Interesting article from the CBC yesterday on problem gambling in BC. It's sobering to hear about the pitfalls other provinces face with respect to problem gambling prevention, protection and supports. The former Problem Gambling Institute of Ontario is referenced in here along with other Canadian sources, around the evidence supporting problem gambling. Take a read if you have a chance.

I was in England over the Christmas break and the topic of screen time for children came up, which caught my attention for both personal and work reasons. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health says parents should take a balanced approach to screen time and that it cannot be prescriptive. This is different from Canadian guidance which recommends no screen time for children under 2 and only one hour a day for children 2-4 years old. You can read the full article here.

This is a good article! Thanks Howie. CAMH has also advocated for closing hours and to not allow casinos to stay open for 24 hours. We have some other policy statements available here: https://learn.problemgambling.ca/policy

Interestingly, the majority of their sample was related to watching TV, not playing games / cellphones / computers. I think this is a serious limitation of this research, as there are many significant differences in terms of interactivity, reward expectation, and level of stimulation between watching TV and playing online games, for example. As a psychiatrist, I will point out this limitation to my clients and continue to follow Canadian guidelines.

The Gambling, Gaming, and Technology Use team is offering a facilitated workshop: Fundamentals of gambling and gaming: Effective assessment and treatment planning on March 10th from 13:00 to 15:00 hours EST. This training is best suited to newly qualified clinicians as well as students who are currently working directly with clients, however, successful completion of the Fundamentals of Gambling and Gaming (FUN-GG) course is a prerequisite. FUN-GG is a short, self-directed course that...

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection has two excellent resources for parents, caregivers and professionals who would like more information about keeping children and youth safe online. Protectkidsonline.ca has a range of information covering issues such as cyberbullying , exploitation , healthy relationships and online boundaries. This site also separates information by age brackets so information is tailored for children and young people aged 5-7, 8-10, 11-12 and 13-15 years.

SBC is acquiring the long-running Canadian Gaming Summit , Canada’s premier annual conference and trade show for land-based and igaming professionals, from current joint owners the Canadian Gaming Association and MediaEdge Communications. This will all take place on June 7-9, 2022, Metro Toronto Convention Centre in downtown Toronto. Click here for the full article and how this might change our industry and the Igaming sector. What is the igaming sector you ask? Read Here.

I had attended one of their conferences years ago when GGTU was just starting out and they have so much swag that they gave away.