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Gateway finds huge demand for new North Bay casino

A month after the North Bay Cascades Casino opened to the public, Gateway Casinos and Entertainment say the demand from the local community has “exceeded our wildest dreams”.

The new casino opened in a soft launch on March 9 and at full capacity weeks later nearly three years after it had broken ground. It was initially supposed to be open in summer 2020 before the pandemic derailed that timeline, causing an almost two-year delay in the opening of the casino.

CTV News reports that since that soft launch, the slots have been at full capacity on a daily basis. The $41 million facility features 300 slots, six live tables, and 10 virtual tables, and created 200 new jobs. 

“Visitation has exceeded our wildest dreams,” Gateway Casinos spokesman Rob Mitchell told CTV News. “We’re drawing people from all over the place. There’s a great curiosity factor in a new casino. We’re starting to establish our regulars.”

Officials from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) along with Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli presented the City of North Bay with a cheque for $111,000 this week, representing the city’s share of revenue generated from March 9-31. More money will be shared with the city on a quarterly basis under a municipal contribution agreement, which sees municipalities receive 5.25 per cent of the proceeds of casino gaming on the first $65 million of slot revenue, three per cent on the next $135 million, 2.5 per cent on the next $300 million of slot revenue, and 0.5 per cent on slot revenue above $500 million, as well as four per cent of table game revenue.

North Bay Mayor Al McDonald told Bay Today that the size of the cheque from the casino’s first weeks of activity same as a shock. “I was surprised it was that much after just 23 days… Obviously, there is a demand for this type of entertainment… I haven’t got one email or one call negative to the casino being here so far.”

The casino’s General Manager Mo Shulu told BayToday that the casino has had “overwhelmingly positive support” from the community. “We’ve seen people of all ages and demographics and their patronage is so appreciated because we are a partner in this community and we want to see the best for North Bay, so we are very grateful.”

McDonald added that the City is anticipating receiving between $1 million and $2 million each and every year as a result of the casino’s activities. “What we’re going to do is put the money into a reserve and the next council will set the policy on how they want to invest the money moving forward,” he told CTV News.

Gateway has other casino projects in Ontario in the works, including one in Sudbury at the Kingsway Entertainment District development.

The developer of that project, Dario Zulich, said that visiting the North Bay casino has made him even more excited to eventually unveil Sudbury’s. “Sudbury will not regret this.”

Another, in Kenora, has been approved but has not yet begun construction.

Image: MPP Vic Fedeli

PokerStars launches new sports betting exchange

Flutter’s PokerStars brand is making strides in the sports betting market, having launched a new peer-to-peer online betting exchange called PokerStars Exchange.

Available via its .com and .EU domains, the PokerStars Exchange lets bettors buy and sell wagers with other users internationally and includes access to a range of markets, offering players entry to the same global liquidity pool as fellow Flutter operator the Betfair Exchange.

PokerStars says the exchange will provide better odds on sports games for its patrons due to bets being placed directly against other users, as well as access to greater markets and a consistent stream of customers to wager against thanks to the Betfair shared liquidity. Available to international customers via the PokerStars Sport tab in a range of territories, the product also offers its users the ability to enter their own odds and lay betting opportunities.

The company claims that 70 per cent of current sports bettors indicate they would take advantage of a betting exchange on PokerStars.

“We’re always looking at ways to bring PokerStars players something new, and to be able to do that in collaboration with our colleagues over at the world’s largest betting exchange is a huge privilege,” said Richard Garrod, Director of Product at PokerStars. “Our research suggests that our customers would welcome the addition of an exchange product, with 70 per cent of current sports bettors saying they want to get involved.”

“The PokerStars Exchange gives our players access to a brand-new sports betting experience alongside a global community of sports fans, with all the convenience of a single account and wallet. After months of hard work and execution, we’re thrilled to offer PokerStars players this addition to the PokerStars portfolio.”

This is Flutter’s latest move that speaks to their clear ambitions in the North American market.

PokerStars, along with fellow Flutter brand FanDuel, recently struck an extensive partnership with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), the owner of the Toronto Raptors, Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto FC, and Toronto Argonauts sports franchises. FanDuel is now the official sports betting partner of MLSE, while PokerStars is an official gaming partner of the company. The two brands will be featured prominently throughout Maple Leafs and Raptors games, including rink-board and on-court signage.

FanDuel has also become an official partner of the NHL in Canada, as well as leading Canadian sports broadcast network TSN.

PokerStars has longstanding historical roots in Canada, having been owned by Toronto-headquartered gaming company The Stars Group Inc. until its acquisition by Irish company Flutter in 2020.

