$9M investment plans to promote responsible gambling in Ontario

It has recently been announced that the Government of Ontario intends on investing a total of $9 million to promote responsible gambling in the province. 

This $9M pledge forms part of a three-year investment plan, the aim of which is to bolster the responsible gambling measures that have already been put in place in Ontario. 

This announcement was made known during the Responsible Gambling Council’s annual Discovery Conference that took place at the end of March 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. 

During this annual conference, it was announced that this intended funding would be allocated to the Responsible Internet Gambling Fund (RIGF). 

The focus of this large investment fund is to support the creation of educational and additional resources for active gambling players residing in Ontario. 

The intended goals of this three-year investment can be summarized as follows: 

• Expand community outreach programs 

• Build partnerships with community groups 

• Improve consumer education campaigns  

• Ensure that every single player residing in Ontario has easy access to a wide range of Responsible Gaming resources. 

The Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) made a statement following the news of this newly allocated investment, referring to it as a “monumental moment”.  

In addition to this, the council’s statement continued by highlighting the way in which this additional funding will aid immensely in paving 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 all Ontarians.” 

Comments made with regards to this massive announcement 

Shelley White, the CEO of the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC), made the following statements: 

“Ontario has long been a champion for responsible gambling and this investment into prevention education and programming and today’s announcement is a game-changer. This clearly demonstrates Ontario is the Canadian leader in promoting responsible play, minimizing harm and creating a strong, sustainable online gambling market. 

“We applaud and thank the Ontario government for this welcome and historic investment into responsible play. We know online gambling comes with unique risks and this funding will have a positive and meaningful impact on the lives of so many Ontarians by providing them with the resources and programming to help keep them safe and build a culture of responsible play in this new environment.” 

Additional efforts to ensure player safety and protection 

The iGaming market in the province of Ontario has grown exponentially in the last couple of years, but so has their approach towards efficient responsible gambling measures and practices. 

In this regard, Ontario has increased their efforts considerably to ensure that the safety and protection of their players is guaranteed. 

In particular, we can point out the way in which, in November of 2023, the Canadian Gaming Association (CGA) announced their initiative to release of a new program called the CGA Commitment and Strategy to Promote Player Health and Wellbeing.  

The launch of this program took place on December 5th, 2024. Amongst other goals, it aims to create responsible gambling principles for the association, as well as to produce a well-established code of conduct for advertising and marketing materials surrounding gambling in Ontario. 

In addition to this, iGaming Ontario (iGO) has recently released its request for a proposal process involving a centralized self-exclusion solution for gaming in Ontario. 

The deadline for the submission to this application came to an end on April 24th, 2024. 

The project in question is referred to as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) project, the aim of which is to make the process of voluntarily banning oneself from any regulated sports betting website as easy as possible for sports bettors.  

The successful candidate of this application process will collaborate with the iGO on a program creation project that will span multiple years. 

The iGO, a subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) that works in tandem with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) and the Government of Ontario, made the following statement with regards to this newly launched project: 

“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.” 

Operators are rewarded for their efforts to promote responsible gambling 

The Responsible Gambling Council continues to reward operators in Ontario for their painstaking efforts to promote effective responsible gambling patterns in the province. 

Just a few weeks prior to the release of this article, The RGC made an announcement regarding their accreditation of certain gambling brands operating in the province, as well as the highly efficient responsible gambling practices that they have implemented for their player’s well-being. 

Those operators in Ontario that have successfully been approved by the RGC are awarded with the RG Check accreditation.  

This accreditation certifies that the iGaming brand in question “has achieved the highest standards for their responsible gambling practices.” 

More about the Responsible Gambling Council 

The Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) describes itself as follows: 

“The Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) is a respected, independent non-profit organization. We have been a leader in the prevention of problem gambling in Canada and globally for 40 years. 

“The Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) is dedicated to reducing gambling risks through innovation, awareness and improved safeguards. We believe that gambling should never come at a human cost. Find out how we’re promoting safer gambling in communities around the world, helping industry stakeholders mitigate risk and minimize harms and uncovering new insights about gambling and its impact on people, businesses and communities.” 

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) 

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is a provincial regulating agency that is responsible for a number of sectors within the province of Ontario. 

This corporation falls under the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario Act, 2019. 

The sectors that are under the jurisdiction of the AGCO include the following: 

• Lottery and Gambling 

• Cannabis retail stores 

• Alcohol 

• Horse Racing 

In accordance with this, the AGCO administers the following: 

• The Liquor License and Control Act, 2019 

• The Gaming Control Act, 1992 

• The Horse Racing License Act, 2015 

• The Cannabis License Act, 2018 

• The charity lottery licensing Order-in-Council 1413/08 

With the public’s interest as their primary focus, this provincial regulatory agency reports to the Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG). 

iGaming Ontario (iGO) 

The iGO (iGaming Ontario) is a subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gambling Commission of Ontario (AGCO). 

The iGO is responsible for the managing and conduct of internet gaming in the province of Ontario: 

“iGaming Ontario (iGO) has worked with the Government of Ontario and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) to establish a new online gaming market that helps protect consumers gambling through private gaming companies (Operators).” 

The iGO was established in July 2021 and has worked in collaboration with the AGCO and the Government of Ontario in order to bring the “the world’s best online gambling experiences to the province in a safer environment, helping to protect consumers and provide more choice.” 

In this way, only those gaming operators who have successfully registered their private gaming companies with the AGCO and have made an operating agreement with the iGO can provide their online games to the players of the province of Ontario, Canada. 

Regarding the operators that can offer online games in Ontario, the iGO went on to say the following: 

“Operators offer gaming sites in the market on behalf of the province in accordance with these agreements. Through these relationships, gaming revenues are shared with the Government of Ontario to be used in support of provincial priorities.”