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Casino Montreal launches Canada’s first Dual Play tables

Loto-Québec has become the first lottery corporation and the first online game site provider to introduce Evolution’s Dual Play solutions into the Canadian market by implementing them at Casino Montreal.

Evolution, which counts NetEnt, Red Tiger, Big Time Gaming, and Ezugi as part of its slate of brands, has launched four live gaming tables, two Dual Play Roulette, and two Dual Play Baccarat that will be  hosted at Loto-Québec’s brick and mortar Casino Montreal.

The Evolution offerings look to “embody land-based and online casino convergence” by permitting both online and in-person players to play the tables simultaneously. The live casino offering will be streamed from the floor of the land-based property.

Loto-Québec and Evolution struck up a partnership four years ago as part of the lottery corporation’s move into the live casino realm. At that time, online players in Québec could choose from six dedicated Evolution tables, including five hosted by French-speaking game presenters, in addition to other offerings, all of which were hosted at its Vancouver-based studio.

The Loto-Québec online casino subsequently expanded to include Evolution’s full suite of live tables, streamed live from European studios.

Jeff Millar, Commercial Director, North America at Evolution, said in a press release: “Live casino is the natural bridge between land-based and online, and with Dual Play we have developed a product exclusive to land-based casinos that want to explore their online potential.”

Meanwhile, the company and the lottery corporation have also agreed that Loto-Québec will become the first Canadian lottery to offer games from Evolution-owned games studio Red Tiger on its Espacejeux.com platform. Loto-Québec will also gain access to the supplier’s jackpot mechanics under the agreement.

“We’re thrilled that Loto-Québec has chosen to partner with us and launch Red Tiger games,” added Millar. “We’re excited to build on this relationship and hope that this is just the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership, and that Loto-Québec will be able to benefit from our innovative new titles as we continue to grow.”

In addition to Quebec’s regulated gaming sector, Evolution has also gained access to other provinces.

It has a presence in Alberta via a deal with the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission signed a year ago that allowed the provider to launch a selection of the supplier’s online titles on its online platform PlayAlberta.

In October, it then launched live casino offerings with Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation on OLG.ca, and it also works with British Columbia Lottery Corporation.

Aspire, Pariplay earn GLI-19 certification for North America

Aspire Global, the parent company of Pariplay, has obtained GLI-19 certification standard from Gaming Labs International.

The approval of the interactive gaming systems certificate will enable Aspire to launch its player account management platform in regulated provinces and states, a move that it notes will place the company “in a strong position” in North America.

“This is a significant milestone in our strategy to expand and build a leading position in the US and Canada,” said Tsachi Maimon, CEO of Aspire Global, in a news release. “We have already been successful in broad parts of the world with our complete igaming offering and we are now determined to establish a strong position also in North America. This gives us a solid foundation for further growth with the goal to become the world’s leading iGaming supplier.”

Aspire, which has a strong presence throughout Europe, Latin America, and Africa, has established itself in North America through its Pariplay subsidiary. Pariplay’s games are licensed in Michigan, New Jersey, and West Virginia and the subsidiary has a number of deals with operators and distributors.

In Canada, it is joining with NeoPollard Interactive to offer its gaming content on Play Alberta, the only regulated gambling website in the province. It also recently struck a number of deals in the U.S. with the likes of Rush Street Interactive, BetMGM, GAN, and Golden Nugget Online Gaming.

In February, Pariplay appointed a new business development director to lead its charge in North America.

iGaming Academy unveils new ElevateRG program

The iGaming Academy has partnered with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas International Gaming Institute (IGI) to launch a new responsible gaming training program called ElevateRG which will be available worldwide.

Leveraging IGI’s responsible gaming training, the course is bringing UNLV’s responsible gaming course online for the first time and offers students around the world the opportunity to increase their awareness and real-life experiences of gambling-related harm. It aims to “prepare and equip” learners with both the theoretical knowledge and the practical experience required to engage with real-world responsible gambling issues.

