messagefromtheCGA
Working Together to Move our Industry Forward BY PAUL BURNS, PRESIDENT AND CEO, CANADIAN GAMING ASSOCIATION
SINCE THE INDUSTRY gathered in Edmonton at the 2019 Canadian Gaming Summit in June, the Canadian Gaming Association (CGA) has been active on behalf of its members, working on several issues that are significant to Canada’s gaming industry. The CGA has applied to seek leave to intervene in the upcoming Supreme Court of Canada appeal in Atlantic Lottery Corporation v. Babstock et al. in support of the appellants, the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) and its video lottery machine suppliers. The appeal involves a class action which alleges that the ALC must disgorge the profits it has earned from its video lottery terminals on the theory that they violate the prohibition on three-card monte of the Criminal Code and are not exempted by its conduct and manage power. This will be an important appeal for the gaming industry as a whole, and an excellent opportunity to persuade the Supreme Court to implement a clear and balanced approach to Part VII of the Criminal Code. It will ensure that the perspective of the Canadian gaming community is represented and ask the Supreme Court to adopt a principled framework for Part VII that benefits the industry as a whole. In British Columbia the CGA was recently granted standing at the Cullen Commission of Inquiry into Money Laundering launched by the provincial government to examine the extent, growth, evolution and methods of money laundering in various sectors such as gaming and horse racing, real estate, financial services, luxury goods and professional services including legal and accounting. The CGA made the decision to seek standing to ensure the gaming industry is evaluated and considered in fair and factual manner. The work of the Commission will directly affect the interests of the Canadian gaming industry, as the Commission’s Terms of Reference empower the Commission in Section (2)(a) “to make recommendations the commission considers necessary and advisable, including recommendations respecting the following: i. the regulation of [gaming and horse racing]”. The CGA through its submission will outline the Canadian gaming industry’s commitment to AML best practices, continuous improvement including the examination of emerging technologies, and learnings from jurisdictions outside of Canada. 6 | Fall/Winter 2019
We will be working with our members and industry partners to ensure the Commission has the best possible information as they evaluate recommendations that affect our industry. Moving to Ontario, as announced in the spring provincial budget, the Ontario government is working to create an open licensing system for online operators in the province. The Ontario government recognizes that consumers' gambling preferences continue to evolve, and with Ontarians spending over $500 million annually gambling online using grey market websites, the government will establish a competitive market for legal online gambling that will reflect consumer choice while protecting the consumers who play on these sites. In late June the CGA participated in the Ontario government’s consultations on online gaming led by the Ministry of Finance. The consultation with key industry stakeholders was designed for the government to gain feedback on its key objectives for its model: Enhanced Consumer Choice, Consumer Protection, Market Growth and Reducing Red Tape. We continue to follow developments closely and will be happy to provide the government with any additional information if required. Lastly, we will be closely following the current federal election as the CGA remains committed to our industry’s quest to amend the Criminal Code to enable single-event sports betting. This remains a priority and we have been working to re-engage community stakeholders. Recently the CGA met with senior representatives from the NHL, NFL and NBA to gain insights into their approaches to sports wagering. We will continue our efforts to ensure the next government of Canada takes action to permit single-event sports wagering. The CGA’s purpose is to advance the evolution of Canada’s gaming industry, and we are committed to ensuring that issues of common cause that affect a large number of our members and the industry as a whole are front and centre in terms of our priorities. By working together, my hope is to collectively resolve these issues in a manner that allows our industry to continue to prosper and grow. Paul Burns President & CEO Canadian Gaming Association