Canada
Gambling Addiction and COVID-19
Over 2 percent of Americans suffer from gambling addiction according to a recent report by the National Council on Problem Gambling. This is a cause for concern especially during the COVID-19 crisis which worsens mental health issues in the general population, including increasing engagement in addictive behaviors.
Not only does the pandemic increase gambling behavior among those affected by problem gambling, but it also increases the occurrence of new cases. Its impact on financial and psychological well-being in conjunction with changes in gambling markets during the pandemic raises concerns, calling for research initiatives in the area and preventive regulatory measures by stakeholders.
A web survey addressing a general population sample showed a statistically significant difference between gamblers and people who do not gamble in age but not in education, and a higher level of perceived stress, distress, and hostility in both chronic and new gamblers compared to those who did not report gambling behavior. A consistent proportion of business owners and unemployed individuals reported problem gambling during the lockdown period.
Gambling Addiction Help Guide
A lot of persons with gambling addiction mostly try to conceal their condition, but an addiction can be hard to hide. If you have a gambling addiction, you may feel that you need constant access to online gambling pools or casinos, and feel an uncontrollable urge to play slot machines, buy lottery tickets, visit casinos, or gamble online. Even if you gamble at home when no one is around as some people tend to do, your addiction may start to present itself in certain other areas of your life.
Gambling Addiction Signs and Symptoms
The individual:
- Feels that gambling is the best option to escape problems.
- Always gets preoccupied with gambling (i.e. thinking of ways to get money with which to gamble even after incurring so much debt, reliving past gambling experiences, planning the next venture).
- Gets defensive when confronted about his/her gambling habits and they become very secretive about it.
- Relies on others to relieve a serious financial situation caused by gambling, by bailing him or her out.
- Tries unsuccessfully to control, cut back, or stop gambling.
- Becomes very irritable and restless when not gambling.
- Tries to fix losses with more gambling.
- Lies to family and others about the impact of gambling.
- Loses relationships and jeopardizes jobs, education or career opportunities all because of gambling.
- Commits unspeakable crimes to finance the gambling urges.
- Increases bet amounts when gambling in order to achieve the desired excitement.
10 important rules to follow as a gambler
- If you choose to gamble, do so only for entertainment purposes. If enjoyment is no longer the sole purpose of your gambling, then there’s a need to reflect and ask yourself why you are still playing.
- Always treat the money lost as the cost of your entertainment, and any winnings as a bonus.
- Set money limits and stick to it. Decide before you go, how much you want to spend and what you can afford to lose. At no point should you change your mind after losing.
- Set a time limit and stick to it. Decide how much of your time you want to allow for gambling and be strict about it. Whether you’re winning or losing, leave when you reach the time limit.
- Expect to lose. The general odds are that you will lose.
- Make it a personal rule not to gamble on credit. Never use borrowed money to gamble.
- Create a balance between gambling and other aspects of your life. Gambling should not affect your relationship with people or stand in place of family, friends, work or other activities.
- Avoid chasing lost money (i.e don’t try to win back money that has been lost). Chances are the more you try to regain your losses, the greater they will get.
- Don’t gamble as a way to cope with emotional or physical pain.
- Get educated about the dangers of problem gambling. The more you understand, the better choices you’ll make.
Conclusion
Researchers have called for attention to mental health consequences of the pandemic, including addictive behaviors. With the increasing accessibility of internet gambling and the worsening COVID-19-related stress, problem gambling may potentially be among the health hazards affected by the ongoing crisis and its aftermath. Public prevention efforts and systematic research data collection are warranted.
Find out more about gambling addiction symptoms, facts and help guides here.
Play’n GO, the world’s leading casino entertainment provider, has today announced a partnership with Canadian operator Loto-Québec, launching the Swedish gaming giant’s games into another Canadian province.
Already active in another Canadian province , this partnership sees Play’n GO’s content available in the province of Québec exclusively with Loto-Québec, a state-owned corporation, where online players now have access to titles such as Tome of Madness.
