Welcome to the first edition of All In, a monthly blog sharing my thoughts and perspectives on responsible gambling, new research and trends from across the gambling world. Having spent the last 30 years of my career in the non-profit sector, I’ve been able to see the incredible impact that organizations have in the heart of our communities.
In 2017, I had the good fortune to become the first female CEO of the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC). Some of you may be new to RGC and wondering what we do and why. The short answer is: RGC is All In For Safer Gambling. We are an independent organization with over 35 years of experience dedicated to the prevention of gambling harms around the world. RGC is an incredibly impactful organization that collaborates with the full range of key stakeholders to create an eco-system that prevents people from experiencing gambling harms. Our passion for responsible gambling is rooted in our core values of humanity, integrity, courage and ingenuity.
Gambling is evolving. The effects of a global pandemic and mandated public health measures over the past year to stop the spread of the virus have put the brakes on in-person gambling. During this time, we’ve seen an increase in online gambling in many jurisdictions, as well as the growing popularity of sports betting. With these new platforms and offerings, I believe we play a critical role in advocating for consumers and ensuring that the guardrails are in place to protect players and communities from the harms associated with gambling.
RGCs values-based leadership is aligned with the work that I have done throughout my career, which is focused on empowering communities and its people to create better futures. In this blog, I look forward to sharing thoughts about what is happening across the world of responsible gambling, success stories of what’s working, lives that have been changed by our collective work and where I think we can do better to create positive change for individuals, society and our world.
Shelley White is one of Canada’s foremost visionary leaders, and has dedicated her life and career to empowering organizations that create better futures for thousands of people in their communities. In 2017, she became the new CEO of the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC).