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BF Games gains Ontario licence after AGCO approval

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has granted a supplier licence to BF Games, the London-based games development studio.

BF Games can now offer its portfolio of slots to licensed operators in the Canadian province, following approval by the regulatory agency.

“We are thrilled to be awarded a licence by the AGCO, as being able to enter this highly promising market is a great milestone for us,” said Wiktor Grabarczyk, Head of Legal at BF Games.

“We look forward to working with locally licensed operators in Ontario and introducing our content to players in the province.”

The award of a supplier licence in Ontario represents another important step in realising the firm’s North American vision, after partnering with igaming consultancy company SCCC Management last December in a move designed to help facilitate its entry into regulated US states and its portfolio of slot titles in the region. 

Grabarczyk added: “North America will be a focus for us going forward and with the huge potential in the region, we have high hopes it will soon play a crucial part in our business strategy.”

Aubrey Levy, theScore: providing ‘deep coverage’ for the ‘monster event’ Super Bowl

Super Bowl 2023 is a special one for the Canadian market. It marks the first edition of the biggest sporting event in North America in which people in Ontario can legally bet on the Big Game with regulated private operators. 

There has been plenty of work going on behind the scenes at sportsbooks across the province to take advantage of the Super Bowl as a race will be on to attract new users on an event set to be a record breaker. 

RGC data recently found that 49% of Ontarians who bet on sports are planning to place a wager on the game, with 19% of those planning to bet $100 or more.

But in Ontario, where marketing practices have come under the spotlight more and more in recent weeks following the Fifth Estate inquisition into sportsbook practices, posing questions about marketing activities. 

So, to help understand how sportsbooks are approaching the Super Bowl, Canadian Gaming Business caught up with Aubrey Levy, Head of Marketing at theScore Bet, to see how the Toronto-based company is advertising ahead of Super Bowl 57.

Taking the temperature of Super Bowl fever

Levy set out his stall by noting there is ample excitement in Ontario from a bettors perspective going into this weekend’s game, given they can legally wager on the event for the first time.

He explained: “There’s tremendous excitement from the Ontario market going into it. It’s the marquee sporting event of the year and the first Super Bowl for the regulated Ontario market. So generally speaking, we tend to believe media attention and excitement within sports lead to gaming attention and excitement. 

“If that holds true, I would expect Super Bowl is going to be a pretty big weekend for both media consumption and gaming.”

Like any major sporting event, the Super Bowl evokes big competition between operators which are aiming to take advantage of the sporting excitement. 

Twinned with the fact it is the first Super Bowl post-Ontario launch, theScore is working tirelessly on ‘plans, contingencies and support’ to ensure a successful weekend – not just in marketing, but risk, trading and ops, too. 

But, of course, hockey rules in Canada, so CGB asked Levy where the big game sits in the hierarchy of the sporting calendar.

“Hockey, obviously, is huge in a way that it just isn’t in the US but NFL is still dominant in Canada,” Levy noted. “It’s still massive. Super Bowl 57 will without question be a massive event this year, and I expect it on an ongoing basis. 

“We see this in our media business NFL has a huge demand. So the Super Bowl is not a little sister event to the Stanley Cup. The Super Bowl is a monster event in and of itself.”

Marketing operations and leveraging media

theScore’s core competence is its multi-purpose app which combines sports media and sports betting in one location, so naturally this takes center stage in the PENN Entertainment brand’s marketing strategy.

Encompassing media consumption and betting engagement is essential for theScore Bet to help it attract new users, and Levy explained how this competence is being communicated to players.  

“The tagline for the media side is ‘The Big Game Starts Here’ and that largely ties back to the fact that we’ve been servicing the big game, not just as a gaming operator, but as a media organization for years and years,” he said. “We know how to give a great game day and leading up to game week experience for media, for our sports media fans. 

“It’s everything from a deep well of original content and reporting, we have guys literally on the ground in Arizona, covering the event all week long, which supports our in-app editorial strategy or social strategy, we’re going to have a host of betting content rolling out around it. We’re going to be explaining a lot of the wagering markets that we have available. So it’s, going to be a kind of full breadth of editorial and multimedia content to satiate you first as a sports fan.”

The firm has rolled out a wide variety of custom betting markets including lines and game props for individual drives, each quarter and half, and an array of player props, many of which can be combined into one wager through the Parlay+ same game parlay feature.

