Definitions

1   In this regulation:

"Act" means the Gaming Control Act;

"cash cage" means a room or enclosure in which a cashier employed by the operator of a provincial gaming scheme at a casino carries out transactions;

"dedicated information area" means an area referred to in section 20 [dedicated information area];

"deposit limit tool" means a tool described in section 4 (1) (a) [limit-setting tools];

"gaming retailer" means a registered gaming services provider that is a member of the gaming retailer class established by section 10 [classes of registered gaming services providers] of the Gaming Control Regulation;

"limit-setting tool" means

(a) a deposit limit tool,

(b) a loss limit tool, or

(c) a time limit tool;

"loss limit tool" means a tool described in section 4 (1) (b);

"online gaming account" means an online account established for an individual by the lottery corporation to enable the individual to participate in online gaming schemes;

"online platform" means the lottery corporation's online platform;

"patron gaming account" means an account administered by the operator of provincial gaming schemes at a provincial gaming facility into which patrons may deposit money in order to buy in at the facility;

"short-term break" means a short term break described in section 6 (1) [short-term breaks];

"time limit tool" means a tool described in section 4 (1) (c);

"voluntary self-exclusion program" means the program maintained by the lottery corporation under section 57 [voluntary self-exclusion program] of the Act.

Restrictions relating to online gaming accounts

2   (1) The lottery corporation must not establish an online gaming account for a minor or self-excluded individual.

(2) If a self-excluded individual has an online gaming account, the lottery corporation must lock the account from the date the individual becomes a self-excluded individual until the date the individual ceases to be a self-excluded individual.

Requirements to display age restriction

3   The lottery corporation must ensure that a message stating that an individual must be at least 19 years old to participate in an online gaming scheme is prominently displayed as follows:

(a) on the home page of the online platform;

(b) when an individual is applying for an online gaming account.

Limit-setting tools

4   (1) The lottery corporation must make each of the following tools available to an individual who has an online gaming account:

(a) a deposit limit tool that requires the individual to set a maximum amount that may be deposited into the online gaming account each week;

(b) a loss limit tool that enables the individual to set a maximum net amount that may be lost through participation in an online gaming scheme or class of online gaming schemes over a period of 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days, as specified by the individual;

(c) a time limit tool that enables the individual to set a maximum number of hours the individual may participate in online gaming schemes through the online gaming account over a period of 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days, as specified by the individual.

(2) Immediately on establishing an online gaming account for an individual, the lottery corporation must do all of the following:

(a) require the individual to set a deposit limit using the deposit limit tool;

(b) require the individual to either

(i) set a loss limit using the loss limit tool, or

(ii) decline to set a loss limit;

(c) require the individual to either

(i) set a time limit using the time limit tool, or

(ii) decline to set a time limit.

(3) The lottery corporation must

(a) make each of the limit-setting tools available from the time an online gaming account is established until the account is closed, and

(b) encourage use of the loss limit tool and time limit tool

(i) by promoting the tools through pop-up notifications or other messages prominently displayed on the online platform, and

(ii) by offering incentives to use the tools.

(4) The lottery corporation must notify an individual immediately if a limit set by the individual has been reached.

(5) The lottery corporation must not allow an individual to participate in an online gaming scheme if

(a) the individual has not set a deposit limit,

(b) the individual's time limit has been reached, or

(c) the individual's loss limit for the online gaming scheme, or for the class of online gaming schemes to which the online gaming scheme belongs, has been reached.

(6) The lottery corporation must not allow a deposit into an individual's online gaming account if the individual's deposit limit has been reached.

When initial and adjusted limits take effect

5   (1) The lottery corporation must ensure that a deposit, loss or time limit takes effect immediately if there is no existing deposit, loss or time limit when the individual sets the deposit, loss or time limit, as applicable.

(2) The lottery corporation must enable an individual to instruct the lottery corporation to adjust a limit previously set by the individual.

(3) Subject to subsection (4), if an individual instructs the lottery corporation to adjust a limit, the lottery corporation must immediately adjust the limit in accordance with the instructions.

(4) If an individual instructs the lottery corporation to increase a limit, the lottery corporation must not adjust the limit in accordance with the instructions until 24 hours after the instructions are received.

(5) For the purposes of subsection (4),

(a) a loss limit is increased if the amount determined by the following formula is greater than zero:

amount = LL²/D² − LL¹/D¹

(b) a time limit is increased if the amount determined by the following formula is greater than zero:

amount = TL²/D² − TL¹/D¹

Short-term breaks

6   (1) The lottery corporation must enable an individual who has an online gaming account to ask the lottery corporation, at any time, to temporarily lock the individual's online gaming account so that the individual can take a short-term break from participation in online gaming schemes.

