Maintaining its high standards in the area of responsible gambling, Red Shores Charlottetown was recently recertified as an RG Check accredited venue.

“We are excited to have this prestigious responsible gambling certification,” says Michael MacKinnon, managing director of Red Shores. “It is a testament to all the things we do day in and day out to ensure our locations are offering a safe and responsible gaming environment.”

Based on a comprehensive set of responsible gambling (RG) standards, RG Check is the most stringent RG accreditation program in the world.

“Operators that seek RG Check accreditation are committed to having their responsible gambling program assessed against a set of rigorous, evidence-based standards,” says Sue Birge, director of the RG Check program.  “Accredited venues such as Red Shores Charlottetown have strong responsible gambling policies and practices in place and understand the value this brings to their players, community and business. Player safety is important to them, which increases public and player confidence.”

What is RG Check?

“RG Check is considered the gold standard of responsible gambling accreditation programs,” says Birge.

The program was developed by the Responsible Gambling Council, an independent non-profit organization, in consultation with a broad set of stakeholders from policy makers and gaming providers, to players and those who have experienced gambling problems.

RG Check is designed to meet or exceed all existing responsible gambling regulatory requirements, and provide a concrete roadmap for implementing broadly stated industry RG codes of practice.

How do you get certified?

“Getting the accreditation is a multi-step process,” says MacKinnon. “It isn’t something you do once and forget about, it is an ongoing commitment to responsible practices.”

All submissions are reviewed by an independent panel of responsible gambling specialists.

“The process consists of a detailed assessment of corporate policies and procedures, a physical review of the site that includes interviews with senior and frontline staff, as well as staff and patron surveys,” says Birge. “The final stage is a review by our independent accreditation panel. This is a thorough process that can take up to five months.”

There are eight standards and 47 criteria that each venue must meet to receive the accreditation. The criteria are benchmarks that define the standards in greater detail and guide the accreditation process.

“The accreditation is valid for three years, and venues are required to submit an annual program update in order to maintain their accreditation status,” added Birge.

All standards for venues and a brief overview of what they mean are listed below:

• Responsible Gambling Policies: The venue/corporation must demonstrate awareness of problem gambling and creates integrated corporate policies and strategies to actively address it.
• Employee Training: Staff understands the importance of RG and are knowledgeable about their role and the corporation’s expectations of their actions.
• Self-Exclusion: A well-managed and communicated self-exclusion program is in place that facilitates access to counselling and other supports.
• Assisting Patrons Who May Have Problems with Gambling: Assistance to patrons who may have problems with gambling is readily available, systematically provided and documented.
• Informed Decision Making: Venue provides substantial and readily available information to enable patrons to make informed decisions.
• Advertising and Promotion: Advertising and promotion does not mislead or misrepresent products or target potential vulnerable patrons.
• Access to Money: Money and money services are provided to patrons in a responsible manner that does not encourage excessive spending.
• Venue and Game Features: Venue and game design promotes awareness of the passage of time, breaks in play, and the responsible use of alcohol.

“We’re so proud that Red Shores is doing well in all of these areas. Things like strong policy engagement from leadership, solid employee training, accessible information, and a robust self-exclusion program are just a few of the things that the team excels at,” said MacKinnon. “A certification like this one pushes us to always strive to be the best we can be, and that’s something we can all be proud of.”  

Red Shores Charlottetown has held the certification since 2013.