DAZN to launch betting brand in Ontario with Pragmatic

Sports entertainment group DAZN Group is intending to launch a DAZN BET brand in multiple jurisdictions including Ontario later in 2022.

In partnership with Pragmatic Group, DAZN BET will be launched and operated by a new Gibraltar-based company created especially for the strategic partnership.

A press release states that DAZN BET aims to revolutionize the sports betting experience with “the world’s first ​​truly immersive sports entertainment ecosystem” in which fans can watch live and non-live content, access sports and betting news and highlights, socialize, and bet as part of the “the trend towards recreational in-play betting”.

The move is the culmination of a targeted plan which followed Shay Segev, former CEO of Entain — the company which owns numerous prominent betting brands such as BetMGM, bwin, the Party network, Ladbrokes, and Coral — took over at DAZN in January 2021.

The company is expected to soft launch a beta product to coincide with the start of the new European soccer season in August 2022 and hopes to be operational in Ontario by the end of 2022 Q3.

Legal Sports Report adds that the Ontario product will be powered initially by Sportradar’s Optima sportsbook engine, and DAZN is also working on building its own player account management platform (PAM) in partnership with Pragmatic.

Pragmatic only launched its sportsbook product earlier in April and said at the time of launch that operators had already shown interest.

Marketing agency MediaTroopers expands into Ontario

Digital marketing agency MediaTroopers has launched its services in Ontario following the opening of the Canadian province’s legal online sports betting market.

MediaTroopers will work with its licensed partners in the province to promote those partners’ brands and sports betting offerings to players, as it has done in multiple U.S. jurisdictions.

The agency has long-lasting partnerships with several of the operators that have already gone live in Ontario since the market launched on 4 April.

“Now is an exceptionally exciting time, both for bettors and operators in Ontario and for us here at MediaTroopers,” chief executive Sam Segal said. “We are delighted to have been given this incredible opportunity to offer our innovative and high-value expertise and services to the legalized betting market in Ontario.”

The agency is already operational in more than 16 states and Washington DC, including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, and Illinois.

Gaming CEOs optimistic despite persistent industry challenges

Gaming industry CEOs have expressed optimism about the industry’s continued growth and recovery despite persistent challenges.

The American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Gaming Industry Outlook, which surveys 24 executives of US and international gaming companies, tribal gaming operators, single-unit casino operators, major gaming equipment suppliers, and major iGaming and/or sports betting operators, found that two-thirds of respondents (67 per cent) rate the current business situation as “good”, up from 54 per cent six months ago.

Meanwhile, four in 10 CEOs (42 per cent) expect the industry’s business climate to improve over the next two quarters, compared to 13 per cent that expect business conditions to worsen.

“Gaming executives are signaling confidence in our continued recovery that is in line with record-setting consumer demand for gaming,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “I’m optimistic that 2022 will see the return of a true sense of normalcy for gaming.”

Concerns persist

However, while gaming CEOs are generally positive about the industry’s economic outlook, they also report concerns over some impediments to business growth, including:

  • Supply chain issues (75 per cent)
  • Inflationary and interest rate concerns (67 per cent)
  • Labour shortages (54 per cent)

While some these are unsurprising, particularly as inflation hits record highs across North America, it i snotale that COVID-19 itself is no longer among the top five concerns for gaming CEOs.

The Current Conditions Index found that the gaming industry has grown at an annualized pace of approximately 16.5 per cent over the last three quarters.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of gaming CEOs surveyed (79 per cent) expect the pace of wage and benefit growth to increase over the next three-to-six months, while 50 per cent expect the pace of hiring to increase.

When it comes to future investment, 53 per cent of gaming operators surveyed plan to invest more capital than normal in hotel facilities in the coming year, while about one-third plan to invest more than normal in slots on the casino floor (27 per cent) and brick-and-mortar sportsbooks (33 per cent).

Meanwhile, 100 per cent of suppliers expect sales of gaming units for new or expansion use to rise; 86 per cent expect sales of gaming units for replacement use to rise; and 71 per cent expect the pace of their capital investment to rise.

MaximBet becomes first sportsbook to sign active MLB player

An active Major League Baseball (MLB) player will officially endorse a North American bookmaker for the first time, as MaximBet has signed up Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon.

ESPN reports the four-time All-Star will serve as a brand ambassador via marketing campaigns, promotions, social media content, and fan events for the online sportsbook, which is an offshoot of the lifestyle brand Maxim and currently operates only in Colorado, albeit with plans to expand into Iowa and Indiana. It also has market access in New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, as well as the nascent regulated market in Ontario.