(2) If an individual makes a request described in subsection (1), the lottery corporation must allow the individual to specify the term of the short-term break, which must be one of the following:

(a) 24 hours;

(b) any number of days up to a maximum of 90 days.

(3) On receiving an individual's request to lock the individual's online gaming account for a specified term, the lottery corporation must immediately lock the individual's online gaming account and must not unlock it until the term of the short-term break has expired.

Promotion of tools and short-term breaks

7   (1) The lottery corporation must display the following information on the online platform:

(a) information about the limit-setting tools, including descriptions of what the limit-setting tools are, their benefits and how to use them;

(b) information about short-term breaks, including a description of what short-term breaks are, their benefits and how to request one;

(c) information about the self-assessment tool required to be made available under section 24 [self-assessment tool], including a description of what the tool is and its benefits.

(2) The lottery corporation must ensure that links to the limit-setting tools and to the page for requesting a short-term break are prominently displayed as follows:

(a) on the home page of the online platform;

(b) on the account page of each online gaming account;

(c) when an individual is participating in an online gaming scheme;

(d) when an individual is making a deposit into, or a withdrawal from, the individual's online gaming account.

Hourly pop-up messages

8   (1) The lottery corporation must ensure that after each hour of an individual's participation in online gaming schemes, a pop-up message is displayed to encourage the individual to take a break.

(2) The lottery corporation must ensure the pop-up message obscures the online gaming scheme until the individual closes the message.

Measures to detect, mitigate and treat problem gambling

9   (1) The lottery corporation must continuously monitor the participation of each participant in online gaming schemes to detect whether the participant may be experiencing problem gambling.

(2) If the lottery corporation detects a participant engaging in a pattern of activity indicative of problem gambling, the lottery corporation must take reasonable steps to mitigate the participant's risk of problem gambling, including by recommending one or more measures that can be taken to modify the participant's pattern of activity, which may include the following, as applicable:

(a) counselling and other support services to prevent, mitigate or treat problem gambling, including services available through a gambling support program operated by the government;

(b) one or more of the limit-setting tools;

(c) a short-term break agreement.

Summary of winnings and money and time spent gambling

10   (1) The lottery corporation must make available to each individual who has an online gaming account a summary of the following information:

(a) the amount the individual has won through participation in online gaming schemes each month over the previous 6 months;

(b) the net amount the individual has lost through participation in online gaming schemes each month over the previous 6 months;

(c) the number of hours the individual has participated in online gaming schemes each month over the previous 6 months.

(2) The lottery corporation must make the summary continuously available to an individual by prominently displaying a link to the summary on the account page of the individual's online gaming account.

Prohibition against enabling split screen function

11   The lottery corporation must not enable an individual to split a screen or window in order to participate in more than one online slot machine game at the same time.

Sequential wagers

12   (1) The lottery corporation must not operate an online gaming scheme that allows a participant to make a series of sequential wagers unless the online gaming scheme requires the participant to take an action to make each wager in the series.

(2) The prohibition in subsection (1) does not apply in relation to online gaming schemes consisting of the sale of lottery tickets.

Risk ratings

13   (1) The lottery corporation must assign one of the following ratings to each online gaming scheme and each demonstration version of an online gaming scheme based on the lottery corporation's assessment of the extent to which the online gaming scheme has addictive attributes:

(a) low risk;

(b) medium risk;

(c) high risk.

(2) If an online gaming scheme is assigned a rating of high risk under subsection (1), the lottery corporation must prominently display one of the following warnings on its online platform:

(a) a warning that the online gaming scheme poses a high risk for problem gambling;

(b) a warning that the class of online gaming schemes to which the online gaming scheme belongs poses a high risk for problem gambling.

Requirement to display cash value of credits

14   If, on the online platform, the lottery corporation displays an amount as a number of credits, the lottery corporation must also display the amount in dollars.

Prohibition against enabling automatic transfers into online gaming account

15   The lottery corporation must not enter into an agreement under which an individual agrees to make payments of a fixed amount, at regular intervals, into the individual's online gaming account.

Requirement to display clocks

16   The operator of provincial gaming schemes at a provincial gaming facility must ensure that at least one clock is visible from each area of the facility where patrons participate in provincial gaming schemes.

Requirement to display age restriction

17   (1) The operator of provincial gaming schemes at a provincial gaming facility must prominently display, at each public entrance to an area where provincial gaming schemes are operated, a sign stating that an individual must be at least 19 years old to participate in provincial gaming schemes.

(2) A gaming retailer must prominently display, at each location where the gaming retailer sells lottery tickets, a sign stating that an individual must be at least 19 years old to participate in provincial gaming schemes.

Individual showing signs of intoxication

18   The operator of provincial gaming schemes at a provincial gaming facility must not allow a patron showing signs of intoxication to participate in provincial gaming schemes operated at the facility.

