1613 – Re-Opening of Our Sector
After a long period of closure, we finally re-opened our centres in mid-July. Although we initially had an increase in attendance, this soon levelled off as the casino venues re-opened. One of the main challenges we are facing is securing enough team members to deliver our services and consumer experience. This is reflective of other sectors in the economy and will likely continue for the short to medium term. We have also seen trading in line with management’s expectations. Our members are gradually reintroducing main-session Bingo into their daily schedule.
We have seen our commercial operator members and vendors seek new methods of delivery. They are aware of consumer touchpoints, ensuring we can operate and begin the process of delivering much-needed revenue to our aligned charities. Charity revenue is greatly needed after the long lockdown period.
We wish to acknowledge the teams at our crown corporations (AGCO and OLG) who have supported and assisted in the smooth re-opening of the centres over the last month. It has been greatly appreciated and is a reflection that this is a team effort.
We can now begin the long road of rebuilding the sector for the future. There are numerous headwinds on the horizon, and we need to carefully navigate them as we go forward. We need to ensure our consumers have the confidence to return and enjoy their social interaction. |
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1614 – Our Charities – Their Value, Their Presence
As we continue re-opening, we have been connecting with the OCGA and the OLG on when and how to re-engage the charity members/volunteers back into the centres. It is projected that we will gradually welcome the charity members back to the centres later in the year. The OCGA is communicating directly to their members on what the process will be and how it will work.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the focus on health and safety will remain our top priority and if the situation changes, we are all flexible enough to change and adapt to them. The return of our charity colleagues is an exciting and welcomed step. |
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1615 – iGaming and Single Sports Wagering
After many years of waiting, we are finally seeing the introduction of single sports wagering in the country. Each province is deploying a slightly different method of engaging with the consumer, which has always been standard practice across the country.
This success is another reminder of the valuable contribution of the Canadian Gaming Association [CGA] advocating for national issues that can be of benefit for all. However, this was not a solo endeavour of the Canadian Gaming Association. It was supported by many individuals and corporations, but it is an example of numerous individuals working to a common cause to achieve an objective. |
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1616 – Health and Wellness
The CGAO continues to support and promote health and wellness by our members and their businesses, through bringing awareness and education to as many individuals as possible. This is designed to ensure everyone has the ability of informed choice of actions.
At the CGAO, we have increased our collective awareness through the initial direction set by our Chair & President Mr. Tony Rosa, of a balanced and measured application that will be implemented over time. This approach has proven to be the right one for our sector and over the years we have, with our partners PlaySmart (OLG & RG-C), increased awareness and acceptance.
As we continue the development, our partners at PlaySmart have been reviewing and assessing the ‘Self Exclusion’ programme and looking forward to how this can be improved and how better to inform the consumer of the opportunities of this programme. The OLG PlaySmart Team will present their recommendations at the next Joint Operations & Regulations Committee in September.
In Europe, we are seeing a focus on consumer affordability and budgeting tools that can assist, and at some level provide a reflective moment during a visit to a centre or an online platform. We are monitoring these developments to see how they unfold and the response from the various stakeholders. This is an indication of the evolving nature of responsible gaming within the sector. |
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1617 – Commodity Prices
Our members are seeing some major increases occurring in the economy around commodity prices, i.e., bingo paper, breakopen tickets, and food pricing. It is important that we monitor these increases, and where possible, ensure we are passing them on to our consumers where it is practical to do so and in a gradual fashion. It is anticipated that this trend is likely to remain for the near term. |
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1618 – G2E Gaming Conference – Las Vegas (USA)
This year, the G2E Gaming Conference is proceeding in Las Vegas (USA) from 4th to 7th October. I am aware that some of our members are showing an interest in attending, although I am not aware of any firm commitments at this stage.
G2E is a globally recognised conference and is normally very well attended. This is one of the first major gaming conferences to be held since the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are interested in attending, please visit the following link: https://www.globalgamingexpo.com/ |
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1619 – Labour Day Long Weekend
This weekend [6th September] sees the Labour Day Long weekend in Canada. This generally signals the end of summer, with schools re-opening shortly afterwards. Normally, we see an increase in admissions over long weekends and let’s hope this trend continues.
We wish all our partners a successful and enjoyable Labour Day weekend. |
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