This is the first such deal struck by an MLB player after the latest collective bargaining agreement signed earlier in 2022 granted permission to active players to sign with sportsbooks in jurisdictions where wagering on sports is legal, as long as they do not promote betting on baseball specifically. Prior to that amendment, marketing and sponsorship deals with sportsbooks were restricted to leagues and teams entities.

The deal between Blackmon and MaximBet is the latest example of the confluence of MLB representatives and legal sports betting in North America.

In Canada, the biggest announcement so far has come in the form of a 10-year exclusive partnership between the Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto-based sportsbook theScore Bet that saw the brand become the sole Canadian MLB franchise’s first gaming partner.

In a recent interview on SportsCenter, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred noted that the league sees legal sports betting “primarily as a form of increasing fan engagement”.

Sports and betting are becoming intrinsically linked, and it is not just MLB that has been hitching its wagon to sportsbooks and sports stars.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s PROLINE sportsbook, for example, has become an official sportsbook partner of both the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Football League (NFL) in Canada, and the NHL has also linked up with private sportsbook operators FanDuel and BetMGM.

Meanwhile, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), the owner of the Toronto Raptors, Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto FC, and Toronto Argonauts sports franchises, has signed deals with Flutter’s FanDuel and PokerStars as well as PointsBet Canada.

And in March, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid became the first active major-league star to partner with a sportsbook by signing an ambassadorial deal with BetMGM.

OpenBet appoints BCLC’s Stewart Groumoutis to lead Canadian commercial growth

Sports betting solutions provider OpenBet has appointed former British Columbia Lottery Corporation director Stewart Groumoutis as its new vice president of commercial for Canada.

Groumoutis will be tasked with helping OpenBet secure new commercial opportunities in Canada as the business seeks to expand its presence in the country. OpenBet already has a significant Canadian, serving as the principal technology partner of provincial lottery corporations such as BCLC, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), Atlantic Lottery, and Loto-Québec.

However, with the country’s online gaming and sports betting market changing rapidly and drastically, Groumoutis’ remit will be to help OpenBet capitalize on the size of the opportunity at hand.

Groumoutis joins OpenBet’s senior management team after a decade with the BCLC, where he most recently served as director of eGaming and has also held roles including senior manager for eCasino and platform operations, as well as manager for casino products and player development.

“During my time with BCLC, I was exceedingly impressed by OpenBet’s ability to maximize operational value delivery, while also maintaining a strong focus on the future and innovation in the industry,” Groumoutis said in a press release. “North America is in the planning or early stages of growth in most states and provinces, and operators are looking for not just vendors but real partners to help them succeed.”

OpenBet chief commercial officer Cathryn Lai added: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Stewart to the team. He understands the culture and best practices of OpenBet, which is hugely beneficial as we look to power more sportsbooks with our unrivalled technology, content and services across North America, including Canada Over the coming months, we anticipate increased commercial activity as demand for our products and services continues to grow.”

OpenBet now operates as an arm of Endeavor Group, having previously served as the sports betting division of Light & Wonder (formerly Scientific Games).

In January, it appointed former executives of DAZN and the American Gaming Association to its senior management team with a view to strengthening the quality of its worldwide offerings.

Light & Wonder launches first slot since rebrand

Casino supplier Light & Wonder has launched its first game since its rebrand with the release of Stargate Megaways, a new 6-reel slot based on the MGM sci-fi fantasy film Stargate.

In the game hosted on the company’s OpenGaming platform, players are tasked with working their way up a Stargate trail every time they register a consecutive win, unlocking modifiers and one of three free spins rounds. When the fifth segment of the trail is reached, a random modifier will be activated to boost the player’s chances of triggering up to seven free spins.

Modifiers include random wilds, wild reels, expanding reels, mystery symbols, and regenerate, which clears the game grid and sees a re-spin occur with the same number of Megaways in place. Should the seventh, eighth, or ninth segment be reached, Star Coordinates will align, allowing players to step through the gate into distant worlds as they are awarded between five and seven free spins featuring lucrative modifiers.

“Not only is Stargate Megaways Light & Wonder’s flagship release as a new brand, but it’s also set to be our most revolutionary,” said Light & Wonder vice president of game development Rob Procter. “We’ve flipped the concept of a Megaways slot on its head, this game is nothing like you’ll have played before from a Megaways title and we think it’ll prove to be a big hit.”

RELATED: Why Asian-themed games will be at the core of driving online casino entertainment in Ontario

The game has already gone live with the likes of Videoslots, Kindred Group, Svenska Spel, Paf, LeoVegas, Hero Gaming, White Hat Gaming, BetVictor, and Buzz Bingo, among others.

