Quebec government says non to regulated gambling market
A report in a Sherbrooke media outlet this week includes comment from the finance minister's office that it's opposed to legal competition to Loto-Québec. And, how to tackle problem gambling.
In this issue:
Quebec government says non to open market
The challenge of tackling problem gambling
Join us on Gaming News Canada Show
Finance minister says non, non, non to open market in La Belle Province
The last time your cordial correspondent contacted the office of Quebec finance minister Eric Girard for his reaction to the results of a survey released by the Quebec Online Gaming Coalition, we were given a polite ‘no comment’.
Well, the same office is now making it loud and clear that the provincial government has no plans to go down the same road to a regulated gambling industry as its neighbours to the west in Ontari-ari-ari-o. In an article published on laTribune.ca - a Sherbrooke media outlet - by reporter Simon Roberge on Monday, a spokesperson for Girard said the province has zero interest in licensing sports betting and gaming operators to compete with Loto-Québec.
“What we observe in other jurisdictions is that the changes made have led to overexposure to online gambling advertisements and a trivialization of gambling,” the Finance Minister’s office passed along to Roberge. “This is not what we want in Quebec.
“Furthermore, several experts believe that with the massive arrival of cell phones, deregulation is not desirable. This has an effect on the rise in pathological gambling, particularly among young people.”
The Tribune article appeared almost a week after an appearance by Alberta minister Dale Nally at the ICE conference in London that included joining Ontario attorney general Doug Downey and iGaming Ontario boss Martha Otton on a Canadian gambling industry roundtable, and meetings with several operators licensed to do business in Ontario.
For now, it appears the Francois Legault government is standing by Loto-Québec as the lone operator to deliver tax revenue from sports wagering and igaming to the province. Sylvia Kairouz, the research chair on gaming at Concordia University, told Roberge she questions that approach.
“I don’t know what the life expectancy of a state monopoly on the internet is,” said the Concordia professor. “It is important that we think seriously about the role of a state corporation. For land-based gaming, I think having a state-owned company is an excellent solution, but a monopoly cannot survive in an environment so open to competition.”
Gaming News Canada reached out yesterday to the Quebec Online Gaming Coalition, created in May 2023 to advocate for the development of a new regulated marketplace in La Belle Province. The coalition provided a statement from its spokesperson, Nathalie Bergeron, who will join us on the Gaming News Canada Show this afternoon.
“We are not asking Québec to implement the exact same model as Ontario, of course, the government would have control over the measures it deems necessary to implement to better represent the interests of both Québec players and the province,” stated Bergeron. “What we are asking is that the government take into account the preference of 73 per cent of Québec players, who choose to play on privately operated platforms, and implement a standardized system that will offer the same high standards of responsible gaming, whether they choose to play with private operators, or with Loto-Québec.
“Knowing that such a model could also generate a minimum of $230 million in additional revenues for the government each year, what we are currently witnessing from Loto-Québec is a self-protecting monopoly.”
The challenge to tackling problem gambling
At the beginning of this week, your depreciating dispatcher hopped on the Zoom thing to join a university class of future card-carrying members of sports media and provide a thought or three about the changing world of online sports wagering and gaming.
The Q and A session provided the opportunity to share some words of wisdom about gambling responsibly, given the extensive coverage of young adults betting and gaming in the digital world. This week, it includes:
The Guardian in Australia reported on a study conducted by the Australian Research Study that showed “children as young as 12 believe celebrities and influencers who are paid to promote gambling are making the practice seem safe, normal, attractive and fun”.
Chris Serres of the Boston Globe, in an article published on Super Bowl Sunday, reported an increase in young people showing up at mental health clinics and Gambler Anonymous meetings.
A study released recently on the Impacts of Legal Gambling in Connecticut is more than 200 pages and it reports that half of sports wagers made in the state come from the accounts of problem gamblers. The study caught the attention of the U.S. senator who wants federal funding to support problem gambling initiatives:
A media outlet in Florida reported that calls to gambling addiction hotlines have shot up dramatically since the legalization of sports betting apps.
Elected officials in West Virginia are pushing legislation to force regulated operators to share data for responsible gaming research purposes.
EPIC Global Solutions executive - and recovering gambling addict - Dan Trolaro sounded the alarm about problem gambling in an op-ed on the eve of the Super Bowl.
An Illinois lawmaker has submitted a bill to create a problem gambling task force.
Lawmakers in New Jersey have put forward a “handful” of responsible gambling bills.
Here in Ontario, and across other parts of our home and native land, there’s been a dearth of research when it comes to gambling by young people in this new world of sportsbook apps, and online casino, slots and poker games - especially since the launch of Ontario’s regulated marketplace almost two years ago. It’s been a frequent topic of discussion on the Gaming News Canada Show among industry veterans such as Paul Burns and Amanda Brewer, and Dr. Michael Naraine from Brock University.
“The most recent study (in Canada) took place in 2020. That’s relatively new, but not when you consider all of the changes to the gambling landscape,” Elaine McDougall, the VP of marketing and communications for the Responsible Gambling Council, told GNC during an interview yesterday afternoon. “A number of provinces are looking at their own prevalence studies, but nothing has been released yet.