Levy noted that providing betting options provides something for everyone. “We’ll bring in a lot of both experienced betting behavior and a lot of new betters to feel like you have something for everybody that is important. That means a ton of specials and deep in-play markets. There’s a ton of storylines to cover so we have over 400 markets available.”

With such a wide array of betting options, the firm aims to offer a breadth of personalized options in an attempt to offer ‘something for everyone’. 

It aims to leverage the experience it has from its media division to transfer that approach to its betting offering. 

For such a big event like the Super Bowl, this is as important as ever, as Levy explained: “Part of what makes our media products as strong as it feels highly personalized to you. There’s so much information that you can come in and have a really personal experience, which is the same as how we’re covering this game. 

“We have content and guides out for casuals, new users, like betting one on one guides for the Super Bowl, and we’re gonna have really deep coverage and analysis and original reporting.”

Ontario macro trends

Another strand of theScore’s Super Bowl marketing is a ‘Betting 101’ guide, aiming to educate less experienced bettors on the game itself and the different times of bets available. 

This is a very important strand of the firm’s marketing output, but with the Ontario market now approaching one year old, theScore’s advertising lead explained that overall, bettors in the province are becoming smarter.

He detailed: “Ontario is an educated market, relatively speaking to other new markets, and is pretty sophisticated. A lot of users are already aware and familiar and have long-standing betting histories. 

“That still doesn’t mean there’s not a whole whack of new users who are new to the market, who are now seeing a lot of this regulated gaming taking place, and who feel a lot more safe and secure and willing to participate. 

“I think Ontario’s is a really interesting market in that you have this incredibly educated, sophisticated betting audience, and you still have new users introduced into this industry every day.”

As outlined earlier, Ontario’s marketing standards have come under fire in recent weeks after The Fifth Estate aired a program investigating problem gambling and operators’ adverts across the province. 

However, the AGCO standards on advertising are well-known as strict, with limits and restrictions in place on what can be said about offers and inducements. 

For Levy, though, this is not detrimental to theScore’s marketing strategy, as it wants to place emphasis on its product, rather than spending frivolously to acquire new users.

On marketing limitations, he noted: “I’ve always had this perspective, even in states where you could offer inducements publicly. Effective marketing for sports betting has to be beyond how much of a financial incentive you’re giving people. 

“I think that plays in our favor because it’s never been our strategy to be the loudest and most aggressive marketers shouting at the top of our lungs about signup offers and the biggest promotion, and taking them running it across television.”

Instead, the firm aims to place the value of its product and experience front and center of its marketing material, such as the previously mentioned betting guides and media integration.

Levy concluded: “I think as we have hopefully proven out throughout our first year in Ontario, the brand and how we talked our users and how we cover events, is going to bring you if you can do that, well, you should be able to attract an audience without just having to throw financial incentives in their face.”

“Marketing should be bigger than just here’s my promotion and slapping that on a billboard. How does that differentiate my sports book offering versus yours versus anybody else’s? Then we’re just in a race to the bottom of who’s going to shout the loudest with the biggest offer.”

Stram Entertainment to acquire BetPrep as FansUnite pushes revenue point

FansUnite has sanctioned Stram Entertainment’s acquisition of its affiliate brand BetPrep in an effort to ‘reduce operating expenses and unlock new revenue synergies’.

BetPrep allows bettors to test their wagering approach by comparing against data and analysis on the most historically profitable betting conditions for any sport, league, or player prop.

As part of the agreement, Stram – doing business as sports betting and igaming affiliate brand BestOdds – will pay FansUnite a 30% revenue share for 36 months subject to a minimum monthly guarantee, after the agreed upon ramp-up period ends on Sept. 1.

The Vancouver-based betting and gaming firm is adamant this partnership gives the brand its best chance to flourish while also forming part of FansUnite’s operational optimization strategy to accelerate revenue growth and prioritize profitability.

This comes despite news earlier this week that its revenue was up 364% YoY in FY2022.

Scott Burton, CEO of FansUnite, said: “As we continue to focus our efforts on the revenue generating aspects of our business, this deal was an opportunity to continue to benefit from BetPrep’s revenue upside without incurring the ongoing operational costs.

“BestOdds is well positioned to make BetPrep a successful product within their existing properties, and we anticipate the BetPrep brand will continue to flourish under their leadership. I’m also excited about the door this partnership opens for FansUnite and BestOdds to continue to do business together.”

