Canada’s gambling industry was once more a hot topic of discussion at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada. Leaders from the sector talked about Ontario’s regulated iGaming framework versus the grey market operations. The country’s industry was in the limelight on Day 1 of the expo titled “18 months in: Updates on the Canadian iGaming Market.”
Some of the industry leaders from the panel included the CEO of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, Karin Schnarr, country manager in Canada for Kindred Group, Amanda Brewer, Vice President of legal, compliance and government relations at PointsBet Canada, Chantal Cipriano and CEO of the Responsible Gambling Council, Shelly White. The experts discussed various gambling topics in the country.
Highlights from the G2E Panel
In the last year, the country’s sector recorded some impressive growth, but Ms. Cipriano said the country’s only regulated iGaming framework for private operators continues to be plagued by grey-market and non-local websites. The PointsBet representative said the province struggled in terms of marketing and advertising, which was a major topic over the last year.
In relation to the influx of betting ads and a wave of complaints about the heavy marketing, AGCO banned the use of athletes in commercials and endorsements. However, Ms. Cipriano argues that some U.S. operators could dance around the rules and do indirectly what they cannot do directly. She also noted that several grey-market operators in Ontario continue to advertise throughout the country.
Meanwhile, Ms. White from the RGC claims that there needs to be more investment in responsible gambling as a way of protecting consumers from grey-market websites. She recommended an updated responsible play strategy that also includes a nationwide framework, allowing provinces to individually apply additional protocols and said that thanks to new technology this could be easily done.
Ms. Brewer from PointsBet stated consumers and broadcasters need more intel on RG policies that govern Ontario operators. In her words, this should start with numerous checks and balances, artificial intelligence-driven problem gambling detection, and greater access to support tools. This would take consumer protection to the next level, believes. Ms. Brewer.
Ontario’s Market is Fruitful
While experts are still looking for new protections and advancements in the iGaming sector in Ontario, the province is already reaping the benefits of privatizing its internet market. iGaming Ontario, which oversees the sector, released a report on the first 12 months of the new sector has delivered just over CA$1.48 billion to the province’s gross domestic product with CA$906 million going into labour income.
In addition to that, it also generated CA$238 million in federal government revenue, C$469 million in provincial revenue, and CA$54 million in municipal government proceeds. But it is set to bring even more in the future, as current projections point out that in 2024, the iGaming framework is set to deliver CA$2.9 billion to the province’s GDP.
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