Subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, iGaming Ontario, seeks to enhance players’ experience in the province’s iGaming market. In an attempt to support bettors who want to stop or take a break from gambling, the agency will issue a request for proposals in early 2024 for a centralized self-exclusion solution for a simplified process.
AGCO and iGO are provincial bodies that oversee Ontario’s new and competitive market for iGaming operators, which now touts 47 private-owned operators. The model was introduced to keep bettors away from pouring billions of Canadian dollars into unregulated offshore websites, thus keeping some of the profits to reinvest into the province.
Providing Further Details
The centralized self-exclusion solution will allow players to self-exclude from all Ontario-regulated internet betting operators in a single registration process. The selected bidder will be able to develop and introduce a centralized self-exclusion system that will integrate with all operator systems and will support players’ self-exclusion registration, renewal, and reinstatement.
For the project, iGO has set some principles as requirements. The ideal candidate must be player-focused and deliver options to users to support their commitment to take a break, while processes are easy to understand. The winner must also be transparent to ensure clear expectations and consequences for players and operators and comprehensive information.
Additionally, the selected bidder must offer security and ensure player information is securely protected and shared only with relevant employees, responsible for administering the program. They would also be required to implement strong processes and procedures backed by secure, responsive, and highly available technology to enable an effective program to support players’ objectives.
The regulator also gave examples of some features for an effective centralized self-exclusion solution. It would need to allow users to create and manage their self-exclusion profile and include Know Your Client identity verification. Also, the ideal solution would have to provide players with easy access to the service at any time including they are gambling on any regulated website.
Latest from the iGaming Sector
Last month, iGO issued its latest financial numbers on the regulated internet casino market for the second quarter of the 2023-24 FY. For the period of July 1, 2023, through September 30, 2023, iGaming operators in the province recorded a betting handle of CA$14.2 billion. It also reported that in Q2 total gaming revenue reached CA$540 million.
In the meantime, more private operators are bracing to enter the iGaming space. October saw a partnership between mkodo’s GeoLocs and The Six Gaming. Via the contract, GeoLocs agreed to supply Jumpman Gaming with a geolocation verification solution. Making sure that the platform complies with the province’s iGaming standards.
Source: “Coming Soon: iGaming Ontario to request proposals for a centralized self-exclusion solution in early 2024” iGaming Ontario, November 2023
