BCLC
Highlights from New Horizons in Responsible Gambling 2021: Player Health Reboot: Resetting the Future

More than 320 attendees gathered virtually for BCLC’s ninth-annual New Horizons in Responsible Gambling Conference on March 9 and 10, 2021. Delegates and speakers logged on from across British Columbia and Canada, the United States, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, England and Macau, among many other locations, to participate in 14 sessions addressing topics and findings around the theme: Player Health Reboot: Resetting the Future.
Keynote speaker Futurist Sanjay Khanna kicked off the conference with his address, Foresight in Gambling Innovation. Khanna detailed the converging-crisis era the globe is grappling with: large-scale environmental and societal changes and how this era will impact the future of the gambling industry. Khanna’s address intertwined how influences like climate change and the proliferation of smart phones and social media will affect player health, social resilience and the future concept of play. He offered suggestions for how operators, product designers and policy makers can use technology, innovation and diversity to ‘reset’ and prepare for a future that is positive, resilient and sustainable.
“Bringing together new creators and inclusive design to the context of disruption is hugely important,” Khanna said. “Player health needs to be player health by design and built in at the early inception of new products and services…What we might want to see out of all of this, is a vision for diverse and inclusive play in gambling.”
In her session, Is it Gambling? Breaking Down Esports, Video Games & Social Games, Dr. Brett Abarbanel, Director of Research at the International Gaming Institute at University of Nevada, Las Vegas examined the definition of gambling and how elements of gambling and chance appear in unexpected ways in video games, Esports, virtual reality and other applications.
“What do you think of when you think of the word, gambling?” she asked attendees. “A casino game, a slot machine, a poker game, the flipping of a coin at the start of a sports game, or when you role the dice in a board game?” Dr. Abarbanel examined how regulators in jurisdictions worldwide are examining these questions in determining the legality of emerging video-gaming elements like loot boxes.
“Game developers, toy designers, spectator-engagement tool creators who are putting these things together, may not even realize the potentially legal and certainly social ramifications of even just adding a simple random number generator to their games or other gambling-like elements.
“How we define gambling really starts to come into play,” she said.
In Breaking through the Sludge, Understanding Human Behaviour Bing Feng, Senior Research Associate at Behavioural Economics in Action at Rotman School of Management, discussed how gambling operators can address ‘sludge’: broadly described as any intervention that impedes positive-decision making, the opposite of a ‘nudge’.
“Reminding people of their goal, or making their goal more salient will increase their motivation to work towards it,” she said of one approach to encouraging healthy play.
Feng highlighted recent research drawing similarities between effective tools used to increase financial literacy and positive gambling behaviours, including: setting limits, tracking behaviours impulse control, risk perception and alternative activity-seeking.
“Key behaviours can help us design better interventions and solutions,” Feng said. “Sometimes we just need to pause, and take a moment to see what we can improve and how we can make things easier and better for our end user.”
In addition to these sessions, New Horizons offered participants sessions on the emerging risks associated with self-directed investing (day trading), a discussion around the regulatory practices of sports betting and how responsible gambling can catch up with the rise of cashless technology.
To stay connected with New Horizons and for information about future virtual sessions, please visit https://horizonsrg.bclc.com/
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BCLC
Save the Date: BCLC’s New Horizons in Safer Gambling Conference Returns November 2026

BCLC is pleased to announce the return of the New Horizons in Safer Gambling Conference, taking place November 2–4, 2026, at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver.
This global event brings leading voices in research, policy and industry together to explore innovative approaches to safer gambling. Attendees can expect two days of forward-thinking dialogue, evidence-based insights and collaborative solutions to help shape the future of player health.
Sponsorship Opportunities Now Available
New to the 2026 conference, BCLC is excited to offer sponsorship opportunities to organizations that share BCLC’s passion for safer gambling. Benefits of sponsoring New Horizons 2026 include industry visibility, leadership recognition and meaningful engagement with a global audience. To learn more about sponsorship, please e-mail [email protected].
Registration and program details will be released later this fall.
The post Save the Date: BCLC’s New Horizons in Safer Gambling Conference Returns November 2026 appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
BCLC
Vancouver Resident Purchased Winning $40 Million Lotto Max Ticket While Quenching Sparkling Water Craving