Light & Wonder is focusing on the online gaming market, having officially completed the sale of its Scientific Games Lottery business to Canadian investment firm Brookfield Business Partners earlier this month.

Why Asian-themed games will be at the core of driving online casino entertainment in Ontario

By Byron Bridger

With Ontario home to around 40 per cent of Canada’s overall population, the province has all the potential to not only become the country’s leading market but also North America’s largest and most lucrative iGaming hotspot.

Ontario will thrive as an open digital market due to the presence of an established publicly delivered land-based and digital offering provided through the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG). Additionally, there have been a number of operators floating around the space for around a decade, unlike in the United States, where players were completely blocked from accessing any form of online gambling.

However, with increased competition expected as a flurry of operators and suppliers secure licenses to do business within the new market, deploying the relevant content will be crucial to gain an advantage as these early days of legalisation play out.

Questions have already been raised as to what player preferences will look like within the province. Naturally, they will be inundated with a variety of game types, as several newly licensed suppliers are lining up to fill casino lobbies with a strong selection of industry-leading titles.

The stakes are high, and it is vital that operators understand exactly what kind of content will resonate with Ontarians. Knowing this insight from day one can make the real difference between being hugely successful or distinctively average.

With this in mind, Asian-themed games will need to form an essential component of an online offering within Ontario, should early player behaviour follow similar trends to other North American markets.

Proven content to drive engagement

Not only does data show that Asian-themed games are in demand across Canada, both online and in land-based casinos, there is also a large Asian population in Ontario, particularly within metropolitan areas. It would be remiss of operators not to take this into account when launching iGaming content in the province.

Statistics show that more than half of all Light & Wonder’s online players in the states of Michigan and New Jersey played at least one Asian-themed game over a six-month period, which illustrates a huge number for such a specific game type.

Of course, the significant presence of this genre in the land-based environment has influenced iGaming content and subsequent activity. Those familiar with the North American market will know that most players of a legal gambling age will have only ever been exposed to land-based gaming, which is why Asian-themed games — a casino staple — are already so popular.

The adaptation of Asian-themed land-based content for the digital market has worked tremendously well in the U.S. and Canada so far so, naturally, we are confident that Ontario will also be a success.

As both a content aggregator and slot developer, Light & Wonder can utilize a wealth of market data and insight to finetune our Ontario roadmap so that it is in line with player preferences. Early data from the first weeks of operations in the province have already shown that the strategy is working. Four of the top 10 games in the province were Asian-themed games, with the most played Light & Wonder slot being Ji Bao Xi Endless Treasure.

The brand awareness of these proven Asian-themed games allows operators to enter a market with confidence in their product, while helping players feel more comfortable within this new space. Not only are players already familiar with them, but they also play an important role in the in offering players a true omnichannel experience.

Ultimately, the legalisation of iGaming in Ontario is a hugely welcome move that has been a long time in the making. Above all else, it will provide a safer gaming experience for online players in the province. It will be intriguing to see how the market fares during these opening months. One thing is for sure, though: Asian-themed games will play a significant part in this jurisdiction’s ongoing success.

Byron Bridger is the Commercial Director – Canada of Light & Wonder

Image courtesy Light & Wonder

BetMGM launches private live dealer studio in Ontario with Evolution

BetMGM is expanding its early presence in the legal Ontario sports betting market with the launch of a selection of online gaming titles and live dealer offerings.

After it went live in Ontario as a license operator, BetMGM Casino had been offering a collection of titles from Evolution through its live dealer studios in Europe.

Now, it has launched a studio of its own in partnership with Evolution to become one of the only operators in North America with a private live dealer studio. The new branded live dealer studio will host an Ontario portfolio of 30 exclusive titles and represents the brand’s first investment to support BetMGM Casino Ontario since its launch in the province on April 4.

The brand has also added over 100 new slot and video table games to its casino portfolio, taking its number of slot games to over 560 in addition to a wide range of table games, live dealers, and game shows.

The expansion includes exclusive titles such as MGM Grand Millions, Premium Blackjack Pro, and Mega Mirage Magma, as well as games from numerous partners including the likes of IGT’s Cleopatra and Wheel of Fortune Megaways, Pariplay’s Jackpot Fortunes and Spirit of Mustang, and Pragmatic Play’s Cash Bonanza and Treasure Wild.

BetMGM players will continue to have access to the full Evolution portfolio of online live casino games and games shows, Evolution First Person games, and NetEnt and Red Tiger online slots.

The Entain-owned brand’s array of sports betting options has made it one of Ontario’s most popular sportsbook apps within the first few weeks of launching. It has also gained significant visibility in Canada by becoming one of two North American sports betting partners of the NHL, along with Flutter’s FanDuel.