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Atlantic Lottery encouraged in pursuit of online casino entry

The Atlantic Lottery has undergone a “rigorous process” in an attempt to implement online casino games in all four provinces it serves in.

Online casino games are already live in Atlantic Canada, but the Atlantic Lottery is determined to protect consumers from the presence of the unregulated and offshore gambling websites that are currently operating illegally in this market, and instead make them available on a safe and regulated platform.

Currently, the Atlantic Lottery is the region’s only lottery and online gaming and sports betting provider that is 100% legal and government regulated.

Writing on The Ticket, Patrick Daigle, CEO of the Atlantic Lottery, highlighted the advantages of his company offering online casino games in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, where an estimated $100m is lost every year through play on illegal gambling websites that are not regulated by these provincial governments.

He said: “A regulated alternative can provide those players with extra protections and tools to help them keep their play responsible, while keeping those funds in our region to reinvest in services essential to all Atlantic Canadian residents. That sounds like a win-win to me.”

A number of independent expert reviews have been conducted to ascertain the suitability of such a service which, according to the Atlantic Lottery, have “found no substantial evidence that the introduction of online casino gambling would have a measurable impact on vulnerable players, nor that problem gambling became more prevalent in the other Canadian provinces where regulated online casino games are already available”.

The lottery’s goal is to shift some of the existing player base from these offshore sites back to its alc.ca website, which returns all of its profit to the four Atlantic provinces.

Daigle added: “In practical terms, this means players are offered protection in the form of age and residency verification, built-in responsible gaming features, email alerts of winnings, and automatic deposit of winnings.

“Our site also contains features such as a self-exclusion option, customizable deposit and wager limits, time displays, and a personalized risk rating based on their online play, as well as several other tips and links to help players gamble responsibly.

“These features combine to offer the best-in-class player protections that were recommended by experts.”

bet365 ramps up NFL excitement with ‘Never Ordinary’ campaign

bet365 has marked the beginning of the new NFL season with a brand new global marketing campaign, ‘Never Ordinary’, featuring Aaron Paul.

The Breaking Bad star features in a TV commercial where he spectates the sport of curling and watches a seemingly average throw trigger a “cultural phenomenon” as people take to the streets to celebrate.

While the ad itself is not directly NFL related, the campaign is based upon the concept that “the bet365 experience is never ordinary”.

Chloe Shrubb, Global Head of Brand Marketing at bet365, explained: “The in-game betting experience is something that bet365 has and always will excel at. The sentiment behind this campaign is essentially a reminder for everyone that bet365 stands out from the crowd.

“It’s unique in so many ways and it’s absolutely Never Ordinary.”

The campaign was created alongside creative agency Drummond Central with the ad filmed on location and in-studio, in Madrid, Barcelona and LA.

Kevin Lynn, Drummond Central Creative Director, said: “bet365 wanted a fresh new look and feel, something we were fully on board with. It’s a concept based on a brilliantly simple idea – any sport can have an amazing moment. We wanted every sport to feel as epic as the Premier League, NFL or NHL.”

The TV ad is just the beginning of the campaign and is set to run globally, appearing online, in communications and across digital.

bet365 has also incorporated responsible gambling into the new creative platform, producing a standalone commercial within the Never Ordinary environment “to fully support our responsible gambling message”.

Alex Sefton, bet365’s Chief Marketing Officer, added: “We are really excited to share Never Ordinary with the world. It’s an exciting change for bet365 and one which celebrates our strengths and the direction we’re heading in.”

Real Luck Group signs LOI in latest pursuit of investment

Real Luck Group has made progress in its renewed attempts to secure investment after recently signing a Letter of Intent (LOI) for a potential merger or acquisition.

The Calgary-based company, owner of the esports and sports betting platform Luckbox, previously announced it had secured a private placement of up to 60,000,000 units, at a price of $0.04 per unit, for gross proceeds of up to $2.4m.

But the firm was forced to abandon the private placement last month after experiencing a ‘very difficult fundraising environment’.