FansUnite previously announced strategic plans to streamline its overall business, focusing on its Chameleon B2B technology platform and other business units that generate significant revenue and high gross margins.

Will Armitage, Co-Founder of BestOdds, added: “We are excited to be acquiring the BetPrep assets and will work hard to scale them within our properties. We look forward to collaborating with the FansUnite team over the coming years and reaping rewards together.”

Real Luck Group unveils ‘transformational’ new B2B product plan as revenue up 110% in Jan

Real Luck Group and its B2C betting subsidiary Luckbox have continued their upward trajectory with another record-breaking financial month in January.

Last month saw the Calgary-based company grow its revenue by 110% over December, which had also achieved a monthly revenue growth rate of 120% from November.

The group closed the fourth quarter with $3m global betting handle, but generated over half of that ($1.6m) in January alone to exceed its own expectations.

Furthermore, its total first time depositing players grew by 182% since December, and its registered player base now exceeds 250,000 after six months of focus on player acquisition.

“This strong month-to-month growth was expected, and is simply a result of the collective experience that our team has acquired from driving growth at prior companies,” said Thomas Rosander, Real Luck Group CEO.

“We are currently only harnessing about a quarter of the player acquisition channels we have at our disposal, and are confident about our growth trajectory and ability to continue delivering favorable results.”

In January, Real Luck Group announced that a ‘game-changing’ new B2B product – with “huge potential in a new vertical” – was in the works.

“The company is building a proprietary technology stack which we believe will be transformational for our industry,” it added in reflection of January’s results. “This product is an ultrafast, live micro-betting platform that we believe will allow us to increase revenue growth and margins from our B2C operations. It also positions us to expand into the lucrative B2B market with unique and proprietary products.

“We expect to provide more details on this new initiative in the coming weeks and months.”

Additionally, Real Luck Group will direct efforts on boosting player value, using total player deposits and global betting handle as key performance measurables.

Bragg Gaming strikes Betsson distribution deal via RGS

Toronto-based igaming provider, Bragg Gaming Group, is aiming to ‘accelerate the adoption of its rapidly growing content library’ after signing a distribution agreement with Betsson Group.

The deal will see the operator distribute Bragg’s full range of content via a direct integration with its Remote Gaming Server (RGS).

This will include titles from Bragg’s slots studios such as Dreamy Genie by Atomic Slot Lab and Sea of Plenty by Indigo Magic.

Karl Schranz, Director of Gaming at Betsson Group, commented: “Betsson Group lives by its vision to provide the best customer experience in the industry and we can’t do that without an ever-evolving offering of quality games at our disposal.

“Partnering with Bragg gives us exactly what we need to align with that goal and we’re thoroughly looking forward to rolling their content out to players across our brands.”

The partnership is the latest of several already announced in 2023 by Bragg, which also made further inroads in Ontario toward the end of last year, helping Kalamba Games to enter the province through a dual deployment of its RGS technology via its Oryx Gaming and Spin Games divisions.

Lara Falzon, President and Chief Operating Officer at Bragg, added: “An operator that offers over 20 of the online industry’s most popular brands, Betsson Group is a considerable partner to ally ourselves with. 

“We’re delighted to announce the news and especially so as we have much more to reveal throughout the year as we place our content in front of a wider and more diverse global player base.”

William Woodhams, Fitzdares: bringing luxury betting to the ‘real deal’ Canadian market

This week, luxury sports betting brand Fitzdares announced its international debut as it launched in Ontario, marking its first global market outside of the UK, where it has a storied history. 

With over 140 years of operations and a strong reputation as a provider of premium sports betting experiences through its Fitzdares Club model, the firm did not take the decision to expand into Canada lightly. 

But, according to William Woodhams, CEO of Fitzdares, entering Canada is the perfect move at this moment in time, given its luxury niche, Ontario’s concentrated wealth areas and the appetite of the locals to place bets. 

Speaking exclusively to SBC, Woodhams outlined his thought process when taking his company to Ontario.

Bringing British luxury to Canada

“Canada is the fastest-growing economy in the G7,” he explained. “It’s also a very experience-focused province, and people love sport, the great outdoors and have a long history of enjoying wagers – it’s just not been legal. 

“There is an engaged wealthy audience and a sensible compliance and legislation structure., and the province has invested to make this work. What we’re hopefully going to see is a safe gambling environment from the start.”

