The View - 182

1351 – Message from the Chair - Mr. Tony Rosa

This is the first opportunity I have taken to address the membership at large since taking over the Chairmanship of the Board and Association in May of this year. As 2016 draws to a close, I thought it was a great opportunity to share the highs and lows of our year.

What is clear is, as we end 2016, the Association is stronger than when we began it. The foundation pieces of the sector are in transition and this offers an opportunity for all our members. With transition comes change that is not always easy and sometimes can be difficult but with collective support among our members, we will be stronger and in a better position to embrace the future.

The bulk of the year has been taken up with the proposed contractual amendments to the Commercial Operators Contractual Framework. These have been long and detailed, as they should be, but progress is slowly being achieved. However, even with these contractual discussions in play, we did see some minor movement in product deployment both in terms of Tap Tix Units and POD games even though there have been some minor technical issues. On top of this, the recent marketing campaign finished off the year generating awareness beyond our Centres for the first time, which is a rather positive step for us all.

We have also seen the emergence of our fellow operators taking the first steps in developing real retail/leisure brands in the Charitable Gaming space. Two that immediately spring to mind are Delta Gaming Group and Dolphin Gaming Centre (Toronto). Branding requires a huge investment and it signals the change in approach that we are all undertaking.

As we turn to 2017, this will be a year of change. We look to secure greater numbers of product where the marketplace warrants them, further develop the customer experience and keep building the Charity Revenue/Contribution in order to maintain and enhance value in the local communities. During the course of the New Year, it is projected that total charitable dollars raised will reach over $C150m, which will dovetail nicely with the 150th celebration of Canada’s founding and I am sure we will be jointly celebrating that with our partners.

2017 will see the Board and staff look closely at the resources of the Association and begin to gear up for the future. We certainly do need to supply additional resources for the CEO in order that CGAO can continue the progress it has made over the year(s) and meet the demands of the membership.

In closing, I want to thank my fellow Board members, especially my Vice Chair, Mr. Cam Johnstone, for all the additional resources and time he has allowed us leverage (The Delta Team), for all their valuable work and time in supporting the various initiatives we have going on.

I would also like to thank our Administrator, Ms. Sandi Nesbitt, for her contribution to the CGAO, Peter our CEO and our partners the AGCO, OLG, OCGA and Municipal Staff. Without all their support and hard work we would not have completed the progress we have collectively made.

Finally, from my family to yours, I want to wish you all a VERY Merry Christmas and a very successful New Year.

Mr. Tony Rosa - Chair of the Board

1352 – Ontario's Accessible Employment Law

Just a reminder to all members at all companies with employees ranging from 1-49, you must be in compliance with the Ontario’s Accessible Employment Law as of the 1st January 2017. This has four (4) core parts - Hiring, Communication, Workplace Information and Developing Talent.

If you require further information or additional assistance, there is an on-line helpline that you can reach them at for more information (www.Ontario.ca/AccessibleEmployment).

1353 – AGCO Stakeholder Day - 9th December 2016

On the 9^th December, in Toronto, the AGCO played host to the first of a new series of Stakeholder Engagement Events. This was the first time the AGCO had all its stakeholders in one room delivering a single message about the interaction of the AGCO to its Stakeholders.

It was certainly interesting to see that the issues from one sector to another are not very different but having a constructive approach and clear agenda can deliver movement when everyone is aligned. The CGAO was also invited to sit on a panel moderated by Mr. Tom Mungham, which was rather interesting.

1354 – Diamond Game - New Games Themes - Live

Last week the new game themes were re-introduced to Delta Gaming Centre – St. Clair and there have been no immediate issues flagged. Mr. Shawn Fisher and his Operational Team are now re-introducing these games to the Delta Gaming Centre consumers. It will be some weeks before we get a true read on their performance as the consumers get familiar with the game and its features.

I do want to acknowledge the teams at Diamond Game, Delta Gaming, AGCO and OLG (c- Gaming) Product & Marketing for all their hard work and efforts in getting these games back on- line in short order.

1355 – Christmas Holiday - Office

Please be advised that the office will close on the 23^rd December 2016 and re-open on the 3^rd January 2017. During this time, if you need to contact the CGAO, please email our CEO (Peter McMahon) direct.

1356 – Dolphin Gaming Centre - Turbo Challenge - Pilot

Early in the New Year we will be running a project at Dolphin Gaming Centre to re-position and gain greater awareness of Turbo Challenge within the session. There are defined measurements that have been aligned between the OLG (Product & Marketing) c-Gaming and Dolphin Gaming Centre to see whether this can be achieved. As more information comes forward I will share it with you.

I want to thank Ms. Diane Gartshore and Mr. Paul Nitsopoulos for making this happen in a short period of time.

1357 – Next General Meeting - Date Change

Please be advised that our next scheduled General Members Meeting has changed from Tuesday, the 7^th February to Thursday, the 9^th February 2017.

At this meeting our Chair, Mr. Tony Rosa, has taken the opportunity to invite Mr. Jean Major - CEO & Registrar of the AGCO to address us and he has duly accepted this invitation. This is the first time in ten (10) years that Jean has been invited and Tony is delighted to have him join us.