Phuc Duc (Daniel) Chau loves the Bubly brand of sparkling water and stopped in a convenience store to purchase a can. Chau likes to buy lottery tickets based on a gut feeling, and due to the employee’s bubbly nature while he purchased his Bubly, Chau also purchased a Lotto Max ticket for the May 23, 2025 draw.
It was this ticket that ended up scoring Chau a whopping $40-million jackpot.
“I was at work when I found out,” recalled Chau of the moment he realized he won. “I was going through my bag to find a cough drop, but I saw that I had two lottery tickets in my bag and decided to scan the tickets, but I needed to update the [BCLC Lotto!] app first. The first ticket I didn’t win anything, but the second said $40 million. I have never seen that many zeroes in my life, ever. I dropped my phone and then called BCLC right away!”
At the time of the prize claim, the Vancouver resident hadn’t yet shared the news of his win.
“My partner doesn’t know yet! I want to share the news with them in a special way.”
Chau shared that his dream has always been to travel the world. “There are so many places I want to go to, so I haven’t fully decided!”
When asked if he will quit his job, he said, “I haven’t decided, but I want to continue to support my community in a different way.”
On how it feels to be a multimillionaire?
“It means a lot to me. It opens up an opportunity for me to give back to my family, community and the world all around me. It’s not meaningful unless you can share this with those who need it.”
Chau purchased the winning ticket at the 7-Eleven on Imperial Street and Boundary Road in Burnaby.
So far in 2025, B.C. lottery players have redeemed more than $146 million from Lotto Max. Lotto Max is a nationwide lottery game drawn on Tuesdays and Fridays after 7:30 p.m. (PST).
Players can purchase tickets at lottery retailers or at PlayNow.com. Winning numbers and group release forms can be found online at www.bclc.com. Players can check their lottery tickets anytime, anywhere on iOS and Android devices.
BCLC offers socially responsible gambling entertainment while generating income to benefit all British Columbians. Players can visit PlayNow.com to learn how to set time and money limits.
The post Vancouver Resident Purchased Winning $40 Million Lotto Max Ticket While Quenching Sparkling Water Craving appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
BCLC
BCLC Celebrates its 40th Anniversary With New Scratch & Win that Lets Winners Give Back

BCLC has launched a Scratch & Win ticket that is a win-win for both the Top Prize winner and their registered B.C. charity of choice.
The Greater Good Giveaway ticket offers a Top Prize of $10,000 for the winner and $10,000 for their registered charity of choice, selected from a list of British Columbia charities on CanadaHelps.
Thomas D’Cruz from Richmond is the first Top Prize winner for Greater Good Giveaway. D’Cruz selected the B.C. Children’s Hospital Foundation to receive the $10,000 charity prize, sharing that he “wanted to help children.” The winning ticket was purchased at Walmart on Alderbridge Way in Richmond.
There are over 12,000 registered B.C. charities on CanadaHelps for Top Prize winners to select from that support a variety of different causes, including arts and culture, education, social services and more.
“At BCLC, we believe that when we share the wins, we feel more connected to each other, our communities and our province,” says Natasha Questel, BCLC Chief Social Purpose Officer and Vice President of Marketing. “Our players have shared that they are interested in different types of prizing that go beyond a dollar amount, so as we celebrate our 40th anniversary we’re thrilled to launch the Greater Good Giveaway – a ticket that allows our players the chance to support causes that resonate deeply with them, and aligns strongly with our social purpose – to generate win-wins for the greater good.”
Greater Good Giveaway tickets are $2 each and are available for purchase at lottery retailers across the province. For full details on the Greater Good Giveaway ticket, including how to play, please visit our website.
In 2024, B.C. lottery players have redeemed more than $137 million in winnings from Scratch & Win.
Since 1985, BCLC has delivered more than $29 billion to the provincial government to support communities, provincial programs and services, charities and major events that have helped shape B.C.
The post BCLC Celebrates its 40th Anniversary With New Scratch & Win that Lets Winners Give Back appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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