Real Luck Group added that it was pursuing ‘alternative options’ in search of investment to fund its ongoing growth and operations, leading up to the company’s announcement this week.

Thomas Rosander, Real Luck Group CEO, commented: “We expect an initial capital injection into the company by the end of September, and subsequently expect to finalize a transaction. The signing of this LOI indicates industry interest in our company and its operations and assets.

“We are confident this would greatly benefit our shareholders and partners by securing capital in a very challenging fundraising environment.”

The transaction is contingent upon approval from the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) and shareholders, while Real Luck Group states there can be “no assurance that this process will result in any specific financial transaction”.

Rosander also took the opportunity to discuss the firm’s financial results for Q2 2023, where it ended with player registrations of 450,000, a significant increase from the 137,000 registered at the end of 2022.

“We continue to make operational improvements and have made significant optimizations and reductions in our operational costs,” said Rosander. “Q2 2023 saw us generate a record quarterly Global Gaming Handle of around $11.4m, owing to our emphasis on enhanced player retention and reactivation, despite lower marketing spend.

“We also continue to make headway with our proprietary B2B product, which is being received well by large potential B2C customers.”

theScore Bet showcases streamlined betting experience in new Ontario ads

theScore Bet has debuted its fall marketing campaign in Ontario this week, highlighting the ‘unique combined media and betting experience’ it offers alongside theScore.

In two separate TV commercials, bettors can be seen at a bar together, with one summoning two characters – personifying theScore and theScore Bet – who deliver relevant betting-related content paired with betting markets to demonstrate the ease at which users can place informed wagers through the brand’s streamlined betting experience.

The cutting-edge media and betting platforms work together to “efficiently serve customers through access to in-depth data and analysis, personalized markets and the ability to easily place wagers within one ecosystem”.

Aubrey Levy, SVP of Content & Marketing, theScore, explained: “This new campaign supports one of our core product differentiators – a completely synced up media and betting experience between theScore media app and theScore Bet sportsbook.

“Our view is that when media is integrated with betting the right way, it provides for an enhanced and improved user experience.

“Using familiar creative elements, these spots highlight how our products bring media and betting together in one intelligent ecosystem, ultimately differentiating us from other offerings.”

theScore Bet worked in partnership with Toronto-based marketing agency Diamond on the campaign creative and strategy, with the spots directed by comedy veterans The Director Brothers, Ryan McNeely and Josh Martin.

“With theScore Bet plus theScore’s in-depth sports data and analysis, making informed bets is a streamlined experience,” said Jordan Cohen, Creative Director, Diamond.

“As a key differentiated offering in the category, it was time to make that clear.”

In addition to the television commercials, the campaign also includes digital and out-of-home assets.

Century Casinos finalizes sale-leaseback of four Alberta properties

Century Casinos has officially completed the sale of four casino properties in Alberta to VICI Properties, with all four being leased back to the company.

The casino entertainment firm announced in May that a $221.7m deal had been agreed for subsidiaries of VICI Properties to acquire the real estate assets of its Century Canadian Portfolio, comprising of Century Casino & Hotel Edmonton, Century Casino St. Albert, Century Mile Racetrack and Casino, and Century Downs Racetrack and Casino.

The transaction has now been finalized, with Century Casinos retaining approximately $154.5m of the purchase price after giving effect to the purchase of the Century Downs land, selling expenses, Canadian and US taxes and proceeds to be paid to the minority owners of Century Downs.

Erwin Haitzmann and Peter Hoetzinger, Co-CEOs of Century Casinos, commented: “We are pleased to extend our good partnership with VICI to our Canada portfolio.

“This transaction provides us with the ability to pay down our debt and with greater financial flexibility as we continue to grow.”

Simultaneous with the closing of the transaction, the Century Canadian Portfolio was added to the existing triple-net master lease agreement between subsidiaries of VICI and subsidiaries of the company, and annual rent will increase by $17.3m. The annual rent escalator related to the Century Canadian Portfolio is capped at 2.5%.