With Fitzdares’ razor-sharp focus on bringing a luxurious experience to sports bettors, it was essential to identify key markets in which the audience would be receptive to such a strategy, especially in a time when post-pandemic, the global economy is not in the healthiest position. 

Woodhams noted: “Coming in from the luxury proposition, Canadians have good taste – they’re not flashy but they love quality, and that’s what we offer. Canadians are also the nicest people in the world.

“Toronto is one of the most up-and-coming and vibrant cities going, all of the sport is a five-minute walk, the airport is nearby, and there’s a great culture and cuisine. It’s the real deal.”

Many businesses will seek to alter their strategy or tailor their offerings to consumers in different parts of the world to maximize value out of the market. Fitzdares is no different in this regard, but its aim is not to deviate from its strategy at all. Rather, it will double down on its premium and luxury offering. 

“I’d actually say we’re probably going to go more premium because, in the UK, it’s a very crowded market. We’ve been cognizant of not being too snooty in the UK, and we didn’t want to put people off by being too posh. 

“I honestly think Canadians will respond very well to a premium product offering. So in a sense, we’re doubling down on that bespoke element.”

Expanding on what he calls the ‘premiumization’ of gambling, which has been exacerbated by recent economic headwinds, Woodham outlined that consumers are increasingly seeking a better experience with betting products. 

Such premiumization, he states, means that gambling is becoming more of a luxury pastime with the average citizen’s wallet shrinking over the last year given rising inflation. 

But doubling down on luxury doesn’t necessarily mean only rich people can bet, as Woodham explained: “That doesn’t mean you have to bet $500, though. It just means it should be a great customer service experience. 

“The tech should be phenomenal. You should get invited to events that should be a really premium experience, whether you’re a $5 punter or $100 punter.”

Exclusive Super Bowl launch party

Now that the company is setting up shop in Ontario, attention is turning to attracting high-level customers in what the CEO is labeling as a ‘small start’. 

Aiming to be the go-to betting destination for Toronto’s elite, Fitzdares is hosting a launch party pop-up for 100 invited guests ahead of the Super Bowl.

Citing that 60% of Canada’s wealth is located in the Greater Toronto Area, Woodhams detailed that the launch party is part of a concerted effort to target its main demographic before opening up to the wider public. 

“There’s a lot of disposable income in the province, and we’ve just decided to target the top 100 sports punters. 

“In March we will open up our cohort to people who just want to sign up with us, but to start with we want to target a smaller group with the personal service that we deliver in the UK.

“We are starting small, we’re not going in with a $500 deposit bonus, doing marketing on the sides of buses. For us, the focus is on the audience sitting in the good seats of the Leaf’s games. 

“In a sense, if you’re launching in LA, you want the people on the court side of the Lakers as your first 100 customers. In Toronto, it’s the people with the best seats at the Leaf’s game.”

Drowning punters in lobster and champagne

Asked about the firm’s marketing strategy upon launch, given the tight restrictions in the Ontario igaming market, Woodhams was unapologetically luxurious in his response. 

“I won’t lie, I want to drown the first cohort of customers in lobster and champagne. I think what we’ve done took us 100 years before we cracked it in the UK – the Fitzdares Club concept – which is putting the customer in the lifestyle pages of the newspaper rather than the trade or the sports pages.

“If we were to launch a fashion brand in Toronto, how would we do that? We’d have a store launch, we’d have a drinks party. We’d speak to all the hockey players and invite them. So in a sense, that’s our strategy at launch.”

Fitzdares’ CEO was incredibly upbeat about the regulatory framework in place in Ontario, given its strictness with regard to advertising, noting that the province is “doing a better job than 90% of US states” on regulations and striking the right balance.

He detailed: “There is an engaged wealthy audience and a sensible compliance and legislation structure., and the province has invested to make this work. What we’re hopefully going to see is a safe gambling environment from the start. 

“We’re going to see an open market in the US and then see legislation piling in, like with the White Paper coming in the UK. Ontario has set the benchmark in the right place. They’re probably going to cancel using sports stars, and tweak the model, but won’t have to do a huge step back as some US states will. 

“I can’t think of a better place for our model to work.”

Noting that AGCO’s reporting is second to none, Woodhams also praised the regulatory framework in Ontario, adding that it sets the benchmark for other global markets. 

“This will be the benchmark for how states in the US should open, and the rest of the world – such as the Middle East and Asia – should look to the province too,” Woodhams explained. 

“When the province went live in April, there was a push for a first mover advantage, but this advantage wasn’t as big as many thought. The province is now settling and the numbers that came out recently are phenomenal.”

