1763 – People on the Move
As we Kick-off the year we see some major appointments and various people on the move. This is reflective of the renewal and succession planning.
- Mr. Brandon Aboultaif
Has been appointed to Vice President (Western Canada) at the Canadian Gaming Association, reporting directly to the President & Chief Executive Officer – Mr. Paul Burns.
- Mr. Scott Vanderwel
Has been elected Chair of the Board of Directors at the Canadian Gaming Association. Scott is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Pointsbet (Canada).
- Mr. Tom Hardy
It has been announced that after many years with Light N Wonder, Tom will be transitioning out of the business to begin a new chapter.
- Ms. Lauren Bates
As part of the re-organization, Lauren has assumed the additional responsibility for Games. VLTS, Tables & Systems, with Light n Wonder.
- Ms. Holly Di Nicolantonio
Has been appointed to a new position with the Delta Gaming Group as Loyalty & Rewards Manager and will report to Mr. David Thomson at the Delta Gaming Group.
- Ms. Nicole Garrett
Has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the British Bingo Association and will take up her role in the spring of 2026. Nicole joins the Association from the Allwyn Group, operators of the UK Lottery, where she has held senior management positions.
- Mr. Miles Baron
After 14yrs leading the British Bingo Association, has announced his retirement, set for June 2026. Miles has been instrumental in successfully leading the Bingo sector through a very challenging and transformational period.
We want to acknowledge all the individuals above and wish them success in new roles or future opportunities. |
|
 |
|
|
|
1765 – Player Health
We continue to work collaboratively with our partners, the OLG & RGC, in this area. We have built up a very positive relationship over many years that has seen the ongoing development of the ‘PlaySmart Program’ within the Charitable Gaming Sector.
However, we must not rest on past successes. We collectively need to have command of the Player Health – Risk Environment going forward. Through the Player Health Index, we are seeing potential risks emerging.
We need to understand the index in order to have captured all the elements of the ‘consumer’ in the Charitable Gaming playing environment and their established relationships within our venues. More to come on this later as we progress into 2026.
We recently debriefed the Delta Gaming Group, Senior Management, on the successful PlaySmart Lounge Pilot that was undertaken in the latter part of 2025. There have been some key learnings for all parties, which will be taken back and assessed for future potential developments. |
|
|
1766 – Conference 2026
As we move into 2026, the Conference season has already started. This week in Spain, the ICE Conference will have a strong Canadian presence. There are a couple of conferences being hosted in Ontario I wish to bring to your attention.
RGC – Discovery 2026 – Focus on Player Health – 14th to 16th April, Toronto
https://responsiblegambling.org/for-industry/rgc-discovery/
Canadian Gaming Summit – Focus on Gambling – 19th to 21st May, Toronto
Canada’s Premier Gaming and Betting Event | SBC Summit Canada 2026
The CGAO will have representatives at the above conference. If you are interested, we encourage you to take advantage of their Early Bird Offers. |
|
|
1767 – Membership Renewal - Reminder
Please be advised that all membership renewal information is being released this week, via Ms. Sandi Nesbitt. Once you receive your information, if you have any questions please contact the CEO [CGAO] directly. |
|
|
1768 – Risk Environments
As the business continues to evolve, we need to ensure our risk environment/footprint is keeping in lockstep with those changes.
Hence, we encourage all our members, Commercial Operators, Vendors and iBingo, to engage their compliance teams on a regular basis, both in terms of setting policies and procedures and ensuring effective training & development to our teams.
Our colleagues at OLG cGaming are working cooperatively with our Venue members to mitigate the future potential risk. |
|
|
1769 – Charitable Gaming : Community Good
We continue to see the progress and ongoing development of the ‘Charitable Gaming : Community Good’ brand and the work that has been undertaken by Ms. Mary O’Neill and her team.
As we move into 2026, there are opportunities for joint initiatives between the brand and the Venues. Mary has been reaching out directly to some Venues, but Mary is equally open to suggestions and ideas from the Venues on opportunities. We do encourage Gaming Centre Managers, in coordination with the Charity Advisor, to review their Charitable Gaming : Community Good, Point of Sales Materials and if they need refreshing contact Mary’s office to see what could be delivered, etc.
This is another example of a great partnership between OCGA & CGAO, while supported by OLG cGaming Team. Surely a winning combination.
|
|
|
1770 – Where Are They Now
We are often asked where and what our old colleagues up to. As a result, we have added this new feature to the View to give an update on what people are up to once they leave the sector.
- Mr. Peter Howard - Formally with Diamond Game [Canada].
Having left the business over four (4) years ago, Peter retired in Dundas (Ontario) where he had resided for some time. He has long had a passion for, and a connection to, the Royal Canadian Legion, where he had been a member for ten years and also serving on the branch executive.
Due to Peter’s vast business experience, the Dundas Legion asked Peter to review and make recommendations on their fundraising activities. A core recommendation Peter made was to introduce a ‘Catch the Ace’ lottery and, over the past thirty (30) months, they have held four (4) AGCO licensed events, raising over $C2.1m for the Dundas Legion and many local charities.
Peter continues to join his former colleagues at our annual Golf Day in June each year.
CONTACT DETAILS
OFFICE 416-245-6365
WEBSITE: www.cgao.ca
P.McM-sn: 21-01-26 |
|
