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BC's Responsible Gambling Strategy
The Province has developed a comprehensive Responsible Gambling Strategy to help
reduce the harmful impacts of excessive gambling and encourage responsible gambling and healthy
choices. To reduce the incidence of problem gambling, the Three Year Plan is a shared responsibility
among the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch, the BC Lottery Corporation, gaming services providers
and local governments, collectively known as the Partnership for Responsible Gambling. A philosophy of
shared responsibility is the backbone to the Strategy, and this vision is evident throughout the Three
Year Plan and the range of prevention initiatives.
Detailed information about the Province's Responsible Gambling Strategy, Three Year
Plan and Prevention Strategy are available in the following PDF documents:
The three key elements to the Province of British Columbia's Responsible Gambling Strategy
are outlined below.
Goals of Responsible Gambling Strategy
1. Reduce the incidence of problem gambling by:
- Creating greater awareness of problem gambling
issues, services, and risk management strategies; and
- Encouraging gamblers to know the risks, their limits
and to play within their means.
2. Reduce harmful impacts of excessive gambling
by:
- Providing effective and efficient assistance to
individuals experiencing problems with gambling; and
- Reducing the consequences of problems related to gambling.
For example, this includes support to impacted families.
3. Ensure the delivery of gambling in a manner that
encourages responsible gambling and healthy choices by:
- Informing government and the industry on issues
related to problem gambling and responsible gambling;
- Implementing new policies and practices to reduce the
harm related to excessive gambling. (For example, communication material
focused on this problem);
- Improving the knowledge and ability of the gambling
industry to deal with gambling problems and provide responsible gambling
opportunities, through training; and
- Promoting customer service and programs designed to
encourage healthy choices and responsible play.
Key Principles and Values of the Prevention Strategy
- Adults have the right to make their own choice with respect to gambling, and are
able to assume responsibility for their choices;
- Prevention messages respond to the interest, issues and communication needs of a
range of targets (by age, gender, culture, workplace etc.);
- Effective prevention programs, policies and initiatives are meaningful to the
target populations for which they are designated;
- Prevention is continually enforced through all life stages; and
- Prevention and treatment strategies are mutually enhancing.
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