The training will be operational-focused, demonstrating the practical actions that gaming staff can take to proactively promote responsible gaming and minimize gambling-related harm.

The iGaming Academy and UNLV intend to launch a full suite of training courses designed for vocational and industry professionals for a range of needs in the industry including sportsbooks, land-based casinos, and online gaming.

“For land-based casinos, IGI has long represented the ‘gold standard’ in RG training – and now it’s easier than ever to supply for staff,” added Jaime Debono, iGaming Academy’s Managing Director. “As the online industry continues to expand, operators will benefit from having access to best-in-class training in an online format that’s easy to include within their onboarding and refresher programmes.”

iGaming Academy customers will be able to access ElevateRG both individually and within a client learning portal. The courses can be integrated with third-party learning platforms or as an extension to existing training programs.

“With the specificity, convenience, and scalability of this training well ahead of anything available in the market, this truly is a ‘game-changer’ for responsible gaming training,” Debono concluded.

Google to permit licensed iGaming providers to advertise

Google has adjusted its Canadian policy to allow provincially-licensed brands such as those registered with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) to advertise on Google platforms.

The updated policy notes that Google will allow for advertising of online non-casino games by regulated operators, effectively shutting o the grey market.

Online gambling advertising will be allowed with limitations. Google allows ads promoting lottery games operated by government-run entities and permits ads promoting sports betting and online casino products operated by provincially licensed entities in certain provinces where legal, such as Ontario.

However, it does not allow advertising for social casino game destinations that offer gambling or games where the opportunity exists to win real money or prizes based on the outcome of the game, or for “real money gambling” destinations including gambling-related advertisements that appear on an operator’s social casino games destination.

Google ads may be especially important for operators given the other restrictions on advertising in the market. Operators cannot promote bonuses or sign-up offers via public advertising, only on their own websites.

RELATED: Ontario online betting operators cannot advertise sign-up offers

Advertisers must also be certified with Google. Privately licensed operators in legal jurisdictions such as Ontario’s soon-to-open internet gaming market can fill out an online gambling application form.

Google also stipulates that any gambling advertising must target only approve countries and jurisdictions and must link to a landing page that displays information about responsible gambling, as well as adhering to specific local regulations.

MLB players can endorse sportsbooks in Ontario

Major League Baseball (MLB) players will be allowed to endorse private sportsbooks once Ontario’s new licensed and regulated online gaming market is open on April 4.

The newly ratified Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) addressed the continuing wave of legalized sports betting across North America and will seek to build new revenue streams directly linked to gambling.

While MLB players will still be strictly and expressly forbidden from wagering on games themselves, the new CBA permits them to enter into promotional and endorsement contracts with legal betting sites.

Any endorsement deal would have to be approved by the league, cannot be negotiated by the team itself, and “would be subject to various limitations and restrictions”, according to Play Ontario.

Previously, only former MLB players had been free to sign endorsement deals with gambling companies.

That leaves licensed sportsbooks in Ontario, from big names like FanDuel and theScore Bet to new players such as NorthStar Gaming, free to sign up Toronto Blue Jays stars to help them stand out in a saturated field. That approach has already been notable in the NHL, where one high-profile example has seen Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid become an official ambassador for BetMGM.

Official associations with sports stars could be a key method of securing market share for operators, who are not allowed to use sign-up offers or bonuses as a carrot on a stick in their advertising to consumers in accordance with the AGCO’s regulations.

Ontario’s market launches on April 4, just four days before the Blue Jays’ home opener. The team has yet to announce an official sportsbook partner, and a potential partnership could be extremely mutually beneficial, with the Jays’ 162-game, six-month regular-season broadcast coast-to-coast in Canada.

Photo: Blue Jays

American Gaming Association publishes ESG framework

The American Gaming Association (AGA) has published a compendium providing an overview of environment, social, and governance (ESG) issues in gaming as part of its initiative to define ESG for gaming, understand its members’ commitments, and chart a path forward for the entire industry.

