Player health is very much in the spotlight at the upcoming British Columbia Lottery Corporation “New Horizons in Safer Gambling” conference to be held this Monday to Wednesday at the Convention Centre in downtown Vancouver.

The event brings together gambling-industry experts to explore ways to build a sustainable future when it comes to gambling. Keynote speakers will cover what’s new in regulation, research, healthier play programming and strategies, and some of the best and promising practices when it comes to safer play.

“New Horizons is all about reconnection and rediscovery,” said Ryan McCarthy, Director of Player Health at BCLC. “It’s about having conversations, whether they’re happening on the main stage, in the workshops, or in the lobby, reflecting the progress made as an industry and setting out a renewed path of innovation and advancement in player health.”

Conference sessions include the keynote address, “Gambling on the Safer Side: A Different Approach to Creating Competitive Advantage,” on Tuesday at 9:15 a.m., presented by Dr. Shawn DuBravac, president of Avrio Institute. DuBravac will delve into how consumer preferences are shifting toward more sustainable and healthier options and show gaming-industry leaders how various business sectors are changing to meet consumers where they are, prioritizing health and well being.

Dr. DuBravac is an internationally recognized thought leader, delivering pragmatic and provocative insights on the trends, technologies, and paradigms transforming the globe. His research focuses on the forces shaping tomorrow that are percolating on the peripheral of society and business today.

Participants at New Horizons can register starting Monday at 4 p.m., with a guest reception later that day at 5 p.m.

The regulated Ontario market is another focus, this one from the panel “How Regulation of iGaming Drives Safer Gambling Innovation,” featuring spokespeople from international operators BetMGM and Rush Street, discussing the contributions of their companies to safer gambling innovation in Ontario, as well as representatives from Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation, BCLC and iGaming Ontario.

Panel discussions run through Wednesday afternoon, with experts and researchers presenting on topics like self-exclusion, stigma, emerging forms of gambling, player experience, and more.