Northern Exposure: iGO Seeking Proposals For Centralized Self-Exclusion Program

Greg Warren
Written by: Greg Warren

Each week, Canada Sports Betting recaps all the top sports betting and iGaming news in Canada and highlights upcoming events.

Our top stories this week

Event of the week

NCAA Tournament – March Madness

For basketball bettors, the greatest time of the year is finally here!

The NCAA Tournament gets underway at 12:15 p.m. ET on Thursday when Michigan State and Mississippi State tip off the Round of 64. That will begin four straight days of nearly non-stop college hoops action as the field narrows to 16 teams by the end of the weekend.

Here are the latest futures betting insights from BetMGM on the tournament:

Highest Ticket%
UConn 12.1%
North Carolina 10.8%
Kentucky 8.5%

Highest Handle%
UConn 20.7%
North Carolina 11.4%
Kentucky 9.6%

Biggest Liability
Kentucky
North Carolina
UConn

iGO seeking proposals for self-exclusion program

On Wednesday, iGaming Ontario announced it’s seeking proposals for a new centralized self-exclusion program until April 24 for igaming in the province.

The purpose of a centralized self-exclusion solution is to enable a player to self-exclude from all Ontario regulated igaming operators in a single registration process.

“Partnering with iGO on this multi-year project offers a unique and exciting opportunity for forward-thinking and innovative organizations prepared to make a lasting positive impact on the igaming landscape in Ontario,” the release reads.

The subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario outlines the following criteria for a potential successful bidder:

  • Integrates seamlessly with all Ontario igaming operators’ systems, including Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG)’s igaming site.
  • Provides anyone 19+ with easy access to create and manage their self-exclusion profile.
  • Implements Know Your Customer (KYC) identity verification, registration, renewal, and reinstatement processes that are intuitive, simple, and offer supporting information.

Interested organizations are being invited to visit iGO’s procurement page on MERX.

Last November, iGO announced its intent for a request for proposals regarding a centralized self-exclusion program after it was a hot topic at last summer’s Canadian Gaming Summit in Toronto amongst regulators.

All private igaming operators in Ontario must abide by the guidelines and principles set out by the AGCO. Sections 2.13 and 2.14 outline the guidelines for self-exclusion and breaks in play. Operators must give users the option to take a break in play, in addition to a formal self-exclusion program. Operators also must provide a voluntary self-exclusion program for their site.

There’s also an exclaimer in the guidelines that states: Once directed by the Registrar, operators will be required to participate in a coordinated, centralized self-exclusion program, that shall be in place to allow players to automatically exclude themselves from all online operator platforms, including OLG.

So, as it currently stands, online gamblers can self-exclude from a particular website, but there’s nothing stopping them from signing up and playing on another regulated site in the province. Under the new program, online gamblers would be excluded from all of the regulated websites (over 45 now) being offered in Ontario.

OLG currently has a separate program, My PlayBreak, which is a voluntary self-help tool that enables gamblers to make a commitment to take a break from participating in gaming activities offered by OLG for a defined period of time. Once enrolled in the completely confidential program, gamblers are required to stop visiting Ontario casinos, Charitable Bingo and Gaming centres, and/or OLG.ca. They’re also removed from all marketing lists and their photo is included in OLG’s facial recognition database. Should the gambler be detected at a gaming site, they’ll be escorted off the premises.

Responsible gambling advocates and organizations have been lobbying for this type of program to be in implemented in Ontario since the launch of the regulated igaming market in April 2022.

NorthStar partners with Tallysight ahead of March Madness

On Wednesday, NorthStar Gaming (NorthStar Bets) announced a partnership with Tallysight Inc., creators of a leading no-code content and wagering platform.

The partnership provides NorthStar with access to Tallysight’s platform including dynamic odds widgets, graphics, and other editorial tools, to support NorthStar’s sports insights content vertical. NorthStar’s Sports Insights articles will now feature Tallysight’s dynamic odds widgets, allowing registered NorthStar Bets users to click on odds within articles and place wagers without having to leave the page. The integration of Tallysight’s editorial tools will enable NorthStar staff to easily create and share a variety of highly engaging betting graphics and staff picks across the NorthStar Bets platform and social media.

“The enhancement of Sports Insights is an important initiative for us this year, supporting our positioning as a premium brand that offers unique content to our customers,” said NorthStar CEO Michael Moskowitz in the release. “Tallysight’s tools will help make sports insights content more dynamic and even more closely integrated with our sportsbook to improve the overall user experience.”

NorthStar Bets is also the official sponsor of Canada Sports Betting’s The Puck Portfolio podcast with Andy MacNeil.

RGC set to host Discovery Conference in Toronto

The Responsible Gambling Council is busy preparing to host the 2024 Discovery Conference at the CF Toronto Eaton Centre Downtown Marriott beginning on March 25.

The three-day conference is still accepting registrations and also has the option to attend virtually. Executive level gambling operators, regulators, RG experts, and treatment specialists are all being encouraged to attend.

Behavioural change expert Dr. Lisa Bélanger will deliver this year’s keynote presentation titled, “Reshaping the Game: Strategies for Behaviour Change in Responsible Gambling. Other key speakers will include RGC CEO Shelley White, OLG’s Catherine Meade, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s Mark Vander Linden, and UNLV’s Dr. Kasra Ghaharian. Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey is also scheduled to deliver the welcome message on March 26.

For close to two decades, the Toronto-based RGC has brought together industry leaders from around the world with a goal to drive positive change in responsible gambling through meaningful discussion, research, and knowledge sharing. The organization has worked closely with Ontario’s regulators to help establish RG guidelines and principles for the igaming market that launched in April 2022.