Magnus Olsson, Chief Commercial Officer, Play’n GO said: “At Play’n GO, we have always been clear in our vision to be active in every regulated market in the world, and this partnership with Loto-Québec is the next step on that journey.
“Our past success in Canada gives us confidence that players in Québec will enjoy the best Play’n GO content, and we look forward to many years of success with Loto-Québec in the province.”
Stéphane Martel, Head of Product and Innovation at Loto-Québec added: “As the sole iGaming operator in Québec, we pride ourselves on offering titles that truly add value to our platform, lotoquebec.com. We are happy to bring Play’n GO games to our players.”
iGaming Ontario has welcomed the decision of the Ontario Superior Court, which found that iGaming Ontario’s model is consistent with the Criminal Code and that iGaming Ontario is conducting and managing igaming in the province.
“We have always been confident in our model and are pleased that the court has ruled in our favour, and that Ontarians can continue to play with confidence in our regulated igaming market,” said Martha Otton, Executive Director of iGaming Ontario.
“Ontario’s model meets the requirements and contributes to the public good by protecting players, their data and their funds, while helping to fund priority public services in Ontario, and bringing well-paid, high-tech jobs and economic development to Ontario,” Otton added.
In dismissing the application brought forward by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK), the Superior Court found that iGaming Ontario is the “operating mind” behind Ontario’s competitive igaming market in accordance with the conduct and manage requirements of the Criminal Code.
iGaming Ontario will continue to conduct and manage igaming as it has since the launch of the regulated market on April 4, 2022.
Bragg Gaming Group
Bragg Gaming Appoints Renowned iGaming Executive Neill Whyte as Chief Commercial Officer
Bragg Gaming Group, a global iGaming technology and content provider, announced that Neill Whyte has been appointed as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), effective 1st May 2024, establishing a new global commercial structure at the Company and bolstering its leadership team.
Whyte brings over 18 years of experience in the iGaming sector, most recently in the role of Chief Commercial Officer at Digital Gaming Corporation’s (DGC), B2B iGaming Division. After joining DGC in early 2020, he was responsible for the commercially successful launch and growth of its content distribution business in the US.
Prior to joining DGC, Whyte held multiple positions in the gaming industry including as Head of Business Development at Isle of Man-based iGaming specialist Apricot Investments, as Board Member at Swedish iGaming product and Lottery content distributor Genera Networks, and in various senior roles over eleven years at leading iGaming content supplier Microgaming, including as Head of Product Channels.
In his new role with Bragg, Whyte will be tasked with leading the Company’s global commercial teams to drive growth across all of the Company’s product verticals which include proprietary online casino content from its Atomic Slot Lab, Indigo Magic and Wild Streak Gaming studios, exclusive content from content partners, HUB a leading casino content aggregation platform, Fuze player engagement, as well as its award-winning player account management (PAM) platform and turnkey solutions.
Matevž Mazij, Chief Executive Officer at Bragg, said: “I am very pleased to be announcing today the appointment of Neill Whyte as Chief Commercial Officer at Bragg. His iGaming product and market knowledge, together with his record in driving growth from developing successful and mutually beneficial commercial partnerships are exceptional.
“As we leverage our broad content and product portfolio to grow in existing and new markets, including in the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe, Neill’s unique combination of knowledge, skills and experience in this sector are a perfect fit for our ambitions at Bragg.”
Neill Whyte, Chief Commercial Officer at Bragg, said: “It’s an honor to join Matevž and the wider teams at Bragg already in place across North America, Europe and in India. I have been impressed with the depth and quality of the content, product and technology offerings at Bragg, and its ability to rapidly adapt, certify and deploy this content and technology in newly regulated markets is a distinct advantage.
“We also have a huge opportunity to grow our footprint with our existing customers in markets in which we are already established. Our content and product roadmaps are second to none, and I’m planning to get on the road in the coming weeks and months to meet the team and our customers and to start building for the next stage of mutual growth. I can’t wait to get going.”
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