British Columbia government in Canada funds more research into gambling harm

By Shadrack Kairu

The British Columbian government and the BC Lottery Corporation (BCLC) has funded more research into gambling-related harm in this Canadian province. They have allocated an additional CA$1.4 million for the research and the funds will be channeled to the Center for Gambling Research at the University of British Columbia (UBC) to support ongoing efforts to reduce problem gambling.

The Center for Gambling Research launched in 2014 with a focus on both problem and responsible gambling. The facility’s goals include conducting strategic, non-partisan research into the psychology of gambling behaviors and creating more effective programs and treatments to tackle gambling harm at Canada online casinos and land-based venues. Its mission is to drive evidence-based policymaking on issues relating to gambling addiction.

Over the years, the Centre has partnered with UBC’s departments of psychology, psychiatry, and Center for Brain Health in studying the connections between gambling, video gaming, and the controversial loot box mechanic in games.

It has also published hundreds of pertinent research papers on Canadian online casino operations, regulations, and management. Additionally, it has developed improved gambling addiction programs and treatments, as well as trained several graduate students and undergraduate research assistants.

Expressing gratitude for the Center’s contributions, Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General for British Columbia, was quoted as telling media: “As government continues to work toward its commitments of harm reduction and a public-health approach to preventing problem gambling, we are grateful for the work the Center for Gambling Research at UBC does.”

He noted gambling is a significant concern not just for affected individuals but also for families and communities. The Centre’s exploration of gambling harm, he said, is a commendable initiative that helps inform the development of the province’s first online gambling standards aimed at player protection.

“Its research and findings are integral to the development of policies within government and the steps we take to protect British Columbians from the harms of problem gambling,” he said.

The Center has benefited from the BCLC and government funding since its inception. The latest initiative marks the third consecutive five-year term funding that it is receiving from the government and BCLC, demonstrating a continuous commitment to promoting the responsible gambling principles of positive play for people in British Columbia.

Commenting on this new funding round, Luke Clark, director of the UBC’s Centre for Gambling Research, acknowledged the renewal of this investment showed the government and the BCLC’s commitment to enhancing programs and initiatives that support players and protect them from harmful gambling.

“This renewal shows a sustained commitment by the government and the BCLC to reducing harms that are associated with gambling in Columbia”, he was quoted as saying.

He added: “The renewal of this core funding is an endorsement of the importance of our research and the progress that we’ve made since the Centre was established five years ago.”

This financial package will enable the Center to continue its research for another period of five years. The renewed funding will allow the facility to focus on its research into modern slot-machine games, the neuroscience of people with gambling problems, and new addictive gambling technologies, including the convergence of gambling with video gaming.

The support comes at a time when interest in gambling is mounting and the regulatory framework is changing not just in British Columbia but across Canada.

Supporting players to protect them from gambling harm

BCLC has been driving the industry forward by continuously innovating more efficient strategies for addressing the cause and consequences of betting addiction. The corporation has launched a series of user-centric player protection schemes aimed at promoting player health and mitigating gambling harm.

Earlier this year, it made a raft of updates to its voluntary self-exclusion (VSE) program to curb stigma and make the scheme more approachable to players. The program, renamed Game Break, now features additional elements designed to help players experiencing gambling-related issues, seek help without judgment.

The new changes to the program include an active reinstatement process for players who choose to play again. The terms of enrolment didn’t change, with players able to enroll in Game Break for six months, one year, two years, or three years. However, individuals choosing to return to play are now required to complete an online course to determine if returning to gambling is right for them.

Essentially, BCLC’s new program aims to give players more control over their gambling habits. That’s why the program is designed to either exclude them for a period of time or help them seek relevant clinical or professional support. It is also responsible for helping individuals properly understand whether they can return to play without the risk of developing gambling-related problems.

BCLC President and CEO Pat Davis outlined the corporation’s ambitions:

“At BCLC, the well-being of our players is paramount and we’re always looking for opportunities to offer safer gambling experiences. The knowledge that we gain from the Centre for Gambling Research at UBC helps us consider enhancements to the programs and initiatives that promote player health at BCLC and beyond. We’re pleased to continue providing support to the center so its work can continue to guide the industry.”

At the same time, BCLC has entered into a new partnership with gaming machine and financial services provider Everi Holdings to support its anti-money laundering efforts in Canada.

In the new agreement, Everi will provide its Everi Anti-Money Laundering (AML) solution to support BCLC’s gaming and online operations. This includes supporting BCLC as it conducts and manages lottery, bingo, casino, and online gaming activities on behalf of the British Columbian government.

Everi Compliance is currently the most widely used and sophisticated AML software in the gaming industry with deployment in over 600 gaming properties across a range of markets.

Online tools and resources to help Canadian players

Gambling addiction is a major concern in Canada where gambling is a popular form of entertainment. To help promote responsible gambling, online casinos in Canada provide players with access to a wealth of tools and resources to help them retain control of their gambling activities. These tools and resources vary from province to province, but there are general standards available across the country.

Players in Canada will generally have the ability to set deposit and loss limits for themselves. Players can set daily, weekly, or monthly deposit limits to manage their bankrolls and avoid overspending. They can also establish loss limits, which restrict a player’s activity after exceeding a specified amount in losses over a specific timeframe.

Another crucial set of tools available to Canadians are time limits, time-outs, and self-exclusions. Time limits help prevent excessive gambling sessions and the harms associated with electronic gambling machines (EGMs). By setting limits on the amount of time spent at the games, individuals can avoid fatigue and poor decision-making that can lead to financial jeopardy.

Sometimes limiting the amount of time spent at games isn’t enough. In that case, players may need to take a complete break from the games. Canadian online casinos offer time-out features that allow players to block their accounts for a specified period of time, typically between 24 hours and 30 days, to give them a breather.

In extreme cases, setting time limits and time out is insufficient, and in those cases, self-exclusion comes into play. This option allows individuals to take a more decisive approach to manage their gambling behavior by voluntarily banning themselves from gaming in-person or online gambling. Self-exclusion is often implemented in cases where individuals think they are spending too much time or money gambling.

In Canada, long timeouts exceeding a year or so are also called self-exclusion. The purpose of self-exclusion is to provide players with a tool that forces a long-term break from gambling activities. In this way, individuals can break the addictive cycle and promote sustained recovery.

In addition to these tools, all provinces in Canada also partner with some form of a Responsible Gaming organization such as PlaySmart or GameSense. The websites of these organizations contain helpful resources to help control problem gambling. Other useful problem gambling resources available to Canadians include The Responsible Gambling Council and ProblemGambling.ca.