CanadianGamingBusiness

As it looks to build on a reported fast start in Alberta’s new iGaming market, BetMGM has extended its partnership with Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid and will soon launch a new ad featuring the Canadian hockey star.

The operator and Connor McDavid have worked together since 2022, mostly promoting BetMGM’s responsible gambling tools in line with Ontario’s iGaming advertising regulations.

On Thursday, Oct. 15, BetMGM announced it has renewed the partnership with three-time NHL Hart Memorial Trophy winner. Connor McDavid will continue to appear in BetMGM’s responsible gambling-focused content across broadcast, digital, and social platforms.

“Connor has been an exceptional partner in helping us show that responsible gambling can be both engaging and effective,” said BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt. “The results of our campaign reflect how thoughtful messaging can drive meaningful action, with more players using tools like deposit limits to play within their comfort level.

“We’re..

After welcoming commercial online casinos and sportsbooks to the province this summer, the government of Alberta has pledged new funding to expand gambling addiction treatment and related services.

The government announced in a press release on Thursday, Sept. 24, that it will provide approximately $2.4m to Brick House Recovery Centre in an effort to ensure provincial residents have access to specialized care to address gambling issues.

Brick House is an Alberta-based addiction service provider that offers evidence-based treatment and support. The government said that its funding will help the centre deliver a flexible outpatient program consisting of four weeks of outpatient treatment and up to eight weeks of subsequent individualized aftercare to support ongoing recovery.

Treatment is available in-person at centres in Edmonton and Calgary or online across the province.

“Gambling can ruin people’s lives and livelihoods,” said Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Dale..

BetMGM’s name carries a lot of weight with Canadian customers. So does its choice of partners.

The operator has a leading position in Ontario’s dual online sports betting and iCasino market, which was its first expansion outside the U.S. Imminently, Alberta will become the Entain and MGM Resorts International joint venture’s first new online casino market in four years; BetMGM is signing up customers in that province ahead of regulated Alberta iGaming beginning on July 13.

As both Ontario and Alberta expect and demand from their online sportsbooks and casinos, BetMGM continues to serve customers with access to a range of responsible gambling resources and tools. More than most competitors, the brand has recruited some bona fide Canadian star power to showcase the company’s commitment to player protection.

Enter Edmonton Oilers captain and Canadian hockey icon Connor McDavid.

‘Authenticity and cultural credibility’

BetMGM’s latest responsible gambling campaign, ‘Mullet Over’, is de..

Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) now requires some younger players to set mandatory deposit limits to help control their online gambling activity.

Certain players under 25 years old who use OLG’s online platforms must now set a daily, weekly, or monthly cap (or some combination of the three) on how much money they can add to their account. OLG Director of Media Relations Tony Bitonti told Canadian Gaming Business that players will be selected for the new mandatory deposit limits “based on their level of engagement.”

“For example, currently, after a player under 25 deposits $500 or more at one time into their account, they will be prompted to set a deposit limit,” Bitonti added.

Targeted at a vulnerable demographic

The crown corporation said in an OLG press release on June 1 that the new measure, introduced specifically for the under-25 user demographic, is designed to provide further responsible gambling support for a player group that research consistently identifies ..

A group of Liberal Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) in Ontario have authored legislation that would ban most online gambling advertising in the province.

MPP Lee Fairclough’s Bill 107, titled the “Stop Harmful Gambling Advertising Act,” was introduced in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on Monday. It arrives in addition to a federal effort to rein in sports betting-specific advertising, S-211, which has passed the Senate and currently sits in the House of Commons.

MPPs target all online gambling ads, not just sports

Unlike that federal Private Member’s Bill (PMB), which aims to establish a national framework for regulating sports betting ads, Fairclough’s PMB proposes an explicit ban on online gambling advertising at large. It would amend Ontario’s Gaming Control Act of 1992 to prohibit any of the province’s almost 50 online sportsbooks and online casinos from advertising or otherwise promoting their sites or products in the province.

The bill includes some carveouts, inc..

The Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) has called upon Canada’s financial sector to take more of a ‘proactive role’ in combatting gambling-related financial harm.

Publishing a new white paper entitled ‘Opportunities for Impact: The Role of Financial Institutions in Mitigating Gambling-Related Harm’, the RGC noted that financial institutions are in a unique position to both understand the financial well-being of their customers and better strategise how to address gambling-related harms.

“The rapid expansion of regulated gambling in Canada requires an evolved response from our financial systems,” says Tracy Parker, SVP, Accreditation, Advisory & Insights at RGC.

“By adopting tools already proven in other jurisdictions, Canadian banks can become leaders in protecting customer financial health.”

According to a 2021 study reported in the Canadian Journal of Public Health,2.7% of Canadians can be identified as “at-risk gamblers” and 0.6% are “problem-gamblers”.

With direct access to ..