The findings demonstrate the association’s commitment to advancing sustainability, strengthening diversity, equity, and inclusion, investing in communities, and responsible leadership. It also includes the ESG efforts of AGA members that are helping to improve the planet, gaming communities, and its employee and customer experience.

Members featured in the report include the likes of AGS, Aristocrat, Boyd Gaming, DraftKings, Entain, Everi, FanDuel Group, GeoComply, GLI, GlobalPayments, IGT, Kambi, MGM Resorts International, NOVOMATIC, Penn National Gaming, Rush Street Gaming/Rush Street Interactive, Seminole/Hard Rock Gaming, Sightline Payments, and Wynn Resorts.

In a statement, AGA President and CEO Bill Miller said that the ESG compendium is just the “starting point” for the association and its members.

Miller said: “This is just a starting point for the AGA and our members. We will use today’s findings to drive honest conversations among our membership—and the industry broadly—about our strengths and opportunities to improve. With the help of industry leaders, this initiative will only make the gaming industry stronger, and I am excited to see the benefits unfold.”

Read the full compendium.

Which sportsbooks are ready to launch in Ontario?

Updated March 28

The Ontario market for regulated online betting and gaming continues to take shape with just days to go until the April 4 launch date.

In addition to the early approved operators including the likes of PointsBet, theScore Bet, World Series of Poker, 888, and Rush Street Interactive’s BetRivers, more big names have joined the wave in recent weeks.

As of March 24, the AGCO had 16 operators listed as licensed for an initial period of either one or two years:

  • Annexio’s LottoGo brand
  • BetMGM
  • Coolbet
  • Flutter’s FanDuel Ontario brand
  • Fitzdares
  • Bet365
  • LeoVegas
  • NSUS Ltd.’s WSOP brand
  • Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG)
  • PointsBet Canada
  • Rivalry
  • LeoVegas’ Royal Panda brand
  • Rush Street Interactive’s BetRivers brand
  • theScore Bet
  • Kindred’s Unibet brand
  • 888

That list includes some of the United States’ biggest sportsbooks such as FanDuel and BetMGM. The latter of that pair has been busy securing ambassadorial deals with leading past and present Canadian NHL stars, while FanDuel and Flutter already have a Canadian presence with daily fantasy sports and online poker.

Meanwhile, major UK brand Bet365, which has been operating in Canada for several years as a grey-market sportsbook, is also listed as a licensed operator after launching its Canada App earlier in March. As many as one-third of Canadian online sports bettors are thought to possibly already wager with the bookmaker. “Google Trends directionally suggests that bet365 is likely one of the largest players, if not the largest player, in terms of Ontario online sports betting market share,” noted a report released last year by research firm Eilers & Krejcik Gaming.

RELATED: AGCO releases modified iGaming go-live compliance guide

More steps to take

Receiving a license from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is not the final step for operators.

Registered operators must also satisfy other regulatory conditions and execute an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario (iGO) before they can legally go live. The iGO website warns operators to expect the process of registering with the AGCO registration and executing an iGO operating agreement to take at least 90 days.

As more operators receive their licenses to operate legally, the AGCO has warned that operators who are still in the process of securing a license when the legal market opens on April 4 must cease activities or else risk having their application rejected.

In addition, iGO says that online sportsbooks planning to launch in Ontario’s new market must first settle any action they’ve taken from players in the province, including outstanding futures bets. Covers reports this is already being addressed by some licensed operators such as Unibet, which says it will block Ontario customers from accessing its current Canadian website and instead direct them to a province-specific site, allowing them to opt-in and allow their Unibet account and funds to be migrated to the Ontario site or instead make a withdrawal request before April 4.

