iGaming Ontario And Responsible Gambling Council Expand Education To 40 Campuses

iGaming Ontario (iGO) has partnered with the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) to expand gambling harm education for college and university students across Ontario.

Announced on 23 September, the initiative will double the RGC’s post-secondary campus programme from 20 to 40 publicly funded campuses during the current academic year.

Previously supported by Ontario’s Ministry of Health, the programme will now receive additional funding from iGO and aims to reach 10,000 students through in-person interactions.

The RGC campus tour, now in its 25th year, provides students with education, support and resources through sessions delivered by peer-aged ambassadors trained by the organisation.

Gambling Harm Education On Campus

This year’s programme includes a Random Tower installation, a life-sized Jenga-style activity featuring gambling harm reduction messages.

iGO’s contribution will also fund at least 10,000 Student Education Kits for distribution through campus health services, residence life teams and wellness departments.

“Young adults are growing up in a world where betting is woven into how they watch and talk about sports,” said RGC CEO Sarah McCarthy.

“Meeting students on campus, in the moments that matter, is how we help them understand the risks and know their options.

“With iGaming Ontario’s support, we can now do that on almost all publicly funded campuses in the province.”

RGC and iGO said adults aged 18 to 24 are consistently identified by research as a demographic at higher risk of gambling harm. Around 70% of Ontarians in this age group attend college or university, making post-secondary campuses a key setting for prevention and education initiatives.

Research published earlier this year in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that the rate of young men contacting the ConnexOntario mental health helpline for gambling-related problems increased by more than 300% between January 2012 and September 2025.

A separate report published in September indicated that emergency department visits for gambling disorders in Ontario had almost doubled since the province opened its regulated online gambling market to private operators in April 2022.

BetGuard Included In Campus Programme

iGO’s BetGuard self-exclusion system will also feature prominently in the programme. The tool allows individuals in Ontario to opt out of regulated online gambling across the province.

The Student Education Kits will include information about gambling harm prevention, along with a BetGuard information card and QR code directing students to further information about self-exclusion.

“We are excited to partner with the Responsible Gambling Council to bring meaningful gambling education to 40 of Ontario’s publicly funded post-secondary campuses,” said iGO President and CEO Joseph Hillier.

“We’re proud to have recently launched BetGuard, which gives Ontarians a simple option to take a break from all regulated online gambling. This is just one part of our comprehensive responsible gaming approach that includes ongoing education on risks and knowing where to get support when you need it.”

iGO unveiled BetGuard in April at the RGC’s Discovery conference before officially launching the system in May.

The organisation said in July that thousands of users had opted out of regulated online gambling platforms through BetGuard during its first two months of availability.

“BetGuard is helping players manage their gaming practices by providing a new layer of protection in Ontario’s regulated iGaming market. As a result of this program, iGaming Ontario has seen thousands of users successfully opt out of the regulated online gambling market,” an iGO spokesperson said.

“Over the coming months, iGaming Ontario will continue to work with our partners and operators to increase public awareness of BetGuard as well as the safeguards it provides.”

iGO Issues BetGuard Fraud Warning

The expanded campus programme comes shortly after iGO warned about unauthorised third parties using the BetGuard name and branding.

The organisation said the Ontario government had identified instances of unlicensed third parties falsely using the BetGuard identity. iGO advised the public to use official sources when seeking information about BetGuard, self-exclusion and Ontario’s regulated iGaming market.

These include BetGuard.ca, the websites of licensed operators listed in iGO’s directory, Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG), and channels operated by key partners such as ConnexOntario and the RGC.