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GeoComply appoints new CFO & CHRO in pursuit of ‘continued’ growth

Geolocation provider GeoComply has confirmed the appointments of Lindsey Drake and Kelly Schaefer as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), respectively.

The new hires form an important part of GeoComply’s push to ‘drive continued growth’ as the Vancouver-based firm plots further expansion opportunities.

GeoComply completed the acquisition of its first technology and solutions platform – OneComply – earlier this year, and has also received minority investments from Norwest Venture Partners and Arctos Sports Partners, deals which have enabled the company to expand into new verticals and accelerate innovation.

Commenting on the appointments of Drake and Schaefer, Anna Sainsbury, CEO of GeoComply, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Lindsey and Kelly to the GeoComply team. Their extensive expertise and leadership in their respective fields will be instrumental in guiding our financial strategy and strengthening our talent capabilities.

“As we continue to expand our market presence and develop groundbreaking cybersecurity solutions, their contributions will be critical in driving our growth and further solidifying our position as a global leader.”

Joining GeoComply as CFO, Drake has been tasked with overseeing all of its financial operators, including financial planning, budgeting and capital management.

Drake arrives with an ‘extensive’ background in finance and a ‘proven track record’ of driving growth and profitability, as well as a ‘deep understanding’ of the technology industry.

She most recently served as CFO and Director of Finance, Analytics and Science, AWS Sales and Marketing at Amazon Web Services.

“So excited to share my next adventure as GeoComply’s Chief Financial Officer,” wrote Drake on LinkedIn.

Schaefer, meanwhile, has been recruited to lead GeoComply’s human resources strategy, with a focus on talent acquisition, development and engagement.

Formerly Chief People Officer at Clutter, Schaefer also previously served as Director of Human Resources at Amazon Web Services, where her time overlapped with Drake’s.

Her expertise in talent management, organizational development, and employee engagement has been described as ‘invaluable’ by GeoComply, with the aim of attracting top talent to the firm.

Schaefer wrote on LinkedIn: “I am excited and honored to join the industry-leading experts at GeoComply.”

GeoComply further noted that women will account for over 60% of GeoComply’s leadership team, following the appointments of Drake and Schaefer.

Loto-Quebec proposes union talks as indefinite general strike by casino workers continues

The CSN’s decision to pursue an indefinite general strike has been described as ‘disappointing’ by Loto-Quebec, which has reiterated its desire to hold further talks with the union.

CSN-affiliated employees at casinos in Gatineau, Montreal, Mont-Tremblant and Charlevoix announced an ‘unlimited’ general strike on June 23, a decision which has disrupted operations at the latter three destinations with certain services only offered on a ‘limited basis’.

The salary row escalated to new heights yesterday as CSN members from the four casinos held a demonstration in Montreal, with Loto-Quebec subsequently issuing its latest statement on the matter, having last responded on June 23.

In a post published on its website, the crown corporation noted: “Loto-Québec is disappointed with the union’s decision to pursue an indefinite general strike when all the elements necessary to reach an agreement are available. The employer has already tabled a global and generous monetary offer.

“The Corporation is determined to propose significant improvements to working conditions while ensuring that public funds are managed responsibly.”

Loto-Quebec offered further details of its row with the union which, it claims, has demanded evening, night and weekend bonuses are doubled, in addition to a salary bonus which represents an increase of 24% over three years.

CSN, meanwhile, has always maintained that its workers salary demands are equivalent to the rising costs of living, plus $1 extra per hour.

Despite the protestations of the union, Loto-Quebec remains steadfast in its belief that its offers have been fair, further noting that salaries in casinos are ‘well above the reference market, at more than 20% for the majority of job categories’.

“The Company wishes to resume serious and constructive discussions with the union and the conciliator in order to reach a fair settlement for all of the organization’s employees while ensuring responsible management of public funds,” concluded Loto-Quebec.

Great Canadian Toronto boosts premier poker destination status via new poker room

Fresh from launching Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto last month, Great Canadian Entertainment has announced the newest addition to its Vegas-style casino – a poker room.

The resort officially opened its doors on June 20, equipped with 4,800 slot machines and 145 table games on its new gaming floor as part of plans to ‘reimagine’ casino gaming in the city.

Now, less than three weeks later, Great Canadian Entertainment has unveiled its latest development – a poker room ‘to cater to the market’s vibrant poker community’.

Alongside Great Blue Heron Casino and Hotel, Great Canadian Toronto will offer entry into some of Canada’s largest poker tournaments, further solidifying their positions as ‘premier poker destinations’.

