TORONTO, ON – For people who wish to limit or stop their gambling, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) is extending its Self-Exclusion Program to all 31 Charitable Gaming Centres throughout the province.

The new Self-Exclusion Program is part of the province’s Charitable Gaming Revitalization initiative and is an extension of the Self-Exclusion Program currently available at all OLG slots, casino, and resort casino facilities.

Self-Exclusion is a voluntary self-help program offered by OLG and requires an individual to commit to staying away from Charitable Gaming Centres in Ontario. An individual who is registered in OLG’s Charitable Gaming Self-Exclusion Program is prohibited from entering all Charitable Gaming Centres in the province, is removed from Charitable Gaming direct marketing, and is ineligible to win Charitable Gaming prizes. A self-excluded individual is required to reinstate before returning to any Charitable Gaming Centre.

“Extending OLG’s Self-Exclusion Program to Charitable Gaming Centres in Ontario is an important part of how we are building awareness and understanding of problem gambling prevention,” said Paul Pellizzari, Executive Director of Policy and Social Responsibility at OLG. “In addition to identifying the local resources and community agencies to support those with gambling concerns, we are working with the Responsible Gaming Resource Centres at each of the Charitable Gaming sites to introduce the program.”

Background on Charitable Gaming in Ontario

In the past 10 years, OLG has been working with the CGAO and the OCGA to revitalize the province’s Charitable Bingo and Gaming industry. By developing and introducing new products and technologies that have invigorated the traditional Charitable Gaming experience, more money has been generated for thousands of local charities across the province. The revitalization initiative is preserving and enhancing funding for charities across Ontario while creating economic benefits, including employment opportunities at local Charitable Gaming centres.

A pilot program was started in 2005 to test electronic versions of existing paper-based bingo games with six Charitable Gaming Centres in five communities in Ontario.

Following the success of this pilot project, a phased rollout of a new suite of electronic games was introduced to other Charitable Gaming Centres in the province. This started in 2012.  The new Charitable Gaming products offer customers more choice and complement existing paper bingo games:

• Electronic Bingo: Charitable Gaming Centres offer terminals with touch screens that allow players to touch the screen to dab the numbers and play along.
• Play On Demand (POD): A collection of electronic games that can be played anytime, with great prizes to be won.
• TapTix: The evolution of the classic Break Open Ticket features an interactive display screen on a ticket dispenser.

The new games allow Charitable Gaming Centres to offer more customer choice and appeal to a broader demographic, while providing a different gaming entertainment experience from traditional bingo.

In total, 31 Charitable Gaming Centres have raised more than $100 million in additional money for local charities and their communities.

As part of the revitalization, OLG assisted in introducing Responsible Gaming Resource Centres at all of the 31 Charitable Gaming Centres.  The RGRCs, managed by the Responsible Gambling Council of Ontario, offer effective educational tools and resources to build awareness and understanding of the risks associated with, and strategies to prevent, problem gambling.

Each RGRC has information available on the following topics:

• Safer play strategies
• Gambling myths and facts
• Community agencies that support people with gambling concerns

OLG is the Ontario government agency that delivers gaming entertainment in a socially responsible manner. OLG conducts and manages gaming facilities, the sale of province-wide lottery games, PlayOLG Internet gaming, the delivery of bingo and other electronic gaming products at Charitable Gaming Centres and is leading the integration of horse racing into the provincial gaming strategy. Since 1975, OLG has provided nearly $42 billion to the Province and the people of Ontario. These payments to the province support the operation of hospitals, amateur sport through the Quest for Gold program, local and provincial charities and problem gambling prevention, treatment and research.

All for Here – 100 per cent of OLG’s proceeds are invested in Ontario
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