Imagine spending over a decade in law enforcement, meticulously navigating a myriad of regulations related to financial crime and human trafficking, only to transition into a new industry and discover a stark lack of compliance training and certification opportunities.

This was the reality for Dr. Ian Messenger, Founder and CEO of the Association of Certified Gaming Compliance Specialists (ACGCS). Established in 2022, ACGCS was born out of Messenger’s experience after entering the Canadian gaming industry in 2021, where he noticed a significant gap in compliance knowledge among new professionals.

Dr. Messenger, a Brit with a background in the UK National Crime Agency and international banking in Canada, observed that while there was ample compliance expertise from other sectors, newcomers to the gaming industry often lacked specific proficiency.

He explained to Canadian Gaming Business, “I saw many new hires with compliance backgrounds in areas like anti-money laundering and fraud, but they lacked understanding in the unique complexities of the gaming industry, such as sports betting, odds manipulation, security, surveillance, and responsible gaming.”

To address this, Messenger and a group of colleagues leveraged their practitioner and academic experience to launch the ACGCS, aiming to create a comprehensive gaming compliance certification.

ACGCS offers various training courses and educational programs tailored for the casino industry to better equip staff in navigating gaming regulation intricacies. The flagship offering is a 35-hour self-study online course, the Certified Gaming Compliance Specialist (CGCS), alongside online training through a partnership with Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Messenger highlighted the significance of this partnership, noting, “We are the only training organization in this space with an academic partnership, which has piqued the interest of several gaming regulators. This year, several regulators have enrolled their staff in our program.”

In addition to public courses, ACGCS conducts bespoke closed sessions for gaming regulators, emphasizing the customization of their training offerings.

The association also tackles another critical issue in the gaming industry – human trafficking. In 2023, ACGCS partnered with the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking to launch the industry’s first free Human Trafficking Risks in Casino Gaming certificate.

ACGCS’s clientele includes casino operators, employees, gaming commissions, and regulators, reflecting the association’s mission to be a premier provider of educational tools for the gaming sector.

While recognizing the gap in specific gaming compliance knowledge, Messenger emphasized this was not a critique of the “dedicated and focused” professionals entering the field. Instead, it presented an opportunity for ACGCS to expand its operations and for individuals to gain specialized knowledge, especially as Ontario's private market opened up in April 2022.

“This opening created numerous opportunities for individuals to explore different segments of compliance,” Messenger elaborated.

With a rich career across various compliance sectors, Messenger describes himself as a builder of systems. When the casino and gaming industry emerged as the next major compliance frontier in North America, he seized the chance to develop an educational platform tailored to this space.

“The casino industry presented a new compliance challenge. With the liberalization of Ontario in 2022 and similar trends in the US, we’re seeing environments dealing with compliance for the first time,” Messenger noted.

In addition to the 35-hour self-study course, ACGCS’s collaboration with Dalhousie University offers a Certificate in Gaming Leadership and various micro-credential courses. The association is committed to maintaining long-term relationships with organizations enrolled in these courses, providing ongoing compliance advice and resources.

Following significant industry interest in Dalhousie’s academic courses, ACGCS launched a six-month self-study version of the Casino Gaming Investigations micro-credential and is exploring further academic partnerships to expand its services.

“We are in discussions with several universities about postgraduate certificates and potentially an MBA in gaming compliance,” Messenger revealed. “This initiative is driven by requests from our clients.”

ACGCS is also contributing to academic research in compliance, further solidifying its role in the industry.

Since its inception in 2022, ACGCS has amassed a substantial client base and aims to significantly boost brand awareness throughout 2024. The association will showcase its offerings and expertise at the Canadian Gaming Summit in Toronto on June 18-20, aiming to connect with industry counterparts and a broader audience.

“Attending the Canadian Gaming Summit allows us to engage with industry peers, connect with a larger audience, and discuss our products while answering questions from individuals,” Messenger concluded.