Additionally, with combined ‘Bad Beat’ jackpots connecting players from both properties, there will be a focus on establishing themselves as a leading destination for both local and international poker enthusiasts.

The poker room at Great Canadian Toronto, meanwhile, will offer 30 tables on a private floor with electronic table games and slots available and ‘No Limit’ and ‘Limit’ stakes at varying levels.

Furthermore, for players seeking an ‘elevated gaming experience’, the poker room will include four tables situated in a semi-private area.

As previously reported, the resort is expected to generate over $500m in positive economic impact to the Toronto economy.

Meanwhile, announcing the news via a press release today, Great Canadian Entertainment also highlighted its commitment to promote responsible gambling, with the $1bn resort featuring two PlaySmart Centres on the gaming floor and information provided on how to participate in OLG’s voluntary My PlayBreak program.

GeoComply launches ‘groundbreaking’ browser solution for Ontario

GeoComply has unveiled its latest technological solution for the Ontario market with the launch of No-Download Browser Solution (NDBS).

The new geolocation compliance browser solution, described as ‘groundbreaking’ by the Vancouver-based firm, has been designed to ‘improve conversion rates while delivering frictionless, compliance-grade geolocation and anti-fraud functionality’.

Vadim Jelezniakov, Chief Technology Officer at GeoComply, explained: “Our mission is to ‘instill confidence in every online interaction’. For gaming operators, that means meeting compliance requirements with minimal integration efforts – all while improving conversion rates and reducing fraud risks.

“Balancing compliance and player friction is a paramount concern in the highly regulated online gaming market. We don’t take risks when it comes to geolocation compliance. With NDBS, we perform over 800 checks on every transaction. And because no download is required, there is no extra friction to the player experience.

“We’re very pleased to innovate on our customers’ behalf and diversify our portfolio further with this latest solution.”

NDBS is powered by ‘decades’ of data science and machine learning expertise and is designed to integrate seamlessly with all major browsers while making location verification easier.

The new solution also features advanced fraud detection, providing operators with ‘actionable and authoritative’ anti-fraud measures, geolocation accuracy and compliance.

Other benefits include intelligent geolocation verification and real-time monitoring as GeoComply further serves the Ontario market – where it flagged 3.3 million global ‘spoofing’ attempts in its first year of regulation – with its latest technology.

CSN heads casino workers demonstration in Montreal as discontent continues

The Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) has announced that its members from four separate casinos will be staging a demonstration today in Montreal.

The demonstration is expected to take place from 11am, with a speech to be delivered around noon, as per the trade union’s statement.

The protest is the latest public show of discontent from workers at casinos in Montreal, Mont-Tremblant, Charlevoix and Gatineau towards their employers, having already staged a one-day strike on June 22 before calling for an ‘unlimited general strike’ one day later.

Through CSN – the second-largest trade union federation in Quebec – workers are demanding increased wages equivalent to the rising costs of living, plus $1 extra per hour.

The union has contested that Société des casinos and Loto-Québec are making significant profits without fairly compensating its workers, with Loto-Québec management allegedly sharing $650,000 in bonuses this year.

Conversely, Loto-Quebec has suggested the union is demanding more than double the amount granted to all the other employees of the organization in the past year.

According to the crown corporation, two money offers were tabled to the union in the last few months, but CSN are not engaging in ‘serious and constructive discussions’.

The impact on casinos across the province has varied; the Montreal, Charlevoix and Mont-Tremblant casinos appear to have been the hardest hit, with certain services limited at all three, while the Casino du Lac-Leamy, Salon de jeux de Trois-Rivières and Salon de jeux de Québec have all been open according to their usual hours.

David Mann: Swintt expects Ontario license in ‘next couple of months’

Swintt is prioritizing the province of Ontario as the igaming provider prepares to make its first foray in the North American market this year, according to CEO David Mann.

The Malta-based firm has its roots firmly in Europe but is now pivoting for global expansion, with the US firmly on its agenda.

However, before heading for the States, Swintt is aiming to make its North American debut in Canada, with activities already underway to try and achieve that goal this year.

Speaking to CasinoBeats at last month’s Canadian Gaming Summit in Toronto, Mann explained: “We’re going through the licensing process for our Ontario licence at the moment, and we expect to have this in the next couple of months. One of the reasons that we’re interested in Ontario is because it marks our first step into the regulated North American markets.

