Two new Canadian members have joined the International Gaming Standards Association (IGSA).
IGSA announced last week that the Toronto-headquartered Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) and Halifax-based Focal Research Consultants are now partner members at the global association, with a focus on IGSA’s new responsible gaming initiative.
IGSA is the largest technical standards development organization dedicated to the creation and evolution of standards and protocols to improve the global gaming industry. It creates and develops intellectual property with the input of regulators, operators, and suppliers from more than 30 countries and makes it available to its membership of more than 50 entities across 20 countries.
The association said it is the industry’s most recognized catalyst between the jurisdictional regulatory bodies and online and land-based operators, ensuring its members have cross-sectoral visibility and reach, as well as a facility to access commercialization channels through IGSA’s standardized protocols and standards.
“IGSA is excited to welcome our new partners in responsible gaming,” said its President Mark Pace. “We are looking to work with organizations that are truly dedicated to doing good in the RG space. There is a lot of time, energy and money being spent in this area and we want to leverage the incredible work being done in an effort to amplify its positive effect.”
Strong Canadian and RG representation among IGSA
RGC’s work makes it a natural fit within IGSA’s membership, which also includes several leading gaming suppliers, some operators including the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) and Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC) and a range of partners such as the Canadian Gaming Association (CGA), International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR), the University of Nevada, Las Vegas‘(UNLV) International Gaming Institute.
“Advancing industry standards for player protection depends on collaboration across the full ecosystem,” said RGC Chief Executive Officer Sarah McCarthy. “With deep expertise in standards development, applied research, and harm prevention, RGC is pleased to work alongside IGSA members to develop practical, implementable standards that strengthen player protection in meaningful ways.”
Focal Research Consultants is an independent Nova Scotian safer gambling research and technology company focused on gambling risk detection and player support. Building on 30 years of applied research, it evaluates real-world gambling behaviour and safer gambling impacts to provide evidence-based insights for policy and practice globally.
“We are pleased to partner with IGSA on this important initiative,” said its Co-Founder and President Tracy Schrans. “Drawing on over three decades of applied research, responsible gambling evaluation, and player protection, we look forward to collaborating with IGSA members to advance practical evidence-based industry standards for keeping players safe.”
