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Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2025 (25-26 March)

BCLC

Video Gaming and Day Trading Speakers Available to chat with Media at BCLC’s New Horizons in Responsible Gambling

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Video games and Esports – is it Gambling?

Dr. Brett Abarbanel, Director of Research at the International Gaming Institute at University of Nevada, Las Vegas

From social casino games to Esports to virtual reality and in-game payments, many familiar activities blend the two concepts of gambling and gaming.

Loot boxes, for instance: are they harmless video game fun, or offering gambling to minors? A worldwide regulatory debate is underway assessing the permissibility of video-game loot boxes; as recently as November, 2020, a class action lawsuit was filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, which will look at the question of whether loot boxes constitute a form of gambling in this jurisdiction.

As part of the BCLC’s Ninth Annual New Horizons in Responsible Gambling Conference, Dr. Brett Abarbanel, Director of Research at the International Gaming Institute at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, will look at the definition of gambling: there are so many examples in the gambling and gaming space where the idea of gambling is present – but is it truly gambling and if so/if not, does that matter to those who play, industry and regulators?

Dr. Abarbanel is available for media interviews leading up to and during New Horizons. Please let me know if you’d like to set up an interview with her.

 

The Rise of Pandemic Day Trading; Is a Tsunami of Day Trading Risk Ahead?

Dr. Sharon Collard, University of Bristol

The pandemic has had countless impacts on our daily lives and for some this change has translated into more time and money spent on “self-directed investing,” also known as day trading. Is there awareness of the level of financial risk involved in day trading, and the similarities between the addictive behaviours of problem gambling and those that can arise with excessive day-trading?

Trading and investment service providers, such as TD Ameritrade, have reported that “2020 brought an unprecedented influx of retail investors,” with record-setting numbers of new accounts created.

Other events, such as the January GameStop price volatility and the online trading platform Robinhood, as well as other short-squeeze campaigns, reveal an increased level of influence in online investor communities.

As part of the BCLC’s Ninth Annual New Horizons in Responsible Gambling Conference, Dr. Sharon Collard, Research Director at the Personal Finance Research Centre, University of Bristol, will examine the overlap between gambling and day trading, and impacts on individual-level financial risk at a session titled: Retail “Investing” – Is a Tsunami of Day Trading Risk Coming?

Dr. Collard is available for media interviews before and during the conference, please let me know if you’d like to set one up.

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BCLC Launches “What’s played here stays here” Campaign

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BCLC’s new “What’s played here stays here” campaign is issuing an important reminder to British Columbians who choose to gamble – specifically that all net profit its operations generate stays in B.C. to help fund critical services like education, health care and community programs.

The campaign also reinforces that all other gambling websites operating in B.C. are illegal and take away funds from critical community programs and services.

“Across B.C. and Canada, we’ve seen incredible groundswell around the importance of buying and supporting local, and that’s no different for British Columbians who choose gambling for their entertainment. We want our B.C. players to know they can find a world-class gambling experience in their own backyard, whether it’s at one of our 33 casinos, 3,400 lottery retailers, or online at PlayNow.com, and that the proceeds from their play with BCLC make a positive impact at home in their community,” Pat Davis, President and CEO of BCLC, said.

Along with illegal online gambling websites, BCLC also competes with Washington State and Las Vegas casinos, all of which aggressively market to B.C. residents.

“BCLC continues to raise awareness that these gambling options do not support B.C.’s economy and take away funds from vital provincial and community-based programs and services. In a time when British Columbians are standing united, we want to reinforce that playing together with BCLC helps make B.C. even better,” Pat Davis added.

The post BCLC Launches “What’s played here stays here” Campaign appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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BCLC Reminds Public to be Cautious of Illegal Online Casino Scams

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BCLC has reminded the public to be cautious of a series of social media scams that imitate B.C. casinos and trick individuals into providing their financial details on illegitimate websites.

Highly deceptive, these scams share fraudulent posts and advertisements exploiting the logos, names, and exterior images of local B.C. casinos, and may claim to offer players exclusive bonuses and promotions if they register with their website or mobile application. BCLC warns that none of these sites are associated with casinos in B.C. or BCLC.

PlayNow.com is the only online gambling website permitted to operate in B.C. BCLC’s official apps are BCLC Lotto!, PlayNow Poker BC, and PlayNow BC Sportsbook. All BCLC-operated social media accounts, such as BCLC, PlayNow BC, PlayNow Sports, Lotto BC and Casinos BC, are verified with a checkmark.

While BCLC and its casino partners continue to work on having the posts removed, British Columbians should stay vigilant when it comes to these predatory and sophisticated scams.

To protect themselves, individuals are encouraged to:

• Be on alert when a website or app asks for personal or financial information. BCLC’s verified websites and apps will never ask for your social insurance number (SIN), banking information or credit card details online to claim a prize from a B.C. casino.

• Carefully check the URL and domain of the website to verify its legitimacy. Often, scammers will use a similar URL and domain to legitimate websites with a minor spelling difference.

• Always verify the company and its services are real before providing any personal information.

• Look out for other red flags, such as the suggestion of fees or taxes to be paid on a prize. There are no fees or taxes on prizes won in Canada.

If individuals feel unsure about an account, post or advertisement claiming to represent a B.C. casino, they can contact BCLC directly by calling the Customer Support Centre at 1-866-815-0222, or using the live chat resource on corporate.bclc.com or PlayNow.com.

The post BCLC Reminds Public to be Cautious of Illegal Online Casino Scams appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Be #GiftSmart: Scratch the Idea of Gifting Scratch & Win Tickets to Kids

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BCLC reminds adults to gift responsibly this holiday season

With the holiday season in full swing, BCLC is reminding British Columbians to gift responsibly and scratch lottery products from their shopping lists for kids.

“Scratch & Win tickets can make great stocking stuffers for the adults in your life, but they’re not for kids,” said Ryan McCarthy, BCLC’s Director of Player Health. “The research shows that children who have early encounters with gambling are four times more likely to develop riskier gambling behaviour as they grow up. While people are out shopping for those last-minute gifts, BCLC wants adults to be aware of the potential risks associated with gifting lottery products to children and to consider safer alternatives.”

While Scratch & Win tickets are among the most common ways kids can be introduced to gambling, children are increasingly exposed to various online forms, such as gambling streams.

“With the convergence of gaming and gambling, youth are becoming more exposed to gambling content in online spaces like streaming sites, where creators are able to live-stream their own gambling, usually while playing online slots and instant games,” said Dr. Luke Clark, Director for Gambling Research at UBC. “Our research at the UBC Centre for Gambling shows that a higher frequency of watching online gambling streams is associated with a more positive attitude towards gambling and a high intention to gamble in the future.”

In B.C., it is illegal to sell lottery products to anyone under the age of 19 and BCLC encourages adults to have conversations with the kids in their lives about the risks associated with gambling.

“Open and honest conversations are crucial when it comes to navigating childhood exposure to gambling,” said McCarthy, who shared the following tips to adults:

  • Monitor for gambling-related lifestyle changes. For example, developing a positive attitude towards gambling or a preoccupation with video games or streaming sites.
  • Be a positive role model. Exhibit safer gambling behaviour and talk about the risks.
  • Limit exposure. Monitor kids’ online activities and discourage engagement with gambling content. Explain how gambling is based on chance.
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