“Of course, we do have ambitions to enter the US at some point, but we’re starting with Canada. We’re very confident that this is going to be a very exciting market for us.

“A lot of our operator partners are already live in Ontario, so we’re looking forward to being able to launch our games in this province and see our games go live. We’ve got a variety of content from across our portfolio – plenty that we at Swintt have developed as well as games from third parties. That’ll mean that Canadian players will benefit from a wide array of content.”

Translating success from one continent to another can be difficult but, as Mann underlined, the journey can be made much easier by tailoring content to individual audiences.

He said: “Since formation, one of our strategies has been to try and offer relevant content for relevant markets. I think the greatest success example that we’ve had with this was with a German land-based company where we distribute their land-based style games.

“We distribute their games not only in Germany but also across the Netherlands and other Eastern European countries where we have seen players show a preference for this type of content.

“The biggest learning to take is to really try to tailor the right content to the right market. In Ontario, we will use this approach – we will look at the games that we have which we believe may appeal to Canadian players, and will also try to source additional games that we think Ontario bettors will enjoy.”

Key to providing Swintt’s bespoke content to audiences in North America – specifically Canada and the US – will be its content aggregation platform SwinttStudios, which will enable smaller studio partners to roll out its content, market new games using the firm’s promotional tools and enter into new markets.

As Mann explained, the aim of SwinttStudios platform is simple – to provide players with a wider variety of content, and therefore an elevated gameplay experience.

“We know that there is a lot of content already available. But we’re trying to cut through the noise and tell our partners ‘look, we have this studio that is producing these games that are relevant for you’.

“We don’t want to provide our partners with games that don’t fit with their audience, there’s no time to do that. We’re not trying to put a square peg in a round hole to try and get the right content that works for operators.”

FanDuel named ‘first authorized gaming operator’ of CFL in new partnership

The Canadian Football League (CFL) has vowed to deliver an “exciting and innovative betting experience” after announcing a new partnership with FanDuel.

The collaboration sees FanDuel become the CFL’s ‘first authorized gaming operator’, in addition to an official sportsbook partner of the league.

While bettors can already place wagers on the CFL at other sportsbooks, this landmark agreement will see FanDuel take the experience further for fans, with markets on a variety of in-game player propositions such as anytime touchdown scorer, passing, rushing and receiving yardage.

Fans will also be able to wager on various futures bets, including which team will emerge victorious in Hamilton on Nov. 19 to be crowned the 110th Grey Cup champion.

Dale Hooper, General Manager of FanDuel Canada, commented: “We are very proud to kick off our partnership with the CFL, a league with some of Canada’s most passionate fans. The CFL is a Canadian institution, and we are excited to provide sports bettors with an industry-leading experience.

“We look forward to working with the CFL and TSN to continue to drive interest in this great league and the next generation of stars by contributing insights that add another element to the great storytelling that is taking place.”

The deal further cements FanDuel’s name in the North American sports scene, following news earlier this year that the firm had become a co-exclusive sports betting partner of Major League Baseball (MLB) in North America.

For the CFL, meanwhile, the partnership acts as an early-season boost following the new campaign’s kick-off last month, and adds to the revamped CFL Game Zone launched with its official data and technology partner Genius Sports.

“Responsible sports wagering is another way for our league to further its connection with our fans,” said Tyler Mazereeuw, Chief Commercial Officer of the CFL. “In addition to taking in our fun, fast and entertaining brand of football, some fans may wish to engage with the game on a more personal level.

“We’re excited to work with FanDuel to deliver an exciting and innovative betting experience. While opening this new avenue of fandom is important to our league, wagering should only be done responsibly by adult fans who are 19 years of age and over with the means to do so.”

Elsewhere, the league recently implemented a new ‘CFL Match Manipulation Policy’ to help ‘maintain the integrity of the league and protect against the increasing threats of match manipulation’.

AGLC appeals panel rejects Camrose Casino switch to Edmonton

Capital City Casinos has suffered a crushing blow in its quest to relocate its Camrose Resort Casino to Edmonton, after the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) doubled down on its original decision.

Attempts to move the casino from Camrose to Edmonton started back in September 2021, when a relocation application was submitted to the AGLC. The plan picked up momentum with the approval of a permit in August 2022 but, three months later, the Commission denied the relocation request.

Undeterred by its initial rejection, Capital City Casinos continued to drum up support for its proposal, receiving encouragement from various municipalities, including the County of Barhead, where reeve Douglas Drozd pointed the finger of blame at “political forces” in February.

