The Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) has illustrated how a year of education, certification and other action continued to propagate responsible gambling in Ontario and beyond.

In its 2023-24 annual report, titled “Impact: Action Drives Change,” the RGC noted that as rapidly evolving technology, media, politics and culture continue to transform the industry, it has become more important to raise RG standards and produce evidence-based recommendations to guide the strategic development of policies and regulations.

Against that backdrop, the RGC said industry leaders have contributed increased funding to advance evidence-informed recommendations for gambling marketing and advertising and digital health policy. The RGC called that “an impact that will result in ripple effects throughout our industry.”

The momentum of those industry-wide efforts is resulting in meaningful impact, said the council.

In particular, RGC conducted research in partnership with Playtech into where new opportunities exist for technology to deliver information and support to players. The council recommended that operators emphasize measures including offering personalized tools tailored by player segment, destigmatizing tool usage and generating operator buy-in to facilitate the development and implementation of a standard suite of digital tools.

The RGC also added Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) to its roster of partners as part of its quest to develop strong relationships within the Canadian sports industry to support integrating responsible gambling practices within the rapidly evolving sector. The RGC developed a workshop for MLSE to equip staff with sports betting harm prevention knowledge and tools.

RG Check has busiest year ever

The RGC operates the RG Check accreditation, which it said “continues to be the most comprehensive responsible gambling accreditation program in the world.”

Last year, more online and land-based operators completed RG Check accreditation than ever before. The RGC doled out 44 new accreditations, 12 land-based and 32 in iGaming, with a particular focus on operators entering Ontario.

“The whole purpose of RG Check is to raise all boats,” said retiring CEO Shelley White on Steve McAllister’s Gaming News Canada podcast. White is stepping down at the end of the year and the RGC expects to name her replacement by the end of November.

As it continues to expand its efforts, RG Check added more analysts and redesigned the team to include new management roles aimed at enhancing delivery and customer service capacity.

PlaySmart Centres go virtual

The RGC also runs the PlaySmart Centre program, in collaboration with Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), which dedicates designated centres and highly trained staff in casinos and charitable gaming centres to provide players with facts, tools and advice about gambling.

The council stated that last year, PlaySmart Centers reached more than half a million players, patrons and gaming staff at 67 land-based gaming venues across Ontario. Some 410,915 players and patrons accessed support, 218,728 visitors received responsible gambling information, 186,766 visitors participated in an interactive educational event series and 5,411 visitors received support and assistance related to gambling concerns.

The RGC also took the PlaySmart Centre program virtual for the first time, giving Ontario gamblers unprecedented access to the toolkit and support resources.

Busting the ‘illusion of control’ myth

Much of the RGC’s outreach over the last year has focused on breaking down what it calls “the illusion of control,” which can cause individuals to experience overconfidence in their ability to predict a win based on knowledge or skill.

In particular, The Randomizer program replicates a video game with a smartphone as the game controller. Users play a replica of a coin collection challenge, but the controller arrows swap positions at randomized intervals between levels. The intention is to illustrate that gaming outcomes are highly unpredictable no matter the player’s level of skill at a certain game. The program had 3,600+ meaningful young adult interactions through 25 in-person activations across Ontario, said the RGC.

Those efforts were supported by the council’s latest public service announcement, “Gambling School.” Viewers were prompted by a call to action to learn more about the risks of gambling and safer play strategies by visiting a custom campaign landing page. RGC and its partners including ThinkTV targeted a wide media mix spanning digital and traditional channels, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and strategically placed websites including theScore. RGC reported the campaign yielded tens of millions of impressions.

VP of Marketing and Communications Elaine McDougall told McAllister that RGC staff are working on new PSAs that will go to market next month, one tailored for sports betting and the other for iGaming.