“We would love to have it to help with our prevention programming.”
The RGC hosted a provincial roundtable “a couple of weeks ago”, McDougall said, with representation from ethnocultural communities, residence life and student organizations from universities and colleges, along with representatives from Connex Ontario and other treatment programs.
“We will continue to do those,” McDougall said. “There’s a need for more education. We need to balance out the normalization of gambling. We need to increase the knowledge of safer play strategies and the access to help.”
When it comes to millennials and Gen Zers, the RGC has a dedicated section on its website that provides information about gambling. Among the sessions on the agenda for the council’s Discovery 2024 conference next month is one that deals with protection measures for young sports bettors.
“This generation has grown up with smartphones and they’re integrated into their lives,” said McDougall. “It’s how they keep track of their friendships, school, and it’s also their entertainment. There’s a fluid nature in how they’re using this technology and we are seeing that in the harms from gambling, social media and overall use.”
McDougall added: “As part of our youth strategy, we’re starting to build out a strategy with parents. Gambling isn’t on the radar of what parents are concerned about with their children, so it’s really important to get that onto their radar so they can be aware and have those conversations about safe technology use.”
While operators, regulators and other stakeholders in these parts await research to help direct finding solutions around problem gambling (Memo to the Douglas Ford government: take some of those hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue from the province’s 49 licensed operators and OLG for funding studies such as the ones mentioned above), McDougall said they aren’t standing still.
“They’re saying ‘how can we work together to find opportunities for getting the word out about responsible gambling?’. That’s a really strong indication we’re headed in the right direction.”
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Gaming News Canada Show, post-Valentine’s Day edition
Don’t forget to pour some water into the vase and grab those leftover Valentine’s Day treats before joining us this afternoon on LinkedIn Audio for the latest Gaming News Canada Show.
Our panel of experts will dive into the news and biggest stories of the week with perhaps a postmortem of the Super Bowl. . . or not. And in case you missed last week’s show:
The 411 on Alberta's regulated gambling regime, ICE was nice, and setting up Super Bowl LVIII
On the Home Front
Betty CEO Justin Park did the Q and A thing with Mark Keast of CDC Gaming Reports on the gaming company’s presence in Ontari-ari-ari-o.
Very good sleuthing by Matthew Lomon for Play Canada on a recent scam involving Woodbine Casino.
Booming Games has been granted a licence to thrill by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
OLG is launching a pilot project of putting self-serve lottery terminals in select retail locations.
A trio of Westman First Nations has signed an MOU to build a casino near Brandon, Man., on land owned by Sioux Valley Dakota Nation.
The Responsible Gambling Council took to the LinkedIn to summarize the week that was for its people at ICE.
Canadian organization Greo submitted an article to the International Association of Gaming Regulators on approaches to voluntary self-exclusion.
Finally, Fogler Robinoff LLP is the latest member of the Canadian Gaming Association.
Classified (Jobs) Information
The UK Betting & Gaming Council is on a seek-and-employ mission for a Chief Executive.
The Responsible Gambling Council is in hiring mode for a Program Analyst.
Greo Evidence Insights is on the lookout for two Senior Evaluation Specialists.
BCLC is looking for a Senior Manager, External Communications and Government Relations.
Wanted by theScore: an Engineering Manager, QA Automation, and a Senior Product Designer, iCasino. You can check out the other opportunities at theScore/Penn by clicking here.
Woodbine Entertainment is on the lookout for a Senior Manager, Product and Design.
Hard Rock Digital has an opportunity at its Toronto office for a QA Manager.
Pinnacle, meanwhile, is in the market for a Cloud Data Warehouse Technical Lead.
DraftKings has an opening for a Senior Manager, Sportsbook Operations.
LeoVegas Group is on the hunt for an Affiliate Manager/Senior Affiliate Manager.
The Action Network has openings for an HR Generalist, U.S. and Canada to be based in Toronto, a Casino SEO Content Manager, and a Talent Acquisition Recruiter in Colombia. And, oh yeah, there’s a paying gig in DC for a Chief of Staff.
Red Bull Australia is looking for a Head of Gaming & Esports.
OverActive Media is seeking a Team Coordinator, Team Defiant to fill a fixed-term contract.
Delaware North is in hiring mode for an Analyst, iGaming with the flexibility to work remotely.
Penn Interactive is searching for an HR Generalist to work out of its Cherry Hill, NJ, office.
FairPlay Sports Media is seeking someone with social media skills who has a method to March Madness. And, it is still looking for a Head of SEO.
The folks running the women’s professional tennis tour have an opportunity for a Vice President, Marketing and Social Media.
Destination Vancouver is hiring a FIFA World Cup Activation Lead for the 2026 men’s tournament.
Canadian Women & Sport continues its pursuit of a Manager, Finance & Operations.
The Canadian Football League has an opening for a Director, Broadcast Partnerships, and is seeking a Manager, Player Marketing.
The National Women’s Soccer League is on the lookout for a Director, Media Partnerships.
Wanted by the United Soccer League: a Director, Marketing - USL Super League.
The Brampton Honey Badgers of the CEBL are hiring an Account Executive - Ticket Sales.
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