuming gambling is right for them.

However, the BCLC has also retained a focus on its key principle – protecting players who have joined the self-exclusion program and are at a potentially vulnerable stage.

The new system will require all individuals entering a BC casino to present government-issued photo identification, which will then be scanned by security staff to automatically check whether the person is in the database of those restricted from setting foot in gambling facilities.

Underpinning the Canadian Crown corporation’s goal of having “the healthie..

In a bid to address the elephant in the room – sports and gambling – a host of major sports leagues and broadcasters have joined forces to set up a task force.

Named the ‘Coalition for Responsible Sports Betting Advertising’, the voluntary organization is made up of the following groups:

NFL
MLB
MLS
NASCAR
NBA
WBNA
NHL
NBCUniversal
FOX

The coalition maintains it is abiding by six key principles to help ensure a responsible approach to sports betting advertising:

Sports betting should be marketed only to adults of legal betting age
Sports betting advertising should not promote irresponsible or excessive gambling or degrade the consumer experience
Sports betting advertisements should not be misleading
Sports betting advertisements should be in good taste
Publishers should have appropriate internal reviews of sports betting advertising
Publishers should review consumer complaints pertaining to sports betting advertising

A joint statement from the Coalition for Responsible Sports Bet..

The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) has signed a five-year contract extension with MGM Resorts and its subsidiary BetMGM to continue delivering its responsible gaming program, GameSense.

The program enhances the pair’s guest and customer service models by focusing on ‘positive, transparent and supportive conversations’ with players over how to gamble responsibly.

Coinciding with the start of Problem Gambling Awareness Month, the latest agreement extends a partnership which has been in operation since 2017.

Pat Davis, BCLC President and CEO, commented: “We’re proud to continue providing MGM Resorts with the tools to offer the GameSense experience at its properties and online at BetMGM. When we work together to develop best practices and share learning that support positive play, we can reduce harm and make gambling safer throughout the industry.”

BetMGM fully integrated GameSense into its desktop and mobile platforms last year in an attempt to replicate the experience of..

Online gambling firm Betsson has joined forces with Neccton to provide the latter’s Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Responsible Gambling (RG) tools to its Betsafe brand in Ontario.

Betsafe entered the Canadian province earlier this month after obtaining the necessary licences to operate with both a B2C and B2B offering.

The brand is now supported with Neccton’s ‘mentor’ software which monitors player behaviour in real time and communicates with both player and operator should negative play patterns emerge.

“Betsson takes Anti-Money Laundering and Responsible Gaming very seriously and we are committed to providing the safest and most efficient platform and experience for our players,” said Marina Bogard, Betsson’s Managing Director for North America.

“We are delighted to be working with Neccton’s state-of-the-art innovative solutions to be able to provide our players added confidence in betting and game play.”

Promoting responsible gambling, mentor looks for a raft of potential mar..

Sports betting and gaming operator BetMGM has announced a new pledge to promote responsible gambling in advertising, which will be on show across the US and Canada.

As part of the pledge, responsible gaming messaging will be featured within BetMGM’s mobile app and advertisements ranging from billboard marketing to television, print and radio ads.

The campaign begins Mar. 1, aligning with the start of Problem Gambling Awareness Month.

Adam Greenblatt, BetMGM CEO, commented: “We are committed to leading the industry in promoting responsible gaming, which is why we’re announcing this unprecedented pledge to spotlight responsible gaming messaging in our advertising.

“As the legalized sports betting and online gaming industry continues to expand, it is vital that we not only equip players with tools and resources for how to play in a responsible and safe manner, but that we also make a significant commitment to showcasing responsible gaming in our advertising.”

Additionally, responsibl..