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Atlantic Lottery, IGT strike deal for significant VLT expansion

International Gaming Technology (IGT) Canada Solutions has struck a deal with the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) that will see it supply 1,375 CrystalDual 27 video lottery terminals (VLTs) to ALC partners in 2022.

As part of the agreement, the IGT subsidiary will launch the CrystalDual 27 VLT with “high-performing” themes including The Wild Life, The Big Easy, and Royal Spins Deluxe.

The CrystalDual 27 VLT features two high-definition displays delivering “optimal graphics” for players, as well as a premier audio package, ergonomic design, and a mobile device charging port.

“IGT has supplied engaging cabinets and content that have proven to entertain VLT players throughout Atlantic Canada for more than 30 years,” said Patrick Daigle, President and CEO of ALC. “Expanding on the number of new VLTs in ALC’s gaming venues with popular IGT themes allows us to deliver on our promise of providing our players with the most compelling gaming experiences.”

In 2023, IGT will also deploy The Price is Right VLT content with ALC, one of its most recognizable brands based on the popular television game show.

“The versatility of IGT’s CrystalDual 27 VLT enables ALC to continue modernizing its gaming offering and provides players with best-in-class, market-attuned content,” added David Flinn, IGT SVP, Canada, South and Central America. “These 1,375 CrystalDual 27 units, in addition to the more than 350 that are already in the ALC market, reinforce our commitment to the lottery’s growth, and elevate gaming within the region with highly successful hardware.”

IGT has also announced an extended partnership with Aristocrat regarding patent cross-licensing for titles features and remote game server technologies.

Inspired awarded extended VLT deal in Saskatchewan by WCLC

Inspired Entertainment has extended its reach in Saskatchewan after Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC) awarded the company an additional 700 Valor video lottery terminals (VLTs) in the province.

WCLC’s decision, acting on behalf of the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority, will see the lottery and gaming provider provide an updated Valor cabinet with several new game themes specifically tailored for the Saskatchewan market.

The additional Valor terminals are expected to be delivered by the end of 2022, with new games slated for release throughout this year and 2023.

“We are thrilled to deploy additional VLT products into Canada in partnership with WCLC, as it is a testament to the successful launch and ongoing performance of the initial 100 units deployed in 2021,” said Brooks Pierce, President and Chief Operating Officer of Inspired. “We are proud of our launch in Saskatchewan and the great working partnership we have developed with the WCLC VLT team to launch our products, especially during the global pandemic. We will continue to innovate and improve on our offerings as we build on this foundation and cement our presence in North America.”

“We have been impressed with Inspired’s Valor VLT and their commitment to launch the product, which we have been operating for the past year in Saskatchewan,” added Eric Karmark, WCLC Vice President, VLT Gaming and Operations. “Valor has had strong comparative performance and we appreciate the depth and quality of the new and existing game styles, which we believe will offer an exciting and varied experience to Saskatchewan VLT players.”

IGT extends cross-licensing deal with Aristocrat

International Game Technology (IGT) and Aristocrat Leisure have partnered to sign a patent cross-licensing agreement for titles features and remote game server technologies.

The agreement relates to game features and remote game server (RGS) technologies for the digital and social gaming sectors and extends and expands a previous patent cross-license between IGT and Aristocrat. Under the terms of the deal, IGT will offer licences from the two companies’ combined game feature and remote gaming technology portfolio to the gaming sector globally.

Renato Ascoli, IGT CEO Global Gaming, commented: “This combination of two of the gaming industry’s most valuable game features and RGS patent portfolios can help propel the evolution of gaming with compelling content and advanced game mechanics.

“We look forward to providing the entire gaming industry with the opportunity to licence IGT and Aristocrat patents, particularly the compelling content resulting from our combined RGS portfolios, in the spirit of competition and innovation.”

This deal comes shortly after IGT confirmed the acquisition of iSoftBet in a transaction that the firm says could more than double its gaming output.

GLMS secures Ontario license to continue offering integrity services

The Global Lottery Monitoring System (GLMS) has obtained a gambling licence from the authorities in Ontario to continue supporting integrity services for Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) and other licensed operators in the province.

GLMS will use the Alcohol and Gaming Commission (AGCO) licence to provide OLG with monitoring and education services, which it says are part of its activities to raise awareness of fighting the manipulation of sports competitions.