The supplier field expands

Meanwhile, on the supplier side, joining the likes of Vancouver’s FansUnite and Toronto’s Bragg Gaming are companies including global betting technology supplier Kambi, which says it will begin providing its leading sportsbook technology and services to operator partners from day one of the Ontario market’s opening, including its “unparalleled” ice hockey product and expansive Bet Builder capability.

Kambi has an existing agreement to provide its sportsbook solution to Toronto-based iGaming and sports media brand NorthStar Gaming, and also counts among its sportsbook partners the likes of AGCO-approved operators Rush Street Interactive, Unibet, 888sport, and LeoVegas.

Light & Wonder, the newly rebranded gaming division of Scientific Games, has also been granted a supplier license, which will allow it to provide its vast OpenGaming network, with it 2,500+ games, to licensed operators.

“We can’t begin to overstate how excited we are to be operating in Ontario, this is a market where our games have resonated with players for years and now to expand to the private sector is an incredible opportunity and fantastic milestone for the company,” said Light & Wonder Americas managing director Robert Hays.

Other suppliers including Play N Go, High 5 Games, Inspired Entertainment, and Nolimit City have also secured their licenses.

Gateway’s Kenora casino project on hold

There are currently no plans to begin construction on the approved $21 million casino project in Kenora, Ont., according to Gateway Casinos and Entertainment.

Gateway’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Rob Mitchell, told Kenora Online that the company is instead refocusing its efforts to increase its revenues and bring employees back to work as the casino and hospitality industries continue to look toward long-term recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Like most businesses in the hospitality industry, we’ve been shuttered for the better part of two years now,” said Mitchell. “We were able to open sporadically at some sites, but we were under all kinds of restrictions.

“We had a lot of challenges, and it dramatically affected our business. Right now, our focus is on recovering our business. But we’re optimistic. Things seem to be getting better. Our focus is bringing our employees back to work and returning to business.”

Before the pandemic, the tentative completion date for Kenora’s casino had been expected to be in the first quarter of 2022, according to Gateway. The project was approved by Kenora councillors a decade ago and passed provincial reviews back in 2019. It includes plans for a 23,300 square-foot casino facility with a 6,200 square-foot gaming floor and 200 slot machines, as well as Gateway’s Match Eatery restaurant. A presentation to Kenora councillors in 2020 also included plans for 100 acres of new housing units, with room for industrial and commercial lots.

“We’re really taking a cautiously optimistic approach to the future,” added Mitchell. “Like any business, we need a period of stability to recover. And we’ll see what happens. It’s baby steps. These are challenging times, times that are currently somewhat uncertain. I can’t forecast what the future holds.”

Gateway Casinos opened up its 11th location in Ontario this month, its new North Bay casino, nearly three years after breaking ground on the delayed project. It also operates two casinos in Alberta and 14 in British Columbia, with around 6,500 employees.

The company says that it also remains committed to a casino project in Sudbury, Ont. Work on that casino was delayed in November after receiving approval from Sudbury City Council in September.

SBC to acquire Canadian Gaming Summit, CGB portfolio

Canada’s premier gaming event, the Canadian Gaming Summit, will be owned and operated by international events and media company Sports Betting Community (SBC) following the 2022 edition in Toronto.

SBC has agreed to terms to acquire the long-running Summit, which celebrates its 25th year as Canada’s leading annual conference and trade show for land-based and iGaming professionals by returning in-person at Toronto’s Metro Convention Centre from June 7 to 9, 2022, from current joint owners MediaEdge Communications and the Canadian Gaming Association.

The acquisition will be completed after this year’s edition of the Summit, and also includes the Canadian Gaming Business portfolio of website, e-newsletter, and print magazine.

While the acquisition will not take effect until after the June 2022 Summit, SBC will work with MediaEdge and the CGA to bring even more content and commercial opportunities to this year’s Summit. This includes all three organizations hosting a Special Gaming Industry Reception on April 4 to celebrate the launch of Ontario’s new online gaming regime.