Rivalry widens Casino.exe access through new mobile app

Rivalry has announced the launch of the interactive casino platform Casino.exe on its iOS mobile app in Ontario.

The Toronto-based firm went live with Casino.exe earlier this year, debuting eight casino games alongside it. In the same announcement, Rivalry reaffirmed its plan to bring out a mobile app in the province.

That was achieved in May, with Rivalry Co-Founder and CEO Steven Salz professing that its new sports & esports betting mobile app had the “most comprehensive esports betting offering in Ontario”.

Now, after also recently launching its new esports same-game parlay product, Same Game Combos, Rivalry has announced a number of enhancements to its casino product suite, including the launch of Casino.exe on its mobile app.

“Since launching Casino.exe last year we’ve diversified our revenue mix and materially increased betting handle,” said Salz.

“Our emphasis on tech and design innovation continues to serve as a catalyst for our products, allowing us to drive organic interest and activity in casino with limited marketing spend.

“Today’s announcement adds greater accessibility to our exclusive casino platform and builds on a unique offering with more games and variety.”

The eight new games added to Casino.exe include a mix of game shows, table games, and instant games as Rivalry looks to “add game variety and scale” to its casino offering which generated $57.5m in its Q2 2023 betting handle.

Rivalry added that Casino.exe will be further evolved with more interactive and entertainment-based features to add “depth and exclusivity”.

Salz concluded: “Casino.exe has put a stake in the ground for the future of online casinos and how the industry can push the traditional online betting experience toward something much more fun and engaging for a demographic that demands it.

“We’re excited to be bringing this product to more customers in Ontario and continue expanding our casino product suite for all our users.”

SBC Leaders Magazine: Converging worlds of betting and media, investing in player safety, and going viral on TikTok

Issue 27 of SBC Leaders Magazine takes a tour of global gambling to get the lowdown on the ever-closer relationship between the betting and media industries, operator efforts to improve player protection, scaling a gaming supplier business, and even the use of rappers in marketing.

The publication underwent a full redesign ahead of this SBC Summit Barcelona issue and, in addition to a stylish new look, it also now features opinion columns from some of SBC Media’s most experienced writers.

One thing that has not changed though is that the magazine includes interviews with a selection of industry big hitters, including cover star Vladimir Malakchi, Chief Commercial Officer of games developer Evoplay, who detailed his approach to leadership and scaling a business.

Elsewhere, LiveScore Group’s CEO Sam Sadi discussed the increasing convergence of the sports betting and sports media industries, and took aim at one of the great clichés of the online age.

“People say content is king,” said Sadi. “But it’s really distribution that makes a difference because content you can create and acquire, but you’re not going to get millions of users coming to your content site overnight.”

Meanwhile, Peter Marcus, Group Operations Director for Entain, explained the thinking behind the global gambling giant’s state-of-the-art Advanced Responsibility & Care (ARC) programme, which effectively acts as a dedicated CRM for player protection.

“It’s about how we identify people at risk and, most importantly, how we interact and intervene with those people at risk. Because it is so easy to do it the wrong way,” Marcus said.

“What has worked is being honest and upfront and open with the customer. And also not making the customer feel that they’re anything abnormal.”

José Francisco Manssur, special advisor to the Executive Secretary of Brazil’s Ministry of Finance, talked to SBC Leaders about plans for the eagerly-anticipated introduction of sports betting regulation in the country, while Betsson’s Andrea Rossi and Racing Club’s Roby Martínez Álvarez outlined why sponsorship remains so important to both sportsbooks and football clubs in Argentina.

Looking a little further north, there is an evaluation of the impact of sky-high player acquisition costs for US operators, while Stuart Godfree, Managing Director of mkodo, discussed the requirements for successful geolocation products in Ontario.

And for a complete change of pace, Roobet’s Co-Founder Matt Duea revealed why viral TikTok videos, cryptocurrencies, a world-famous rapper, knockout punches and a gun-toting video game have been important elements in the operator’s rapid rise over the past four years.