The body has already cultivated a relationship with AGCO which resulted in it providing the regulator with resources regarding its standards for online gaming that the AGCO published last year.

Ludovico Calvi, GLMS President, said: “I am delighted that GLMS has become one of the first registered integrity bodies to win approval from the AGCO. GLMS has always supported regulated, responsible, and sustainable betting market environments, as bans have often favored the proliferation of the black market, criminal organizations, and match-fixing.

“GLMS has effectively cooperated with AGCO since 2021 in providing key provisions in the process of defining the standards and requirements for sport and event betting embedded today within AGCO’s Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming. We believe that the standards set by AGCO will create a sustainable sports betting market in Ontario and can be considered a best practice for other Canadian provinces. We are very excited to provide integrity services to our current and future members in Ontario and other provinces.”

OLG’s Chief Land-Based Gaming and Business Development Officer,Lori Sullivan, who is also a member of the GLMS Executive Committee, added: “OLG is a globally recognized responsible operator that is proud to work with the GLMS and its other members to uphold sport integrity in a safe and secure global marketplace for digital and retail sports.”

JCM, Global Payments announce cashless payments partnership

JCM Global and Global Payments Gaming Solutions have announced a collaboration to create a universal cashless solution that can be used by all casinos regardless of CMS provider.

The VIP Solutions cashless gaming solution will use JCM’s FUZION system and iVIZION bill validator to allow casino patrons to use mobile phones to fund slot machines and table games as well as pay at restaurants and bars and all casino properties, with no system integration required. The integration will enable casinos to avoid the CMS upgrades, system integrations, and related fees that are necessitated by all other cashless solutions, says CDC Gaming Reports.

“JCM Global is a 67-year innovator in automated transaction technologies with installations of more than 700,000 bill validators nationwide,” said Global Payments Gaming Solutions President Chris Justice in a statement. “By integrating our cashless solution and database of more than 3 million players with JCM Global’s technology, it creates a truly powerful combination for casino operators. Together, we offer state-of-the-art, highly secure technology that has perfected the cashless experience for players and operators alike.”

Global Payments Gaming’s cashless solution offers players a seamless cashless gaming experience, from enrollment to funding to gameplay to cash-out, and is the only solution enabling both rated and unrated play. VIP Mobility also is the only cashless solution that doesn’t require the creation of a wagering account, easing regulatory review and mitigating Tribal compact changes.  

JCM’s FUZION system and iVIZION bill validator help casino operators deter cheating, prevent acceptance of fraudulent bills, increase up-time on slot machines, and save labour during routine and emergency drops. FUZION simplifies cash management, optimizes printer and bill validator management, and has several interfaces that use unique data managed by JCM. 

“We designed iVIZION, GEN5, and FUZION to empower creativity that would help shape the future of gaming,” said JCM SVP of Sales, Marketing & Operations Dave Kubajak in a statement. “Global Payments has continued to expand their cash access solutions to provide an excellent omni-channel experience with their high-quality products. Now, this partnership between JCM and Global Payments takes full advantage of that forward-thinking technology, making cashless payments a great option to our customers.”

How did the pandemic affect online gambling?

The Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) Centre for the Advancement of Best Practices has collaborated with the Ontario Gambling Research Society on a provincial study examining how online gambling behaviours were affected in the first year of COVID-19.

The study was released this month and provides the results of a three-step survey conducted between April and December of 2020 during the first and second waves of the pandemic.

RGC CEO Shelley White concluded that the council found that “a sizeable percentage” of gamblers increased their online gambling involvement during this period as they spent more time at home and as land-based gaming was shut down for a lengthy timespan, spending more time and money gambling and playing on more sites.

Among the report’s key conclusions were that more Ontario-based gamblers migrated to online gambling throughout the pandemic, including those who had primarily gambled in person before COVID-19. In Wave 1 of the survey, just a few weeks into the pandemic, just over half (54 per cent) of gamblers reported playing online since the initial lockdown in March 2020. This proportion rose significantly to nearly nine in 10 (87 per cent of) in Wave 3, at the end of 2020.

