Martha Otton, executive director of iGaming Ontario, the subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario that conducts and manages internet gaming in the province, has previously talked about the need for a centralized, secure, cloud-based, SaaS, self-inclusion system that protects players.
At this past summer’s Canadian Gaming Summit in Toronto during a panel discussion in front of a packed crowd, while enumerating the successes that the regulated Ontario market had seen since the rollout in April 2022 – currently, 47 operators, 71 gaming sites, more than 500 games approved and available to players in the province – she made a point of mentioning self-exclusion. All operators need to have RG Check (developed by the Responsible Gambling Council), but also important would be a centralized self-exclusion program, which iGO was working toward, she said, the first of its kind in the province.
Today that became real, with iGO’s announcement that they were requesting proposals in early 2024 for a “centralized self-exclusion solution that will enable a player to self-exclude from all Ontario regulated igaming operators in a single registration process,” according to a statement.
The successful bidder will be expected to develop and implement a system that integrates with all operators’ systems, including Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s igaming site, that supports players’ self-exclusion registration, renewal and reinstatement.
According to a statement, iGO said the core principles for such a program will include providing options to players to support their commitment to take a break, creating a program that is non-judgmental and supportive with clear comprehensive information to help ensure expectations and consequences for players and operators in order to ensure player information is protected, while implementing strong processes and procedures bolstered by secure responsive technology, with systems and procedures that are manageable for operators to implement.
Those companies interested are asked to register on iGaming Ontario’s MERX platform in early 2024 to review the RFP and participate in the bidding process.
