Disclaimer: This article is contributed by Shelley White, chief executive officer of the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC).
Players are indeed citizens of an omnichannel world with the ability to play at a casino, place a bet online, or any number of spots along the way. And it’s without question that this access – coupled with new technological advances – comes with risk. Do traditional concepts in responsible gambling and player protection need to be rethought? How do we promote responsible gambling in a world where gambling is as normalized as it is?
But how? It starts with collaboration and a shared sense of achieving a common goal: a sustainable industry. Meaningful partnerships between industry stakeholders create the foundation required to accelerate the adoption and implementation of a safer gambling industry.
The recently launched regulated online market in Ontario, Canada is the embodiment of this partnership in practice. A shared vision of player protection at the forefront of policy decisions has produced purposeful collaboration between the government and industry stakeholders. Together, this has resulted in a safety net that ensures both platform and consumer safeguards work together to help support a culture of safer play.
Platform Safeguards
Understanding the need to create a robust regulatory framework for online gambling that mirrored the well-established foundation for land-based gambling, the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC)’s RG Check accreditation program was embedded into the licensing agreement for all new operators entering the regulated market. This safety feature ensures uniformity across all operators, and that they maintain the highest level of responsible gambling. This type of third-party assessment ensures platform safeguards are embedded into the platform while giving players the confidence that responsible gambling is integrated into the experience.
Managing the influx of advertising
A by-product of launching regulated markets is undoubtedly the influx of gambling marketing and advertising across all media avenues. Ontario’s media and broadcasting community understood that a balanced approach to advertising was required – a need for prevention education in a market where gambling advertising was sure to dominate media channels while the market establishes itself. The broadcast community recognized this need and partnered with RGC to create a public service announcement educating the public about the risks specific to online gambling and sports betting, as well as donating the media inventory to run the advertisement for one year.
It is partnerships such as these, from both traditional and non-traditional stakeholders that propel responsible gambling to new heights. When stakeholders come together, we are able to tackle both existing and new challenges to player protection in a more holistic way. The onus is no longer just on operators and regulators, but on all stakeholders to come together to make meaningful contributions. By leveraging knowledge and a collaborative spirit, we can stimulate innovation and learning that advances responsible gambling to create a globally sustainable industry.