RGC and iGaming Ontario partner to extend gambling harm resources to 40 campuses

The Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) plans to expand its gambling harm prevention resources from 20 to 40 college and university campuses across Ontario, made possible through a new partnership with iGaming Ontario. 

"Young adults are growing up in a world where betting is woven into how they watch and talk about sports,” RGC CEO Sarah McCarthy said. 

“Meeting students on campus, in the moments that matter, is how we help them understand the risks and know their options. With iGaming Ontario's support, we can now do that on almost all publicly funded campuses in the province."

iGaming Ontario’s support will allow the RGC to provide “at least” 10,000 student education kits, planned to be distributed throughout the 2026-2027 academic year. 

As part of an interactive education program hosted by the RGC, peer-aged educational ambassadors lead prevention conversations, answer questions and share support, including Ontario's centralized self-exclusion tool – BetGuard. 

iGaming Ontario CEO Joseph Hillier also addressed the extended collaboration, having said, "We are excited to partner with the (RGC) to bring meaningful gambling education to 40 of Ontario's publicly funded post-secondary campuses.

“We're proud to have recently launched BetGuard, which gives Ontarians a simple option to take a break from all regulated online gambling. This is just one part of our comprehensive responsible gaming approach that includes ongoing education on risks and knowing where to get support when you need it."

iGaming Ontario launched the BetGuard self-exclusion tool for online players in May, having collaborated with government partners, responsible gaming experts and licensed operators to develop the program.

BetGuard restricts players from accessing their existing accounts, creating new accounts and receiving marketing communications from regulated sites, as well as set exclusion terms of six months, one year, five years or a custom length of time.