Online Gaming Industry Leaders Create Coalition to Promote Regulation and Responsible Gaming in Québec

Québec Online Gaming Coalition advocates for the development of a new regulatory licensing regime for online gaming in Québec to better protect consumers and increase government revenues.

MONTREAL, May 23, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, leading online gaming operators came together to launch the Québec Online Gaming Coalition (QOGC), an industry-led organization committed to actively working with the Québec government and local stakeholders to develop a new regulatory framework for the online gaming industry. The Coalition is determined to address growing concerns about consumer safety, responsible gaming, advertising, and substantially increasing government revenues based on a new licensing regime for qualified private operators.

The Coalition was assembled in response to a recent survey conducted by Leger Marketing that found that:

• Two-thirds (66%) of respondents are in favor of regulating private online gaming operators by establishing a licensing and tax system.
• 71% of Quebecers believe that the Québec government cannot block private online gaming operators.
• Three out of four Quebecers (75%) agree that the tax revenues generated by a regulatory framework for private online gaming sites should help fund social responsibility programs such as addiction prevention.
• 64% agree that these additional revenues should help fund various government priorities.

Establish an independent regulatory body in Québec

As part of its mission, Coalition members will be promoting the benefits for the Government of Québec to create an independent regulatory body that will establish standardized controls on responsible gaming to protect vulnerable and underage players. To that end, Coalition members are also committed to contribute to the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et Culture to continue to study gaming behaviours and the ways in which the Coalition can protect and provide a safe and responsible gaming experience for Quebecers.

2014 Online Gambling Task Force Report

In a 2014 report, the Online Gambling Task Force (link in French), chaired by Dr. Louise Nadeau, and composed of academic leaders in online and responsible gaming, recommended that the Québec government take steps to implement a new regulatory regime based on a licensing model aimed at private operators.¹ The report's recommendations were based on global best practices that allow private operators to offer responsible, honest, and secure online gaming under the regulatory supervision of the government. The report and its recommendations were shelved by the previous government, allowing the province of Ontario to play a leading role in regulating the online gaming market in Canada.

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	^1Le jeu en ligne - Quand la réalité du virtuel nous rattrape (gouv.qc.ca)

Ontario Licensing Model

Comparable jurisdictions around the world, including Scandinavian countries, several European countries and Ontario, have put in place a framework for online gaming platforms. The Coalition would like to build on the Ontario model of online gaming regulation that came into effect in early 2022, and was developed in collaboration with iGaming Ontario (IGO), the Government of Ontario and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). This model requires private online gaming operators to obtain a license before operating in Ontario in order to access to the market.

According to an Ipsos survey conducted in March 2023, 85.3% of players in Ontario played on regulated sites during the first year of the province's regulated market model.

This licensing system and regulation has allowed the Ontario government to receive substantial revenues from private gaming operators, estimated at more than 380 million in the first year. The Coalition believes that the introduction of regulation would allow the Québec government to earn revenues over and above those already offered by the current system, and that these new funds should be reinvested these funds in key sectors of the Québec economy.

Founding Members

The Québec Online Gaming Coalition brings together leaders in the online gaming industry who offer a variety of services, from sports betting to online casinos, and who are committed to working with the Québec government and industry experts to advocate transparent regulation that prioritizes consumer safety and responsible gaming.

They are:

• Apricot Investments
• Betway
• Bet99
• DraftKings
• Entain
• Flutter
• Games Global
• RushStreet

SOURCE Québec Online Gaming Coalition (QOGC)

Alexandre Lessard-Martin, Québec Online Gaming Coalition, Tel: [phone], Email: [email protected], Website: coalitionjeuligneqc.ca