IAGA SUMMIT FOCUS: JURISDICTIONAL CHALLENGES OHIO & ONTARIO
Elizabeth Yeigh Corporate Secretary and Chief Strategy Officer at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).
Elizabeth Yeigh is the Corporate Secretary and Chief Strategy Officer at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). She is a results-oriented, collaborative leader with a wealth of public sector experience with a focus on policy, governance and program delivery. Liz leads the regulatory policy, external stakeholder engagement, corporate affairs and governance areas at the AGCO working in support of Ontario’s regulated cannabis retail, liquor, horse racing and gambling sectors. Previously Liz was the Vice-President of Social and Community Responsibility at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. She has also held senior positions in the Ontario Government at the Ministry of Community and Social Services as well as Director, Gaming Policy at the Ontario Ministry of Finance where she led the government work to support the modernization of Ontario’s land-based gaming sites in the mid-2010’s.
unregulated private operators to enter into a legal Ontario market, the AGCO developed a number of additional conditions and activities to support their transition while also balancing the interests of new operators applying for registration. Tese efforts include:
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A series of regulatory policies that collectively require operators and gaming- related suppliers to cease all activities in Ontario’s unregulated market and will also mandate suppliers (e.g., game designers and manufacturers) to no longer supply unregulated operators. Te policies also include a far-reaching requirement for operators and suppliers to cease all associations with entities operating in Ontario’s unregulated market.
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Providing notice that operator conduct and evidence of their commitment to the objectives of the Standards, both leading up to and beyond the launch of the market, will be reflected in the regulatory approach the AGCO takes with each operator.
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Te AGCO’s dedicated igaming compliance team will monitor the sector to ensure registered operators and suppliers are adhering to the AGCO’s “unregulated market exit” policies.
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One of the most pressing issues for the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is to implement a regulatory framework for internet gaming (igaming) that includes creating the appropriate conditions for the transition of unregulated igaming operators into the regulated market. Te desired outcome is to achieve a high market transition and create a strong regulated igaming market in Ontario.
As of April 4, 2022, residents of Ontario, Canada may now choose to spend close to C$1 billion a year within a regulated legal internet gaming (igaming) market. Previously, Ontarians primarily played on unregulated, grey market websites that lacked consistent consumer protection measures and responsible gambling measures.
Over the past year the AGCO worked with the provincial government and stakeholders to develop a standards-based outcomes-focused regulatory framework that supports the objectives of consumer choice and protection and legal market growth and generates provincial returns. Te expectations for appropriate operator conduct in the new market are laid out in the Gaming Control Act, 1992, and the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming (the Standards).
Given the expressed interest by previously P74 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
A Standard prohibiting registrants from contracting with any marketing service providers (or “marketing affiliates”) that are also engaged in providing marketing and promotions activities on behalf of unregulated market participants.
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A new “third party management” Standard that will require registered operators to ensure that any third party with whom they contract complies with the same laws, regulations and standards to which the operator is bound (including those related to activities in the unregulated market).
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Te AGCO has MOUs in place with approximately 30 international regulators and law enforcement agencies. Tese relationships mutually reinforce regulated gaming within a given jurisdiction and will serve as a useful vehicle for the AGCO to engage with partner regulators when it is determined that an operator or supplier in Ontario’s unregulated market is licensed in the partner regulator’s jurisdiction.
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AGCO met with TinkTV (who works on behalf of the major Canadian broadcasters) and the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) to share information about the new market and how to identify unregulated operators in an effort to stop them from buying advertising space.
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AGCO briefed law enforcement bodies across Ontario to inform them of the new market.
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