Prohibition against enabling automatic transfers into patron gaming account

19   The operator of provincial gaming schemes at a provincial gaming facility must not enter into an agreement under which an individual agrees to make payments of a fixed amount, at regular intervals, into the patron gaming account administered by the operator.

Dedicated information area

20   The operator of provincial gaming schemes at a casino must ensure that an area in the casino is dedicated to the display of information about gambling.

General information about gambling

21   (1) The lottery corporation must produce or acquire posters and brochures, in paper or digital format, containing information about the following matters:

(a) randomness;

(b) odds and probability;

(c) house edge;

(d) the roles of chance and skill in determining the outcomes of provincial gaming schemes.

(2) The lottery corporation must

(a) display in each dedicated information area the posters and brochures required under subsection (1), and

(b) prominently display on each page of the online platform a link to the contents of the brochures.

(3) The lottery corporation must provide the posters and brochures required under subsection (1) to the operators of provincial gaming schemes at casinos.

(4) An operator that is provided posters and brochures under subsection (3) must prominently display one or more of the posters or bundles of brochures in areas throughout the casino.

Information about problem gambling

22   (1) The lottery corporation must produce or acquire posters and brochures, in paper or digital format, containing information about the following matters:

(a) misconceptions about how the outcomes of lottery schemes are determined and why the misconceptions are false;

(b) the signs of problem gambling;

(c) harm that can result from problem gambling;

(d) measures that can be taken to prevent or mitigate problem gambling;

(e) counselling and other support services to prevent, mitigate or treat problem gambling, including services available through a gambling support program operated by the government;

(f) the voluntary self-exclusion program.

(2) The lottery corporation must produce or acquire brochures containing information in traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese and Punjabi about the matters referred to in subsection (1) (d), (e) and (f).

(3) The lottery corporation must

(a) prominently display in each dedicated information area the posters and brochures required under subsection (1),

(b) make the brochures required under subsection (2) available in the dedicated information area in the casino, and

(c) prominently display a link to the contents of the brochures required under subsections (1) and (2) as follows:

(i) on the home page of the online platform;

(ii) on the account page of each online gaming account;

(iii) when an individual is participating in an online gaming scheme;

(iv) when an individual is making a deposit into, or a withdrawal from, the individual's online gaming account;

(v) when an individual is playing a demonstration version of an online gaming scheme.

(4) The lottery corporation must provide posters and brochures required under subsection (1) to the operators of provincial gaming schemes at casinos.

(5) An operator that is provided posters and brochures under subsection (4) must prominently display the posters and brochures throughout the casino, including by displaying one or more posters or bundles of brochures in the following locations:

(a) each public entrance to an area where patrons participate in provincial gaming schemes;

(b) each washroom;

(c) each public desk or counter where customer services representatives provide customer services;

(d) each cash cage;

(e) each automated teller machine;

(f) each location where a patron may exchange a token or ticket for cash;

(g) each staff break room.

(6) An operator of provincial gaming schemes at a bingo facility must prominently display in the facility information about counselling and other support services to prevent, mitigate or treat problem gambling, including services available through a gambling support program operated by the government.

(7) A gaming retailer must prominently display, at each location where the gaming retailer sells lottery tickets, information about

(a) measures that can be taken to prevent or mitigate problem gambling, or

(b) how to access services to prevent, mitigate or treat problem gambling.

Information about support services

23   On receiving a request for information about, or assistance in relation to, problem gambling, the lottery corporation must promptly provide information about counselling and other support services available to prevent, mitigate or treat problem gambling, including services available through a gambling support program operated by the government.

Self-assessment tool

24   The lottery corporation must make available through the online platform a tool that

(a) enables an individual to complete, on an anonymous basis, an online questionnaire to assess the effects that participation in provincial gaming schemes may be having on the individual, including by affecting the individual's physical and mental health, daily activities, financial situation and relationships with family and friends, and

(b) based on the individual's responses to the online questionnaire, provides information about the following:

(i) the extent to which the individual may be at risk of problem gambling;

(ii) measures that can be taken to prevent or mitigate problem gambling.

Prohibition against communicating false or misleading information

25   In operating a provincial gaming scheme, the operator must not communicate any of the following:

(a) false or misleading information about the odds of winning the provincial gaming scheme, including, without limitation, by falsely stating or implying

(i) that winning is a probable outcome, or

(ii) that a participant's odds of winning are affected by the extent of the participant's skill, practice or experience;

(b) false or misleading information that creates or perpetuates a misconception about the provincial gaming scheme.

Demonstration versions of provincial gaming schemes

26   An operator must not operate a demonstration version of a provincial gaming scheme unless the demonstration version is substantially the same as the provincial gaming scheme, other than the requirement for the player to buy in or otherwise obtain a chance to win a prize.