CGA Hosts Player Health and Well-Being Symposium

Just as the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario penalized PointsBet Canada for breaching provincial responsible gambling standards, the Canadian Gaming Association made an important announcement. CGA revealed that it will be hosting a player health and wellbeing symposium. The event will take place on December 5-6, 2023, in Toronto, Ontario.

The CGA is a national trade association that represents numerous leading online and land-based operators, and providers in Canada’s gambling, sports betting, eSports, and lottery sectors. Its objective is to lobby for the advancement of a regulated, responsible, and sustainable gaming industry across Canada via collaboration, education and advocacy.

Some of the Items on the Agenda

Next month the association will host its “Commitment and Strategy to Promote Player Health and Wellbeing” and invites everyone to join it on December 5 and 6 in Toronto. The event will feature representatives of the association, along with ones from professional sports leagues, broadcasters, Crown corporation, regulator, and the Responsible Gambling Council.

Some of the items from the agenda at the symposium include RGC organizing a workshop to focus on developing guiding protocols for responsible gambling on behalf of the association. RGC’s Chief Executive Officer, Shelley White said the initiative is the first step in a process that will end with the council providing recommendations to the association’s membership.

At the event, CGA will also present new research by IPSOS and it has enlisted the services of Ad Standards Canada to provide a national advertising code for gambling. Ad Standard Canada will now undergo the process of developing it. Meanwhile, for those interested in attending the gambling event tickets can be purchased at EventBrite and general admissions cost CA$59.91.

In a statement, CGA said that over the past decades, the industry has advanced in creating a gambling environment that allows the optimal player and community health and well-being, first at brick-and-mortar casino properties in Canada, and in the iGaming segment. In its press, the associations noted that it is devoted to further advancing these efforts.

AGCO Taking Action Against Influx of Ads

In the meantime, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, responsible for Ontario’s iGaming Sector, engaged industry stakeholders to provide clarity on new advertising standards in the province. This is in relation to the regulator’s new rules, banning the use of pro athletes and celebrities in gambling promotions and ads, in an attempt to protect youth.

Previously, gambling experts have also discussed how heavy sports betting marketing can affect children. David Hodgins, a professor with the University of Calgary’s psychology department who works with the Alberta Gambling Research Institute said the influx of betting advertisements has changed how sports betting is viewed. He believes it exposes many people to gambling, normalizes such activities, and increases risks among people.

Source: “Canadian Gaming Association releases date for player health and wellbeing symposium” Gaming News Canada, November 14, 2023