Ontario to develop province-wide self-exclusion scheme
iGaming Ontario confirms intention to issue RFP on new centralized self-exclusion scheme platform in early 2024
Online gamblers and sports bettors will soon be able to self-exclude from all Ontario-licensed operators as iGaming Ontario (iGO) has confirmed it will look to launch a centralized self-exclusion platform in the province in 2024.
To facilitate this process, the Ontarian conduct and management entity has revealed its intention to issue a request for proposals (RFP) in early 2024 to solicit bids from interested parties to develop this interface.
IGO has confirmed the successful bidder will be expected to develop and implement a centralized self-exclusion system that integrates with all operator systems and supports players’ self-exclusion registration, renewal, and reinstatement.
Interested bidders will be measured against iGO’s six pillars for centralized self-exclusion.
These comprise the successful offering being player-focused, supportive of players, transparent at all times for both players and operators, secure, robust, and finally, a viable solution that provides a manageable and practical solution for licensed operators to implement.
“With these principles in mind, iGO is seeking interest from responsive and nimble companies that are able to build modern, innovative, secure cloud-based SaaS solutions that are high-profile, public-facing, and critically important to building and maintaining the trust and confidence of a wide range of stakeholders,” iGO said in a statement.
“The successful bidder will partner with iGO on a multi-year program to develop best-in-class user experiences by leveraging modern, innovative technology,” it added.
Features highlighted by iGO as markers of an effective self-exclusion service include allowing players to create their own profile and KYC, facilitating easy access to self-exclusion services, and a registration process that is “intuitive, simple, and offers supporting information” for players.
The Ontario igaming and sports betting market went live on April 4, 2022 and has since swelled to 47 operators processing a total handle of C$14.2bn and generating total gaming revenue of C$540m, according to iGO’s Q2 fiscal year 2023-24 revenue report.