canadiangamingbusiness

As the issue of advertising continues to feature heavily in the conversation around sports betting, Canadian Football League (CFL) Commissioner Randy Ambrosie leader has dismissed the idea that a national framework would be helpful.

Bill S-269, the National Framework on Advertising for Sports Betting Act, was heard last month at two Standing Committee on Transport and Communications sessions. While it draws the line at advocating for a blanket ban, it proposes that a national framework for sports betting advertising be developed and implemented across the country, including limiting the frequency of gambling adverts.

However, Ambrosie doesn’t agree that’s the way forward.

“While Bill S-269 may be well-intentioned, we do not agree a national framework is required to regulate the advertising of sports betting in Canada,” Ambrosie wrote in a letter to the committee.

Ambrosie noted that the CFL regulates betting ads on league-controlled channels, “such as broadcast-visible signage on t..

The Canlan Sports arena in Oakville, Ont. has removed adverts for theScore Bet sportsbook and online gaming platform after a review by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) found they violated the rule about not targeting minors.

The ads were removed late last month after a complaint was sent to the commission by the advocacy group Ban Ads for Gambling arguing that the ads’ presence at a facility predominantly used by children contravened the AGCO’s regulations. The branding appeared on locker room doors, on boards at the arena, underneath scoreboards and behind benches.

An AGCO review found that they compromised Section 2 of the registrar’s standards for gaming, which notes that advertising and marketing materials and communications “shall not target underage or self-excluded persons to participate in lottery schemes.” It also specifies that ads may not “appear in media and venues directed primarily to minors, or where most of the audience is reasonably expected to be ..

The Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) has announced that CEO Shelley White will retire in December after eight years in the position.

The RGC is actively seeking a replacement for White and has posted a full job listing for the role, which she had occupied since joining the organisation in early 2017. She joined from the United Way of Peel Region, a social services organisation located in the Peel Region of the Greater Toronto Area, where she had been CEO for 14 years.

“Shelley’s commitment to RGC and the people, organizations, and communities we serve globally is unparalleled,” the RGC posted in a statement on LinkedIn. “We will celebrate Shelley and the remarkable contribution she has made to RGC as her retirement date approaches.”

“It has been an honour to serve as CEO of the Responsible Gambling Council,” White said in her own statement. “I feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to work with such an outstanding board of directors, staff team, and stakeholders, over the ..

Practicing responsible gambling is not only about getting the message out. It’s about ensuring that message lands in an impactful way and engages players by supplying them with the tools they need.

In a jurisdiction like Ontario that has a multi-cultural and multi-faceted player base, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.

At this year’s Player Protection Symposium at the SBC Summit North America, several experts discussed the issue during a session entitled Conscious Commerce: The Interplay of Branding & RG. One of the speakers was Aaron GlynWilliams, Director of Policy, Research and Strategy at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.

He noted that appealing to a varied audience like Ontario’s is a delicate act.

“How do we appeal to a very multicultural under-35 audience?” GlynWilliams asked during the panel session. “It’s important to first understand those elements in your player base.”

To that end, OLG conducts a quarterly survey of its users and has done so for the last f..

With the digital age of gambling ushering in an array of cutting-edge technologies, innovative marketing initiatives and gaming experiences, player safety might risk being overlooked.

The upcoming Canadian Gaming Summit will bring the player safety discussion back to the forefront, equipping delegates with the latest safeguarding practices and ethical marketing strategies that promote growth without compromising player well-being.

The 300-person Player Protection Symposium will take place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto on Tuesday, June 18, a day before the core days of the summit. Delegates will delve into crucial player protection issues, including effective strategies for marketing responsible gambling initiatives, methods to safeguard high-stakes players, and discussions on establishing a robust yet reputable brand for operators.

Opening the symposium is the panel titled ‘Safeguarding the Stakes: Strategies for Player Protection at the VIP/High Roller Level,’ w..

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has partnered with the Professional Footballers’ Association Canada (PFA Canada) to design a sports-integrity education program for players and staff in the Canadian Premier League (CPL).

The program will touch on the dangers of sports betting-related match-fixing on the integrity of the league and their careers, as well as the potential to defraud operators and customers.

Approximately 300 players and staff will receive education from across the eight teams in Canada’s top-tier soccer competition. Training will be provided both in person and through online resources.

The program started in May and the agreement also stipulates that the program will also be delivered in 2025 to ensure new players joining the league also receive the education.

“IBIA’s members take their role – as responsible regulated betting operators – in protecting the integrity of sporting competition and of betting markets seriously,” said IBIA CEO Khalid A..

The Ontario government has pledged $9 million to bolster responsible gambling measures in the province as part of a three-year investment plan.

The funding for the Responsible Internet Gambling Fund (RIGF) was announced during the Responsible Gambling Council’s annual Discovery Conference. It will support the creation of education and additional resources for Ontario players, improving consumer education campaigns, expanding community outreach programs and building partnerships with community groups all with the aim of ensuring every Ontarian bettor and player has easy access to a range of RG resources.

The RGC called the announcement a “monumental moment” and stated that the additional funding will pave the way for it to “further enhance its consumer education campaigns, expand community outreach programming, and build partnerships with local community groups to deliver its message to more Ontarians.”

“Ontario has long been a champion for responsible gambling and this investment in..

Caesars Sportsbook has been awarded the Responsible Gambling Council‘s RG Check accreditation, certifying the quality of the sportsbook’s responsible gaming efforts including such as player and team education, public awareness advertisements, and funding for organizations dedicated to RG research and education.

Caesars said in a statement that the assessment validates that its sportsbook arm is among the industry leaders in responsible gaming.

“We are honoured to receive the RG Check accreditation from the Responsible Gambling Council,” said Eric Hession, President of Caesars Digital.

“For more than 30 years, Caesars Entertainment has been at the forefront of Responsible Gaming, implementing policies that have carried over to Caesars Sportsbook to educate our players on how to play responsibly and providing responsible gaming tools. This acknowledgment validates our efforts to continue to improve our responsible gaming practices and ensure our players are gaming with us for the righ..

DraftKings and Kindbridge Behavioral Health have extended their partnership with the aim of providing more readily accessible treatment for problem gambling to encompass all of the sportsbook’s active markets.

The sportsbook and the mental health service provider originally teamed up back in September to launch a pilot program to deliver personalized support for sports bettors in Colorado. Now, they will provide access to therapy and treatment for problem gaming in every jurisdiction where DraftKings operates its online sportsbook and iGaming products, including Ontario and 25 U.S. states.

Starting from April 1, every DraftKings customer will have access to comprehensive mental health assessments, care providers, and personalized care plans via Kindbridge when they self-exclude within the DraftKings platform.

The two partners have developed a system that they say effectively and accessibly links self-excluded players with numerous support options, including educational content, init..

iGaming Ontario has announced it is now seeking proposals in its ongoing efforts to construct a centralized self-exclusion solution for gaming in the province.

From now until April 24, iGO is accepting bids for a software-as-a-service (SaaS) project that intends to make it as easy as possible for provincial sports bettors to voluntarily ban themselves from any regulated website. The successful bidder will collaborate with iGO on a multi-year project to build the program. The project term is listed on the iGO website as five years.

“Partnering with iGO on this multi-year project offers a unique and exciting opportunity for forward-thinking and innovative organizations prepared to make a lasting positive impact on the igaming landscape in Ontario,” said the agency, which works hand-in-hand with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), and the Government of Ontario to regulate the private-sector online gaming market.

Ontario..