Responsible Gambling Council partners with iGaming Ontario to expand gambling harm prevention to 40 publicly funded Ontario campuses
2026-27 Post-Secondary Campus Tour will reach up to 10,000 students and put BetGuard, Ontario's centralized self-exclusion tool for regulated online gambling, in front of young adults where they study and socialize
TORONTO, Sept. 23, 2026 /CNW/ -- The Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) is bringing its gambling harm prevention program to 40 publicly funded college and university campuses in Ontario this academic year, an expansion made possible by its partnership with iGaming Ontario.
The 2026-27 Post-Secondary Campus Tour builds on RGC's prevention work funded by Ontario's Ministry of Health. With iGaming Ontario's support, RGC will grow the tour from a baseline of 20 campuses to 40, targeting 10,000 in-person student interactions. iGaming Ontario support also funds a new element of the program: at least 10,000 Student Education Kits distributed over the year.
Young adults aged 18 to 24 are among the groups at highest risk of gambling harm. Young people are particularly susceptible to harms associated with online gambling (Montiel et al., 2021). About 70 per cent of young people in Ontario attend college or university, making campuses the most direct way to reach this age group with prevention education before problems take hold.
Introducing this year's Program: The Random Tower
At the heart of the post-secondary campus tour, now in its 25th year, is an interactive education program delivered by RGC-trained ambassadors. For 2026-27, The Random Tower features a life-sized Jenga-style activity customized with important messages about harm reduction. Students are invited to remove a block and try to keep the structure standing. Hidden messages inside each block reveal how gambling and sports betting outcomes are shaped by factors outside of a person's control, from a last-second 'Hail Mary' pass to patterns in online play that are simply randomness.
Whether the tower falls or holds, the educational takeaway is the same: the outcome of the game was never fully in the student's hands.
Peer-aged Educational Ambassadors lead prevention conversations, answer questions, and share support and resources including BetGuard, Ontario's centralized self-exclusion tool.
New this year, Student Education Kits extend the program beyond a single event. Distributed through campus Health Services, Residence Life, Wellness teams, and Student Services, each kit pairs gambling harm prevention information with a BetGuard information card and QR code to learn more or to opt out of regulated online gambling in the province.
A Practical Tool: BetGuard
Incorporated in this year's tour messages is BetGuard, Ontario's player support tool for opting out of all regulated online gambling in Ontario. BetGuard was created by iGaming Ontario on behalf of the Government of Ontario. It gives people a simple way to take a break from all regulated online gambling sites in the province.
Visit BetGuard at https://www.betguard.ca.
Quotes
"Young adults are growing up in a world where betting is woven into how they watch and talk about sports. Meeting students on campus, in the moments that matter, is how we help them understand the risks and know their options. With iGaming Ontario's support, we can now do that on almost all publicly funded campuses in the province."
-- Sarah McCarthy, Chief Executive Officer, Responsible Gambling Council
"We are excited to partner with the Responsible Gambling Council to bring meaningful gambling education to 40 of Ontario's publicly funded post-secondary campuses. We're proud to have recently launched BetGuard, which gives Ontarians a simple option to take a break from all regulated online gambling. This is just one part of our comprehensive responsible gaming approach that includes ongoing education on risks and knowing where to get support when you need it."
--Joseph Hillier, President and CEO, iGaming Ontario
Finding Support
Students, campus partners, and treatment agencies can learn more about the campus tour and BetGuard at https://therandomtower.ca. Free and confidential help for anyone affected by gambling is available across Ontario through ConnexOntario by phone at 1-866-531-2600, by text at 247247 and through live chat at ConnexOntario.ca.
About the Responsible Gambling Council
The Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to preventing and reducing harm from gambling. For more than 40 years, RGC has created and delivered prevention, awareness, and information programs in Ontario and around the world. RGC works with players, communities, industry, and regulators to reduce gambling risk through prevention education, research, standards development, and the RG Check accreditation program, because gambling should never come at a human cost.
About iGaming Ontario
As an Ontario Crown Agency, iGaming Ontario champions Ontario's regulated online gaming market, helping connect players with safer, legal gaming options while fostering a competitive environment for responsible operators. Through strong partnerships and a commitment to integrity, player protection and responsible gaming, iGaming Ontario supports a world-class iGaming market while generating significant economic benefits for the people of Ontario.
SOURCE Responsible Gambling Council
Media contact: Patrick Moore, Senior Manager, PR & Communications, Responsible Gambling Council, [email protected], www.ResponsibleGambling.org
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