The most popular online gambling games were lotto or raffle ticket draws, instant lottery, electronic gambling machines, casino table games, and sports betting. Almost two-thirds of respondents said they gambled on OLG.ca, which was the only legal iGaming site in Ontario at the time of the study and remained so until April 4, 2022. Nearly one-third of respondents reported gambling on offshore or non-regulated sites during the pandemic.

In total, one-third of online gamblers in Wave 1 and 2 and almost half (45 per cent) of online gamblers in Wave 3 reported gambling online due to COVID-19 restrictions.

RELATED: Sports betting in Canada: Are we setting ourselves up for success? 

On the responsible gaming side, there were positive conclusions from the study. Primarily, almost 90 per cent of gamblers said they’ve used spending-limit features on online gambling sites, and many also reported using time-limit features.

White added that the RGC has built on these findings to develop programs in order to provide high-priority demographics, such as young adult men, with greater access to key information about the importance of setting time and money limits.

NHL expands its field of betting partnerships

The National Hockey League (NHL) has agreed multi-year partnerships with FanDuel and BetMGM for the North American market, including Ontario’s open regulated market.

FanDuel and BetMGM will serve as the first North American sports betting partners of the NHL as they expand their rights into Canada, giving them access and official rights to NHL branding for marketing in legal jurisdictions across Canada and the United States. In addition, both brands will support the NHL with its responsible gambling initiatives.

In Canada, the NHL’s only previous existing partner had been the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, which until just over a week ago was the only legal source of sports betting in Ontario. That deal with OLG’s PROLINE sports betting offering will continue, with OLG  an official NHL partner for sports betting on both its PROLINE+ digital sports betting platform and the new PROLINE product at retail lottery outlets across Ontario.

Now, though, the NHL has broadened its field.

“Canada’s new sports betting landscape presents a tremendous opportunity to further fan engagement and continue our progressive approach with the sports gaming industry,” said NHL chief business officer and senior executive vice president Keith Wachtel. “FanDuel was one of our first sports betting partners in the U.S., and we’re thrilled to expand our partnership with a leader in the sportsbook and mobile betting marketplace as we begin our transformative entry into this space in Canada and engage our avid Canadian fan base.”

FanDuel CEO Amy Howe noted that the partnership has already allowed the NHL and FanDuel to collaborate and “become true innovators in sports betting with initiatives like the NHL Network’s first-ever Odds Ticker and custom NHL sports betting content for social media”.

FanDuel has also recently struck a deal with the owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs franchise, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.

Adam Greenblatt, chief executive of BetMGM, added that the brand is excited to further its relationship with the NHL, “including incorporating some of its all-time greats from Wayne Gretzky to Connor McDavid into our brand marketing”.

In March, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid became the first major-league sports star to partner with a league sportsbook when he signed on to become a brand ambassador for BetMGM. Canadian hockey icon Wayne Gretzky also promotes the brand.

Intema Solutions officially becomes React Gaming Group

Updated April 19

Intema Solutions has officially been renamed React Gaming Group, a press release has announced.

The rebrand follows the company’s February acquisition of Livestream Gaming, owner of the LOOT.BET server-based real-money gaming platform and esports betting brand. The group says its new name will better reflect its activities across the esports and iGaming sectors.

As well as LOOT.BET, a global leader in esports betting, React Gaming also encompasses four other subsidiary brands: Compete.gg, Team Bloodhounds, Generationz Gaming Entertainment, and Parabellum.

Compete.gg was formerly known as HypeX.gg and is a leading esports social gaming platform that specializes in peer-to-peer gaming, allowing users to engage in competitive events, tournaments, and 1v1 wagering. It is also one of the premier esports tournament tools used to facilitate and manage competitions, track statistics, and award prizes.

Meanwhile, Team Bloodhounds is a top-tier Canadian Fortnite team; Generationz Gaming provides a customizable online/mobile iGaming and esports betting platform; and Parabellum is a Canadian esports business from Toronto.

“With the completion of our LOOT.BET game-changing acquisition, it was time for us to rebrand our name to better reflect our activities in the esports and iGaming sector,” said Laurent Benezra, President and CEO of React Gaming. “The addition of LOOT.BET has increased our revenues considerably, and we are convinced that we can expand our leading online gaming and betting platform activities into promising new markets.

