RGC publishes white paper on Canada’s financial sector

The Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) has published a new white paper report which underlines the positioning of banks and credit unions in Canada’s financial sector within a gambling harm-reduction context.  

Indeed, as highlighted by the report, the council believes that actors within the financial services industry can take a more ‘proactive’ approach to safeguarding the financial health of their gambling customers as the Canadian market continues to expand.  

This report takes into account similar approaches undertaken in the UK and Australian markets and suggests that banks can recognize the signs of a potential problem gambler in some instances before operators can. More specifically, according to the RGC, it examines “how commercial banking relationships can become a lever for player protection, and how embedding harm prevention into due diligence processes benefits operators, institutions, and the communities they serve.”  

Subsequently the report recommends that they should investigate enacting implementations such as voluntary gambling blocks or monthly spend limits on gambling products to help aid the industry in achieving its goal of creating a safer environment.  

Entitled Opportunities for Impact: The Role of Financial Institutions in Mitigating Gambling-Related Harm, this latest investigative report outlines the shared responsibility of financial institutions in helping to oversee gambling as a financial product and comes ahead of imminent widespread regulatory change in the Albertan provincial market.  

This latest development comes after the RGC previously announced a new partnership with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators in late 2025, which has seen responsible gambling messaging displayed around the team’s rink.