Spotlight on the sin sectors

Plus: A riding to watch and Ford heads north

In this edition: the latest on gaming policy, a riding check-up featuring the Bay of Quinte, and Ford presses the flesh up north.

Good Monday morning. This is Queen’s Park Observer.

ABOVE THE FOLD

At the risk of jinxing it, the pandemic seems to be letting up, allowing broader policy-minded folks to get back to prioritizing non-Covid work — and with the 2022 election on the horizon, so-called populist policies to expand the gaming, booze and cannabis sectors may be front and centre. I talked to experts and stakeholders about what’s next — and today it’s all about gaming.

The policy stars have also aligned. The federal bill to allow single-event sports betting has received Royal Assent, and the AGCO, the provincial regulator, is poised to launch a discussion paper for Ontario’s iGaming market, which would bring in private-sector firms and is expected to launch later this year.

“I would say it’s less ‘populism’ and more of like, catching up to the 21st century and the government treatin…