Ontario’s fall 2024 budget measures introduced in October included a provision that could see a seismic change to gaming regulation in the province.
While Bill 216, the Building Ontario For You Act, 2014, adjusted the province’s expectations for net profit from gaming as part of its 2024 fiscal review and future outlook, it also introduced Schedule 9 which concerns the status and operation of iGaming Ontario (iGO).
This provision will allow iGaming Ontario to breakaway from its parent organisation, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), ending the two firms’ parent-subsidiary relationship.
Since iGO began operations in July 2021, the organisation has been a subsidiary of the AGCO under the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario Act, 2019.
Yet as a result of Schedule 9, iGO will become an entirely standalone corporation without share capital. iGO specified that it will be a fully independent board-governed agency.
Bill 216 passed first reading third reading on 6 November and received Royal Assent the same day. The iGaming Ontario Act will be proclaimed in early 2025, a representative from the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General told Canadian Gaming Business.
This spokesperson also told the publication that this change has been introduced to address a concern of a conflict of interest raised by Ontario’s Auditor General.
“Once proclaimed, the Act would also dissolve the parent-subsidiary relationship between AGCO and iGO,” confirmed the spokesperson of Doug Downey‘s office.
“This change would strengthen iGO’s governance and accountability structure and contribute to the continued success of Ontario’s thriving igaming market by positioning the agency as a competitive employer and addressing a conflict-of-interest concern raised by the Auditor General.”
Gordon Moody has emphasised the importance of the role of the third sector as safer gambling frameworks move into a new era in the UK. The treatment and support charity has issued its response to a misunderstanding by the NHS at the GambleAware Conference in London.
The conference was the first after confirmation of the new statutory levy and the application of £2/£5 stake limits in the UK, which Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross underlined will ensure Britain has the safest gambling environments.
As the landscape unfolds the NHS will be positioned as the Chief Commissioner with the goal of improving the accessibility, quality, and impact of services tackling gambling-related harms by addressing the individual needs of local communities.
However, the GambleAware conference provided a stage to emphasise just how crucial collaboration will be moving forward and why it’s so vital that the third sector continues to play a crucial role in safeguarding players.
In spite of this, Dr Claire Murdoch, National Mental Health Director, NHS England, surprisingly took aim at the industry and pinpointed Gordon Moody, for “stoking demand and preying on the vulnerable”, having apparently confused the non-profit with an operator.
She later took to X to state the comments “badly reflected Gordon Moody’s position on industry. Rushing. I want to thank you for great work. Happy to meet to further address your important questions on procurement and hear more about your work”.
Gordon Moody provided CasinoBeats with the following statement in response: “We are pleased that Dr Claire Murdoch quickly clarified her comment about Gordon Moody made at the recent GambleAware conference during her In Conversation session with GambleAware CEO, Zoe Osmond. We look forward to meeting with Dr Murdoch to explain the work Gordon Moody has been doing since 1971 to help people reclaim and rebuild their lives free from gambling-related harms.
“Gordon Moody is the expert by experience in the gambling harm treatment space. Our unique programmes are delivered by highly qualified professionals who are equipped to focus not just on gambling harm, but also on other comorbidities. We carry out comprehensive assessments that help us integrate appropriate therapies into personalised treatment plans that address each service user’s unique needs.
“The new commissioning framework will fundamentally change how treatment services are funded. It is vitally important that the framework takes into account the work of organisations like Gordon Moody, as well as those within the NGSN and the wider third sector.”
