My PlaySmart

My PlaySmart puts slot and online players in control of their play. Where other slot budget-setting tools were made to police problem gamblers with strict limits, My PlaySmart was created as an extension of customer service and loyalty programs, giving players helpful reminders and consequences only if they choose. 

The unique tone and positioning reflects PlaySmart’s overall approach: make responsible gambling (RG) habits a natural and positive part of the play experience. RG programming can’t be effective if it isn’t taken seriously by players, and for that it needs to add value to their game time without reducing the fun. That’s what My PlaySmart delivers.


My PlaySmart is a large sprawling project, spanning across Ontario and involving a complex stakeholder network. My overarching role has been to provide a user-experience lens, contributing as follows:

  • Executed research & jurisdictional/competitor scan of gambling “pre-commitment” tools
  • Informed the strategic brand positioning as a voluntary customer value-add as opposed to mandatory “policing” measure
  • Acted as subject matter expert to help determine requirements, scenarios and challenges related to policy objectives and user experience
  • Managed content development, reconciling legal concerns, technical realities, brand integrity, RG policy objectives, business objectives and user experience
  • Managed the communications plan and execution for pilot launch and successive site launches; created and coordinated communications, training and marketing collatera, etc.
  • Managed the post-launch re-branding of My PlaySmart into a more coherent “sub-brand” that lives within the overarching PlaySmart aesthetic 
  • Managed the refresh of PlaySmart’s online presence on OLG.ca, including the re-brand of existing online tools as My PlaySmart tools, increasing brand consistency across physical and digital play experiences