GME3: Dollars & (Game)Sense, Botched Bots, & Channel Surf: Tides Turn for Corus

For this week’s GME3 we’re looking at a new update from Alberta demonstrating that responsible gaming is central to the launch of their new igaming regime, a social media botting campaign aimed to elevate the voice of Conservative leader Pierre Polievre, and a dispute between two Canadian media companies, Corus Entertainment and Rogers. Read the full stories here!

Gambling

Dollars & (Game)Sense

In an interview we covered at the beginning of this month Dale Nally, Alberta’s Minister of Service and Red Tape Reduction, announced that responsible gaming is a central focus of Alberta Gaming Liquor & Cannabis (AGLC) as they work towards establishing a new regulatory igaming regime in the province.

As Nally said, “The most important pillar that we will have in the launch of our igaming strategy will be responsible gaming. We have a fiduciary responsibility to all Albertans to have a safe, responsible environment for them to gamble, and that is going to be the first and foremost priority of our government as we move forward.”

In keeping with this theme, the AGLC announced earlier this week that they are launching the GameSense Info Line, which expands the reach of the GameSense responsible gambling initiative. GameSense is an organization operational in BC and Alberta that provides players with information on how different forms of gambling work, as well as how to spot the warning signs of problem gambling, so users have the knowledge they need to make informed decisions.

Kandice Machado, the CEO of the AGLC, continued to state that “GameSense has grown exponentially around the province, with the brand being added at the homes of the Oilers, Flames, Elks, Stampeders, and both Edmonton and Calgary CEBL teams. In adding the GameSense Info Line, AGLC is providing another way players can access tools, resources and support to help keep gambling fun and entertaining.”

The GameSense Info Line (1-833-447-7523) will operate on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursday–Saturday 1-8 p.m. This initiative further solidifies Alberta’s commitment to creating a safer and more informed gambling environment, ensuring that responsible gaming remains at the forefront of the province’s evolving igaming landscape.

Media

Botched Bots

In July, X was overrun with posts following Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s speaking event in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. While these posts were supposedly from people who attended the event, in fact, they came from a variety of accounts created in Russia and France, among other locations.

Toronto Metropolitan University’s Social Media Lab (SML) manually sorted through over 200 bot accounts associated with the campaign, many of which were only created within the last two months. The SML also swept through other social media channels and confirmed that this action doesn’t seem to be part of a broader influence campaign. 

The campaign itself was crude – experts are calling it an example of a “copypasta” campaign, where blocks of text are copied and pasted over many different accounts. The crudeness of the campaign combined with the limited scope led the SML to conclude that this was “likely done by an amateur with limited resources.” They went on to comment that “If this was an attempt at influencing voters in Canada, it’s a crude and amateurish exercise and doesn’t hold a candle to other known influence campaigns.”

The NDP has called on Canada’s elections commissioner to investigate the source of the campaign. The Conservative Party has denied any involvement. Sarah Fischer, director of communications for the Conservative Party of Canada, had this to say:

“As we always said, the CPC had nothing to do with this. The Conservative Party does not use bots. It would have been nice if someone had done this research before blindly repeating baseless accusations from the Liberals and NDP.”

While the bot-driven campaign surrounding Pierre Poilievre’s event in Kirkland Lake appeared to be an attempt at political influence, its crude execution and limited reach suggest it was the work of an amateur rather than a sophisticated operation. With the NDP calling for an investigation and the Conservative Party distancing itself from the effort, the incident highlights ongoing concerns about misinformation and the need for vigilance in the digital age.

Entertainment

Channel Surf: Tides Turn for Corus

Corus Entertainment Inc. has filed a complaint against Rogers Communications Inc., alleging that the Canadian media company is “engaging in predatory behaviour” to suppress potential competition.

Corus alleges that Rogers has used its  “dominant size and scale” to undercut Canadian competitors in securing rights deals to foreign programming.  This includes recent deals with Warner Bros. Discovery and NBCUniversal Media’s Bravo channel. The deal with Discovery has the potential to be especially damaging to Corus, which will lose Canadian rights to brands like HGTV, Food Network, the Cooking Channel, Magnolia Network, and OWN when the new deal begins on January 1, 2025.

Corus also accused Rogers of using its cable and streaming platforms to discourage subscriptions to Corus content, such as its Disney-themed channels, by offering promotions for the Disney+ streaming service.

Rogers has replied, calling the claims “baseless,” as Corus “has not kept up with the demands of Canadians and is now looking for the regulator to protect their broken business model.”

Last month, Corus reported a third-quarter loss attributable to shareholders of $769.9 million, compared with a loss of $495.1 million a year earlier. The company expects to have slashed 25 percent of its workforce by the end of August compared to the beginning of its 2023 fiscal year.

As Corus faces significant financial challenges, this legal battle highlights the broader struggle for survival among traditional media companies in an evolving industry dominated by large-scale players like Rogers and social media platforms like Instagram or X. The outcome of this complaint could have far-reaching implications for the future of media competition in Canada.