Drozd even suggested that the AGLC had approved the decision before the interference of outside opponents.

Westlock County reeve Christine Wiese also backed the Capital City Casinos bid, calling for a “more equitable and fair gaming model” in May.

An appeal to review the AGLC’s original decision to reject the move was held on May 10 and lasted over two days but the decision – which reinforced its initial vote – was only released last week.

Explaining the decision, the appeals panel said the plan to relocate the casino didn’t have enough community support, with 98% of the initial 500 submissions stating their objection in writing.

“The panel finds that supporters of the application would decidedly have been able to do the same,” the decision stated.

“The panel finds that the lack of community support for the application was substantial and does not find that the notice or timeframe for response was inadequate.”

As previously reported, the cannibalization of existing casino operations and limited new gaming revenues were also cited as factors by dissenters of the project.

The explanation continued: “Further, the operators each cited the loss of revenue for their associated charities and the impacts the proposed relocation would have on the existing operators’ relationship with AGLC.

“As such, the panel finds a significant lack of support from existing casino operators in the Edmonton market.”

Laura Cunningham-Shpeley, Executive Director of the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues, voiced her approval at the decision.

She said: “This is a real example of Edmonton nonprofits and organizations really stepping up and saying that this is going to have a negative impact on their ability to do the kind of programs and services for Edmontonians that they want to keep doing.”

However, Paul McLauchlin, President of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta, labelled the decision ‘disappointing’ for many of his members.

“The difference between rural gaming and urban gaming is so significant that I think everybody realizes it’s just not fair the way it’s designed right now,” he said, per CBC News.

Meanwhile, an AGLC spokesperson told CBC News that the regulator “will continue to work with government to monitor the strength and success of Alberta’s charitable gaming model”.

Kindred attains SOC 2 data security certification in Ontario through Unibet

Kindred has confirmed its Unibet brand has received Service Organization Controls 2 (SOC 2) – Type 2 compliance status in Ontario.

The certification is a ‘recognized leading North American standard allowing companies to demonstrate their information systems, security policies and procedures meet the highest standards of data security and operational excellence’.

The audit conducted by MNP LLP involved a ‘holistic and detailed independent assessment of Unibet’s controls and practices’, with areas such as data management, system availability and risk assessment all evaluated as part of the process.

Furthermore, MNP has concluded that all data gathered, and systems hosted by Unibet’s partner in Ontario, Pala Interactive, meets the Trust Service Criteria of security and processing integrity requirements.

Sören Thörnlund, Chief Technology Officer, Kindred, commented: “Kindred has always been driving toward exceeding industry standards for information security and privacy. By protecting our operating platform and safeguarding customer data, we provide a safe and secure commercial offering to all our markets.

“We are pleased that our SOC 2 compliance has proven our continued commitment to one of Kindred’s core values – we build on trust.”

Unibet’s entrance into the Ontario market on the April 4 launch date last year marked Kindred’s first steps into Canada, with the open regulatory model allowing the firm to launch igaming and sports betting products under one multi-product brand.

Reflecting on its recent SOC 2 certification, Amanda Brewer, Country Manager Canada, Kindred, added: “We are thrilled to announce our successful completion of SOC 2 (Type 2) audit without any reported exceptions. This achievement is a testament to our ongoing commitment to providing the highest level of security to our customers.

“It demonstrates our dedication to meeting and exceeding industry best practices while maintaining a high level of trust and confidence in our services.”

Live Nation Canada picks GGPoker as official online poker partner

GGPoker has partnered with Live Nation Canada to become the live entertainment company’s official online poker partner.

As part of the agreement, GGPoker will stage weekly ‘GG x Ticketmaster Gift Cards Freeroll’ online poker tournaments at 7pm ET, beginning July 2.

Players entering these tournaments will compete to win prizes including 10 $500 Ticketmaster Gift Cards, redeemable for Live Nation events.

The deal is the latest significant move made in the industry this month by Live Nation Canada, following news of its exclusive partnership with Great Canadian Entertainment on June 7.

“We are thrilled to join forces with Live Nation Canada as their official online poker partner,” said Sarne Lightman, Managing Director of GGPoker.

“This collaboration allows us to enhance the overall experience for our players by providing them with access to incredible live events alongside their favorite poker games.”

For GGPoker, the deal acts as a further boost to its brand in Canada, where the online poker room operator utilized its partnership with World Series of Poker (WSOP) last year to launch a WSOP-branded poker room in Ontario.