Looking ahead, Fitzdares aims to find retail locations for Clubs across Ontario to replicate its UK operations. Whilst downtown Toronto is clearly on the top of the list, the firm also has plans for an out-of-town location in a tourist hotspot. 

Again, aiming for exclusivity, the firm wants to invite high-profile bettors to the Muskoka Lakes during the summer to offer a luxury experience, placing those users on the lifestyle pages. 

And in aiming to propel the company’s global ambitions, once again Fitzdares is going to its roots in a bid to attract those customers.

“A lot of our target market goes to Muskoka Lakes. Everyone in Toronto who’s awesome and in our target audience jumps on a small plane and goes to Muskoka Lakes for the weekend in the summer. 

“So we’re going to do a pop-up this summer. There’ll be no gambling, it’ll just be a really cool lake house where we’re going to put up screens and have a barbecue every night.”

Woodhams explained how this strategy is an advanced version of its previous launches back in the UK, concluding: “We’ve been working with three or four influencers in the province who are introducing us to people, which is how Fitzdares within the new incarnation started 15 years ago – just meeting people in London and getting introductions.”

Hockey is everything

Though Fitzdaes is marking its North American debut by launching alongside the Super Bowl, the company is all too aware of what the real sporting priority is in Canada. 

Having already set out his ideal customer as those with the best seats at the Maple Leafs fixtures, Woodhams noted that hockey betting markets make up a significant portion of its plans for Ontario. 

Whilst explaining that the Super Bowl will potentially garner the ‘biggest single handle in Ontario’ so far, the CEO was bullish on the Stanley Cup and the wider hockey calendar. 

He observed that betting markets will continue to evolve as bettors learn more about the products available and that hockey player props could be a huge part of this evolution. 

“The really interesting thing will be hockey and how people bet on it, and how that affects the market. At the moment, people bet $50 on their local team. The first ever bet that was taken in North America was $10 on the Yankees to win the World Series. So I think that market will evolve and I’d be interested to see the player props on hockey.

“Hockey’s the religion, you’ve got to remember hockey is everything,” Woodhams concluded. “Everything else is just entertainment.”

Super Bowl: 49% of Ontarian sports bettors to place NFL C’ship wager – RGC survey

A survey undertaken by the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) has revealed that 49% of Ontarians who bet on sports are planning to place a wager on Super Bowl LVII this Sunday.

The NFL Championship game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs is expected to be one of the biggest of all time in terms of handle, and the popularity of such an event has certainly extended to the Ontario market.

Breaking down the numbers, 54% intend to place a single bet on the result, while 24% are betting on each outcome of the game through multiple sportsbooks.

41% of the Ontarian respondents said they will bet on a ‘legal sportsbook website’, and 36% will buy sports-based lottery tickets.

In terms of the values placed, 54% said they will bet $50 or less, 26% between $50 and $100, and 19% plan to bet $100 or more.

Meanwhile, 39% of adults believe their sports knowledge gives them an ‘edge’ in predicting outcomes, jumping to 73% for those who bet and 91% for those who bet on sports regularly, leading the RGC to sound a note of caution to bettors over the dangers of being overconfident and betting more than they can afford to lose.

Positively, though, the survey also found that 88% of this year’s Super Bowl bettors plan to employ at least one strategy to manage their gambling risk. Approximately 38% say they will stay within a pre-set betting limit, with 34% indicating they always view sports betting ‘as entertainment, not as a way to win money’. 24% commit to never betting while intoxicated, and 21% to not betting if feeling depressed or anxious.

63% of sports bettors have used at least one responsible gambling feature on sportsbook websites, while 22% of those aged 18-34 utilize personalized spending reports (win/loss information, time and money spent) to curb their risk.

“It’s positive to see the majority of Ontario’s sports bettors using the extra bench strength of responsible gambling tools, both on and offline,” said Shelley White, CEO, Responsible Gambling Council.

“The excitement of the big game, being with friends and family, and substance use can all influence how we play; and betting more than one can afford to lose can have a devastating impact. Having a plan in place to manage risk and protect yourself is key to enjoying the game.”

The online survey of 1,001 Ontario residents aged 18+ was completed between Jan. 6-8.

FansUnite Entertainment revenues up 364% in FY2022

FansUnite Entertainment enjoyed a huge boom in revenue during the 2022 fiscal year, achieving C$26-27.3m in total revenue.

