SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Canada’s Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) becomes the latest industry representative body to commit to improving betting/gaming’s diversity and inclusion standards, joining the All-in Diversity Project (All-in).
Moving forward the RGC will promote All-in Diversity industry benchmarks on inclusion and diversity data, allowing Canadian sector stakeholders to participate in much-needed research.
Furthermore, the collaboration will focus on supporting industry sustainability and social responsibility initiatives, by educating incumbents in developing and maintaining more diverse workforces, workplaces and marketing.
Christina Thakor-Rankin, Co-Founder of All-In Diversity Project, explained: “Whilst the industry has done some great work in the area of responsible gaming and harm minimization, most has been based upon the behaviors of specific social and cultural groupings. Our partnership with the RGC allows us to start to explore how diversity and inclusion and a lack of social, economic, cultural or religious awareness and unconscious bias can lead to ‘blind spots’ in our approaches to social responsibility and harm minimization including the use of data science, machine learning and AI. Until then we can never truly protect all of our customers, only some.”
According to the Project, studies continue to show that a diverse workforce can be a key factor in improving a business’s bottom line and overall product delivery, stating;-
“The next step for businesses in our industry will be to collaborate, share best practices and work on progressing together towards a more inclusive industry. The partnership between AIDP and RGC is a step forward in the right direction using data, research and responsibility to ensure we create a more diverse and inclusive industry for the future.”
Shelley White, CEO of the Responsible Gambling Council, welcomed the alliance, saying: “RGC is pleased to become a partner in the All-in-Diversity Project. We believe it is vital to attract board members and staff that reflect the communities we serve. Understanding the needs and interests of people from different backgrounds enables RGC to offer regulators, operators and players, across the globe, relevant and meaningful responsible gambling strategies and programs. We look forward to learning from and sharing with the All-in-Diversity Project partners and to continue to build an industry which treats all employees and players with respect and dignity” said Shelley White, CEO, Responsible Gambling Council.
