System must be a safe bet

Ontario’s new government-run online gaming site with its slot, blackjack, baccarat, poker and roulette games sounds like a lot of fun.

That’s why playOLG.ca, which debuted on Thursday, will draw in new players — and no doubt make a lot of money for the government.

How much? The government estimates $375 million over the next five years, and $100 million a year after that.

That is much-needed cash to help the government winnow down its $12.5-billion deficit. And it’s cash that will be drawn, in some measure, from the bottom line of private online gambling sites, which are estimated to earn $500 million a year.

The promise of big money was clearly the lure that led the Ontario government to a complete about-face on online gambling.

Initially, the government tried to shut down those sites, accusing the operators of “bleeding money out of the most vulnerable people.” But it gave into the inevitable five years ago, arguing that “prohibition doesn’t work” — and started down the path to creating playOLG.ca.

Now it’s completely in the game, competing with the private sites rather than trying vainly to shut them down.

Still, there’s a vital difference between the private and public sector sites. The province’s entry into the “playing” field brings with it a huge responsibility: making sure players don’t gamble beyond their means and get themselves into dire straits.

As Robert Murray of CAMH’s Problem Gambling Institute of Ontario points out, the convenience of gambling remotely is going to be attractive to a segment of the population. One important lure is the trust factor: it’s government-sponsored.

That’s why it’s good news that the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. consulted widely with responsible gaming organizations before creating the site and has embedded a number of safety measures into it in an effort to protect players from the addictive thrills of gambling.

Otherwise, people can get themselves into a lot of trouble. In some cases, warns Murray, that can even lead to suicide. Among the safety features: Players must set a weekly money limit, up to $9,999 per week, to even get onto the site. (In a five-week trial, OLG found that players were spending an average of $95 per week.)

Players must be at least 18 years old — and the registration process is rigorous to ensure that, says Paul Pellizzari, executive director of social responsibility with the OLG.

Players can also decrease their money limit at any time, but if they want to increase it the site won’t allow them to do that until after a seven-day cooling-down period.

The site also automatically adjusts the marketing material it sends players. For those not showing any high-risk behaviour, three-quarters of the ads will be devoted to product promotion and a quarter to responsible gambling. If the player’s risk behaviour increases, the ratio changes to promote responsible gambling over product promotions.

The site includes a button users can push to automatically force a break in play if they feel they are out of control.

If OLG believes players are getting into trouble it messages them to consider using one of the help resources it has available, such as the Ontario Problem Gambling Hotline.

On the face of it, it sounds like a robust plan to deal with the obvious downsides of a lucrative but potentially dangerous activity. OLG has consulted widely with leading organizations on addiction and promises to continue that as it gathers more data from the site.

Now let’s make sure the system actually works.

Ontario needs safeguards for online gambling to make sure the system works