Providing its preliminary results and business update for the 12-month period ended Dec. 31, 2022, the Vancouver-based betting and gaming firm has reported a 364% year-on-year rise in revenue (FY2021: C$5.6m).

Notable achievements during the year included its entry into the Ontario sports betting and igaming market in April, following the approval of a licence by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) a month prior.

FansUnite also launched the online betting platform of its white-label partner, Money Line Sports, on its Chameleon platform early last year.

“We are delighted with our overall performance and results in the fourth quarter and full year of Fiscal 2022, where we continue to reach new milestones,” said Scott Burton, CEO of FansUnite.

“The company reported strong year-over-year revenue growth and improved gross margins as compared to the previous fiscal year.”

The improved gross margins were nowhere near as exaggerated as the leap in revenue, but 51-55% still represents growth on the previous year’s margin of 51%.

However, FansUnite witnessed a lower gross margin of 51%-50% in Q4, down from 62% over the same period in FY2021.

That could, in part, be explained by the first full quarter of operations experienced by its B2B client DragonBet during the same period; FansUnite powers DragonBet via its white-label gaming solution.

Meanwhile, betr – a sports micro-betting brand that utilizes the company’s Player Account Management software, launched its platform in Ohio in January 2023.

Furthermore, FansUnite’s customer acquisition, retention, and development brand, Betting Hero, has recently expanded its US footprint by obtaining a gaming supplier license for Ohio.

Burton concluded: “In 2023, our focus is to expand our high revenue business segments, namely McBookie, and our B2B and affiliate operations.”

Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan finalises sale of Camelot UK

Ownership of Camelot UK has now officially changed hands after Allwyn completed its acquisition from the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board (OTPPB) yesterday.

The Canadian pension fund acquired Camelot in 2010 for a fee in the region of C$634m, but last month received regulatory approval from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) to sell the operator to Allwyn.

Events have now progressed to a point where the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board has relinquished control of Camelot UK as it prepares to hand over the UK National Lottery baton to Allwyn UK in 2024.

This sale forms part of a wider agreement between OTTP and Allwyn, with news emerging in December that the Camelot Lottery Solutions (Camelot LS) group of companies would also be heading in the same direction.

Finalisation of the deal means Camelot is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of the pan-European lottery operator.

Meanwhile, following the news, Camelot UK has confirmed several changes to its Board and Management team.

Sir Keith Mills has been appointed as the company’s new Chair, replacing Sir Hugh Robertson who previously announced that he was stepping down from the role.

Clare Swindell and Neil Brocklehurst, currently Camelot’s Chief Financial Officer and Commercial Director respectively, have also been appointed joint Co-Chief Executives and will lead Camelot through to the end of the third licence in January 2024.

PointsBet & Curling Canada reunite to take invitational event to Ontario

Curling Canada has confirmed the 2023 PointsBet Invitational will be played at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville.

Last year’s inaugural event took place in Fredericton, New Brunswick, but this year it’s headed for Southern Ontario as Canada’s top curling teams ramp up their push toward qualifying for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

16 men’s and 16 women’s teams from Canada will take part in the competition, chasing a prize in excess of $350,000 in a sudden-death single-knockout format taking place between Sept. 26-Oct. 1.

Nic Sulsky, COO for PointsBet Canada – which recently opened a new headquarters in the province – commented: “We are thrilled to be bringing the PointsBet Invitational home to Ontario. It is a one-of-a-kind event with our nation’s best curlers, and we cannot wait for it to get underway in September.

“2023 is going to be an amazing year for Ontario curling fans. Working with the Curling Canada team, we will offer new and exciting ways for fans to connect with their favourite curlers and athletes at the Brier, Men’s World Championship, and the PointsBet Invitational.”

The 2023 PointsBet Invitational will serve as the first major event of the 2023-24 campaign, and fans will have the chance to get in on the action via the ‘Sweep 16 Bracket Challenge’. Fans who correctly predict a perfect men’s and women’s bracket will win $1m from PointsBet Canada.

Katherine Henderson, CEO of Curling Canada, added: “The inaugural PointsBet Invitational last fall in Fredericton exceeded our expectations in terms of the drama and intensity on the ice, and we have every expectation that the excitement will go to another level in Oakville.

“It’s a unique event, like none other in curling, and with the exceptional support from our Official Sports Betting Partner PointsBet, fans will be in for a great show on and off the ice.”