From the world of online casino, Marinos Shiapanis, Co-Founder and CEO of Campeόn Gaming, provided some insights on the company’s international expansion plans.

“Estonia, even though it is a smaller market with a limited target audience, has met significant growth in the last few years, giving space for new business opportunities and strategic expansion for new and existing operators,” he said.

Shiapanis added: “Scandinavian markets, especially Denmark, and Sweden, are the markets to be, in order for operators to expand their international footprint, as they hold high internet penetration rates and tech-savvy populations, making them prime targets for online gaming platforms.”

We were also joined by GAMOMAT’s Founder & Managing Director Dietmar Hermjohannes and Joint-Managing Director Dr Alexandra Krone as they celebrated the game developer’s 15th birthday, while Yolo Group’s Commercial Director Mark Taffler outlined the future of content aggregation, and Upgaming’s Head of Digital Marketing Goga Bibiluri detailed the company’s approach to product innovation.

Finally, from the payments sector, Andrea McGeachin, CEO of Neosurf, explained why suppliers need to take accountability for player safety and Xace’s Chief Operating Officer Alexandra Cernescu assessed how operators can select the right partners.

You can read Issue 27 of SBC Leaders magazine in full here.

BCLC highlights Ontario-related challenges despite record-breaking year

British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) has published its 2022/23 Annual Service Plan Report, reporting a record-breaking net income of $1.64bn.

The new high for BCLC comes in its first full fiscal year of normalized casino and community gaming centre operations in a post-pandemic environment.

The total exceeds the previous net income record set in FY2018/19 by $220m, with the increase attributed, in part, to the opening of the new Cascades Casino Delta, Lotto 6/49 game enhancements, continued high Lotto Max jackpot roll patterns and the expansion of PlayNow.com to a third Canadian province, Saskatchewan, last November.

However, BCLC did highlight some areas of concern, including the launch of Ontario’s regulated market last year, which has “created challenges for PlayNow.com to continue to maintain its significant market share”.

The operator explained: “This shift has had effects across the Canadian online gambling landscape and resulted in a significant increase in advertising for sites which are licensed in Ontario but operating unregulated in other provinces.

“This is blurring the line between those sites and provincially regulated gambling sites that create revenue and jobs for their respective provinces. This has caused confusion for players who may be unaware that PlayNow.com is the only legal gambling website in BC.”

Pat Davis, President and CEO, added: “During 2022/23, there was also an influx of new advertisements from many unregulated gambling websites targeting players through marketing campaigns and enticing sign-up bonuses.

“That is why BCLC has joined with a number of other provincial entities to raise awareness of the implications associated with misleading advertising and operation of unregulated gambling websites, which do not provide employment or financial benefits to the province and present risks related to money laundering, gambling addiction and game integrity.”

The Canadian Crown Corporation also underlined financial crime as a “significant concern” for British Columbians, noting that it is continuing to make “notable investments” in detecting and preventing such activities.

Elsewhere, BCLC referenced several achievements over the course of the last year including its enhanced self-exclusion program, Game Break, which underwent a rebrand earlier this year.

The corporation also enhanced ID checks at casinos in the province to support self-excluded players.

Meanwhile, BCLC confirmed that approximately $1.62bn was delivered to the province of British Columbia in taxes, with $12m handed to the federal government.

Davis concluded: “We are proud of our results over the past year and look forward to making future investments and innovations to sustain and grow our business for the benefit of all British Columbians.”

Ontario NDP makes further plea after AGCO’s igaming ad ban

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario’s (AGCO) decision to ban athletes and most celebrities in igaming adverts has been celebrated by the Official Opposition Ontario NDP, but there are now calls for further action.

The regulator announced its decision to prohibit athletes – whether active or retired – in igaming marketing and advertising last week, except for the exclusive purpose of advocating for responsible gambling practices.

Further restrictions are also set to be placed on the use of celebrities, role models, social media influencers, entertainers, cartoon figures, and symbols that ‘would likely be expected to appeal to minors’.

