Canadian Gaming Summit puts RG in the spotlight

The Canadian Gaming Summit due on Tuesday, June 18 at the Metro Toronto Convention Center in Toronto, Ontario, will focus on a range of topics, with one of the highlights of the events now coming down to Responsible Gambling, the event’s hosts, SBC, confirmed in a media press release.

The Canadian Gaming Summit will broach a range of topics, including cutting-edge tech, innovative marketing, gaming experiences, and naturally - player safety, with a particular emphasis on where there may be shortcomings in how the industry protects consumers.

A dedicated Player Protection Symposium will reunite up to 300 decision-makers from the industry and allow them to address and better understand the challenges faced by players on the daily when it comes to responsible gambling, and what the current crucial issues with player protection are.

The Symposium will discuss effective strategies, responsible gambling initiatives in general, how to protect players who prefer to play with high stakes, and how operators can build a sustainable yet responsible business.

The Symposium will kick off with the "Safeguarding the Stakes: Strategies for Player Protection at the VIP/High Roller Level," panel, which will reunite some of the industry’s most prominent RG leaders and specialists, among whom are:

• Martin Lycka (SVP Regulatory Affairs and Responsible Gaming, Entain)
• Bill Pascrell III (Partner, PPAG)
• Adi Markus (Director of Customer Success, Optimove)

The panel will be moderated by Jay Robinson (Principal, JR Consulting). Moving on next, players will get to attend the "Ethical Engagement: Harmonizing Branding and Responsible GamingEfforts" panel which will similarly talk about responsible gambling initiatives and how they can be improved. To help with this discussion will be industry experts such as:

• Sarah Brennan (Sr Director Compliance, BetMGM)
• Aaron Glyn Williams (Director Social Responsibility, OLG)
• Riona Mohan (Director of Marketing, Betty)
• Jacob Hargaden-Llewellin (Country Manager Canada, LeoVegas)

The panel will be moderated by Ilkim Hincer (Partner, Fogler). Not least, there will be the "Navigating Responsible Marketing: Ensuring Compliance and Promoting Safe Gambling Practices" panel that is taking matters one step further by asking the reasonable question of how businesses can push their products while remaining competitive.

To help answer this and more, the panel will reunite Gavin Whiteley (CMO, Great Canadian Entertainment), Ryan McCarthy (Director of Player Health, BCLC) and Tyjondah Kerr (Director of Social Responsibility, OLG).

"Unified Visions, Diverse Paths: Responsible Gaming Initiatives Across Canadian Provinces" is going to wrap up the Symposium with the event taking a more dedicated look at the existing regulations and opportunities in the Canadian market.

The panel will reunite moderator Mike Maodus (Senior Associate, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP) who will be joined by Paul Burns (President, Canadian Gaming Association), Catherine Jarmaine (Director, Industry Programs and Monitoring, iGaming Ontario).

Image credit: SBC Events