“Over the next few weeks, we will be launching several marketing initiatives to increase LOOT.BET’s user base, currently estimated to be over 500,000 users. We will also be launching programs to monetize the other subsidiaries that make up our esports ecosystem, including HypeX.gg, Team Bloodhounds and Generationz, as well as our professional esports team Parabellum Esports.”

React Gaming is now officially live with a new image, logo, and website.

MLSE partners with FanDuel, PokerStars, PointsBet Canada

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), the owner of the Toronto Raptors, Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto FC, and Toronto Argonauts sports franchises, has struck a combined deal with FanDuel and PokerStars, which are both owned by Flutter Entertainment.

The deal will make FanDuel the official sports betting partner of MLSE, while PokerStars will be designated as an official gaming partner of the company, pending successful registration with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).

FanDuel Sportsbook, PokerStars Casino, and PokerStars will all be featured prominently throughout Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors games, including rink-board and on-court signage. The partnership will also allow FanDuel and PokerStars to collaborate on marketing integrations with all of MLSE’s teams.

“The Maple Leafs, Raptors, and Toronto FC are pioneering franchises and major pillars in Canadian sports culture,” said Dale Hooper, general manager for FanDuel Canada, in the release. “As we bring FanDuel to Ontario, we want to collaborate with globally recognized enterprises like MLSE to bring unique content experiences to some of Canada’s most dedicated sports fans.”

FanDuel is already licensed and operational in Ontario and has announced deals with TSN and the NHL Canada. This deal with MLSE would also seem to signpost that PokerStars intends to achieve registration sooner rather than later.

“We have epic plans for our community in Canada, and are excitedly looking forward to creating some incredible experiences in our birth country, when we launch very soon,” Tom Warren, PokerStars marketing director, said. “Partnering with MLSE gives us the opportunity to reach passionate fans across Ontario with a wide remit of poker and casino, heighten experiences wherever we can, and be a part of some major winning moments.”

Meanwhile, in a separate partnership, MLSE has also joined forces with PointsBet, another sportsbook that is live in Ontario.

The multi-year agreement will see PointsBet become an official sports betting partner of the MLSE’s teams. PointsBet has already struck a host of deals with the likes of the Ottawa Redblacks Canadian Football League franchise, as well as organizations such as Curling Canada, the NHL Alumni Association, and Dailyfaceoff.com & The Nation Network.

It was great to reunite with the industry on April 4

It seems like a long time ago already, but Monday, April 4 was a special day for the industry.

Ontario’s regulated and open online gaming and betting market finally officially launched at 12:01 a.m. on that day, and by the end of the day, 13 private online gaming and betting sites were fully licensed and operational in the province. More will undoubtedly follow.

The day began with a gathering at the Toronto Stock Exchange which saw the Canadian Gaming Association, Covers, theScore, and numerous more organizations come together to celebrate the official moment of launch.

Other events and receptions were held across the city throughout the day, and in the evening, the Canadian Gaming Association, Canadian Gaming Business, and SBC were proud to host an industry reception attended by people from all corners of the gaming industry.

We’d like to take this time to thank the dozens and dozens of attendees, who spanned everything from sportsbook operators to payments providers, responsible gambling personnel to technology suppliers, media companies to regulators, land-based gaming stakeholders to legal firms.

We’d also like to thank our two premier sponsors, props.cash and Relax Gaming, as well as recognize our supporting sponsors, who included Aird Berlis, Bragg Gaming Group, Delta Bingo & Gaming, McCarthy Tétrault, Nuvei, Paysafe, Rubicon Strategy, and Worldplay.

It was fantastic to be reunited with the industry again after so long spent apart by necessity, particularly to celebrate such a watershed moment for our great industry.

Finally, another shout-out here to everyone in the industry who has been a vocal advocate for a revamped online betting and gaming market in Canada, particularly to our longstanding partners at the Canadian Gaming Association, and its President & CEO Paul Burns, whose work has been tireless and often thankless.

We finally made it, and we can’t wait to see what comes next. We’ll see you all at the 25th Canadian Gaming Summit in Toronto in June.

For more information on the 2022 Canadian Gaming Summit, please visit www.canadiangamingsummit.com. If you are interested in exhibiting, sponsoring, or being a session presenter at the Summit or participating in the Special Gaming Industry Reception on April 4, please contact [email protected]