Responding to the news last week, the Ontario NDP hailed the decision as a ‘welcome first step’, but has used the development to highlight the PMB (private Members’ bill) it tabled in June, which was their own solution for a ban on igaming advertisements.

The ‘Ban iGaming Advertising Act, 2023’ would prohibit the promotion of online gambling sites by means of advertising, with a minimum and maximum fine of $25,000 and $1m respectively for those who contravene the act.

MPP Lisa Gretzky (Windsor West), NDP critic for Mental Health and Addictions, said: “We’ve seen an explosion in advertisements for online gambling ads in the past few years, which puts people with gambling addictions and Ontario youth at risk.

“I’m pleased to see the AGCO’s recognition that more needs to be done, and hope Ford immediately calls our PMB to second reading debate. Let’s keep pushing and get this passed.”

The new restrictions will come into effect on Feb. 24, 2024, according to the Ontario crown agency.

MPP Tom Rakocevic (Humber River – Black Creek), NDP critic for Consumer Protection, added: “For too many years Ontarians lacked effective consumer protections when it came to online gambling. Today’s action from the AGCO is finally a positive step in the right direction – and a sign that our bill with expanded protections is needed.”

PointsBet pinpoints possible Alberta entry date in FY23 review

The province of Alberta remains firmly in the thoughts of PointsBet, as evidenced during the presentation of the company’s FY23 results last week when the prospect of a 2024 launch was raised.

The Australian-owned betting and gaming group published its full-year results on Wednesday and held a conference call with investors and analysts, and it didn’t take long for Managing Director and CEO Sam Swanell to broach the subject of Alberta in the Q&A section.

Swannell previously said that PointsBet was “keeping a close eye” on developments there ahead of the province potentially following the footsteps of Ontario and opening up the market.

Currently, Alberta has just one authorized online gambling site, the government-owned PlayAlberta, which is set to host a new sportsbook soon following an agreement struck with BtoBet.

“We believe that there’s a good chance that Alberta, as an example, gets added to the TAM (total addressable market), let’s call it in the second half of the calendar year [2024],” said Swanell. “And thus, that A$2bn (C$1.76bn) market could become A$2.5bn (C$2.2bn).”

PointsBet’s FY23 report included sections specifically reserved for its Canadian operations, which take on added significance in North America following the impending sale of its US arm to Fanatics.

The company’s revenue for its first full year of operations in Canada was C$16m, with total sportsbook turnover of C$171.1m driven primarily by NBA, NFL, Tennis, MLB, NHL and FIFA World Cup.

Meanwhile, Points Bet’s in-play mix of sportsbook handle grew to 63% in FY23, up from 53% in the PCP, and sportsbook gross win margin improved to 6.4% compared to 4.2%.

Furthermore, marketing expense for FY23 was C$26.4m as the firm ‘continued to build up its position in the market’.

In a joint statement, Swanell and Chairman, Brett Paton, said: “The Canadian business which launched only in April 2022, saw significant growth in sports betting net win to A$6.8m (C$6m) and igaming net win at A$11.5m (C$10.1m) for total net win of A$18.3m (C$16m) with 30,423 cash active clients.

“As we look ahead to FY24, we are looking forward to delivering growth in Canada. The company will maintain a top tier North American sports betting product, an exciting product roadmap and will continue to invest in our product and app experience for both our Australian and Canadian businesses, underpinned by OddsFactory.”

Paton and Swanell added: “The Canadian business provides shareholders continued exposure to the North American market through a jurisdiction that is more attractive than most US states. The lower capital requirements and higher operating margins benefited from lower gaming tax relative to most US states create strong prospects for attractive future economics with additional provinces going live over the next two years. Our technology is a real competitive advantage in both markets.

“We believe the early stage of the Canadian business compliments our more mature Australian business, as well as providing an opportunity to leverage attractive features of our tech stack that aren’t available in the Australian market such as igaming, and online live betting.”