Internationally proven and renowned sports betting entertainment group Entain has announced that it will be funding research on Ontario’s gaming sector. The corporation has tasked its non-profit Foundation to explore the province’s gaming practices, preferences, and player behaviors. The study comes ahead of the proposed changes in Canadian sports betting regulations.
At the end of 2020, the Canadian government has introduced a bill that will allow gambling fans from the country to place bets on single-events. Previously such type of betting opportunities was unavailable in the country due to match-fixing concerns, but with Bill C-218 sports and gambling fans will have much broader betting opportunities.
Expert Study
Entain’s Foundation will not be conducting the research on its own, the corporation announced that the Toronto-based Responsible Gambling Council non-profit organization will be helping out. The organization has proven itself to be one of the best advocates of responsible gaming over the last few years. And in light of the proposed changes in sporting wagers, Entain expressed interest in the province’s gaming field.
The purpose of the newly-assigned project is to explore Ontario’s gaming scenery ahead of the seemingly-more-imminent change and provide consumer insights on the matter. Thus, forming a clear vision for online gaming operators of possible risk behavior that can be experienced by the gambling enthusiasts. The organization’s vast experience on the subject shows that most people enjoy sports betting with no consecutive harm, but the online regulation will help reduce the risk to a minimum.
Martin Lycka, Senior Vice President for American Regulatory Affairs & Responsible Gambling at Entain stated that the company’s many practices in the country’s markets over the years will prove pivotal. Since many gambling regulators rate evidence-backed studies which later help them in decision making and easier regulation of the markets. The global sporting group has cooperated with over 20 countries on five different continents for the past 15 years.
The study will be performed on approximately 4,000 individuals over the legal age for gambling and enjoy placing a few bets from time to time. This is believed to be able to provide the most up-to-date comprehensive evidence into responsible online sporting wager, level of interest, and needs of the gamblers. The research project should start soon, and a full report from it should be available by the end of this year.
Online Regulations Update
The provincial government of Ontario recently provided an update on its new online gaming regulation framework. Gambling expert Birgitte Sand has been tasked with the responsibility of conducting a public consultation on the matter of changes to the regulations on private and third-party businesses showing interest in entering the gaming industry. The consultation aims of providing an adequate assessment of what types of consumer protections should be implemented in the new regulations.
Potential Third-Party Candidates
The creation of the online regulation framework for the province was released shortly after Torstar Corporation’s announcement of its online casino project. The media group usually deals with an entirely different sector, but now it is willing to use casino revenue as a funding tool for its future journalistic projects. Former employee Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Jim Warren is helping the media outlet with the launch, which according to him should be officially ready quite soon.
Source: Murphy, Chris “Entain Foundation to fund research into consumer practices in Canada”, SBC Americas, March 18, 2021
