Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s (OLG) Responsible Gambling (RG) program continues to receive international recognition. The World Lottery Association (WLA) recently awarded OLG the WLA Best Overall Responsible Gambling Program Award. This award recognizes excellence in Responsible Gambling among more than 140 member organizations from around the world.

As the only Internet gaming site regulated by the Ontario government, PlayOLG is built with RG measures in place to encourage healthy player behaviour, to respond to changes in play that may lead to risky gambling, and to direct players to information on where to seek help, if needed.

OLG consulted broadly with a range of stakeholders, researchers and addiction specialists in addition to reviewing available industry and academic research, to develop and implement RG best practices for PlayOLG.

Key Responsible Gambling Features and Play Management Tools on PlayOLG:

1. Limit Setting:

• PlayOLG features play management tools that may be used to set financial or time limits including:
  • Mandatory weekly deposit limits o Loss limits for casino games
  • Time limits for casino game play
  • Lottery purchase limits
• Should someone wish to decrease a self-imposed limit, the change will be made immediately.
• However, if a player wants to increase a limit, he or she will have to wait seven days for a cooling-off period.

 

2. Support Resources:

• PlayOLG provides tools to help players assess their own gambling behaviour:
  • providing self-assessment tests o providing risk profile information
  • access to one’s personal full gambling account history
• Additionally, should an individual have concerns or feel they are experiencing problems, PlayOLG will suggest options that may include:
  • taking a break from playing
  • Self-Exclusion from PlayOLG
  • directing customers to free online or local gambling support resources

 

3. Customized Responsible Gambling Messaging:

• PlayOLG continuously provides RG messages to all players.
• PlayOLG’s data analytic technology assesses the level of play and customizes RG messages to each player:
  • New players and Low Risk assessed players – continuous RG messaging
  • Medium Risk assessed players – 25 per cent more RG messaging
  • High Risk assessed players – 50 per cent more RG messaging
• OLG continually monitors and assesses all RG tools to help ensure RG programming meets the needs of all PlayOLG customers.

 

4. Responsible Gambling Training:

• OLG continually works to help prevent and mitigate the effects of problem gambling.
• While OLG is not able to diagnose a gambling problem, a number of supports are provided to players who have concerns about their gambling behaviour.
• Just as with other OLG lines of business, OLG works with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) to provide customer service employees with training that focuses on recognizing potential problem gambling red flags and making appropriate referrals to resources.

 

5. Underage Play:

• OLG takes underage gambling and age verification seriously.
• A thorough registration process helps ensure that the player registering is actually who they say they are. Sophisticated tools are used to validate a player’s identity, including their age.
• PlayOLG also contains a variety of information for parents to educate them about their responsibility to manage their OLG account in a secure way to prevent anyone else, including their children, from gaining access.
• This includes details about password protection, and how to use tools to restrict access to websites, and tips for monitoring their children’s Internet access and usage.

 

OLG approaches every aspect of responsible gambling online with the same commitment to excellence that it has demonstrated in its other lines of business.

As is the case with other OLG gaming offerings, PlayOLG operates in a regulated environment that is overseen by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).

More information is available at PlayOLG.ca.