After the acquisition, the CGA will continue to be involved as an official and strategic partner of the Summit and will work with SBC to ensure the Summit supports the continued development of the gaming industry in Canada.

RELATED: Canadian Gaming Summit celebrates 25 years as Canada’s premier gaming event

Rasmus Sojmark, Founder & CEO of SBC, commented: “This is a wonderful acquisition for SBC as it fits perfectly with our growing portfolio of market-leading events and media properties in the US and Latin America. We are delighted to bring the Canadian Gaming Summit into the SBC family, as the opening of single-event betting is likely to be transformational for an already vibrant Canadian gambling sector and enables us to build on what is already a great conference.”

Canadian Gaming Association Chair Ilkim Hincer commented: “The CGA is a national trade association that represents leading operators and suppliers in Canada’s gaming, sports betting, esports, and lottery industries. The board is thrilled to support this deal, as it enables us to focus our efforts even more on our members and on bringing them the greatest value.”

Canadian Gaming Association, President & CEO Paul Burns, added: “The CGA’s membership has grown significantly in the last year, and we are excited to open new opportunities to broaden our members’ access to networking and exchanging ideas on issues of common cause. We already have a great working relationship with the SBC team and look forward to working together for many years to come.”

Chuck Nervick, Senior Vice President, MediaEdge Communications, added: “We are proud of what we have achieved in partnership with the CGA over the years and the relationships and friendships we have established, but believe now is the perfect opportunity for the Canadian Gaming Summit to start a new chapter. We’ve greatly enjoyed working in the gaming sector and believe SBC has the ideal team to take the reins from here.”

SBC is the events and media business for the international sports betting and iGaming industry. Every year it brings together thousands of people from across these rapidly-evolving sectors to connect, share knowledge and do business.

SBC Events’ portfolio of industry-leading conferences and trade shows around the world already includes the flagship global event SBC Summit Barcelona, the iGaming-focused CasinoBeats Summit in Malta, and the regional SBC Summit North America, Betting on Sports Europe, SBC Summit Latinoamérica, and SBC Summit CIS shows. SBC Media’s network of 10 paywall-free B2B news websites include SBC News, SBC Americas, CasinoBeats, SBC Noticias, SBC CIS, PaymentExpert, Insider Sport, Lottery Daily, SlotBeats, and GamblingTV, along with the prestigious bi-monthly SBC Leaders magazine.

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]

AGCO releases modified iGaming go-live compliance guide

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) updated its Internet Gaming Go-Live Compliance Guide on March 11 with important changes for registered and prospective iGaming operators and gaming-related suppliers.

These changes reinforce Ontario’s robust regulatory framework for iGaming, allowing for increased operational flexibility while also ensuring that strong controls are in place to help protect game integrity, consumers, and the Ontario public.

The important changes incorporated in the Guide include:

  1. New guidance on advertising at physical premises. The parameters for advertising through promotional partnerships at a physical premises have been outlined and added to Section 1: AGCO Compliance Approach. This guidance allows many options for responsible promotional partnerships; however, neither iGaming operators nor other businesses may provide gaming devices or gaming equipment (e.g. a tablet) to players to access an iGaming site at a physical premises.
  2. Additional information about AGCO’s approach and requirements for recertification when certified technology is modified. More information has been included in Appendix C: ITL Certification Policy.
  3. To facilitate operations at market launch, additional flexibility of compliance requirements in certain low-risk circumstances.

The AGCO has also added more options to the compliance guide in Section 4 and Appendix C: ITL Certification Policy around Independent Testing Laboratory (ITL) certification of technology, and Section 3 around the implementation of control activities in order to comply with the Registrar’s Standards in advance of going live in Ontario.

The AGCO continues to work with and help prepare operators and gaming-related suppliers for the launch of Ontario’s new iGaming market on April 4, 2022. To date, around a dozen operators are thought to have secure licenses from the commission to operate in the province as of that date.

Ontario’s new iGaming market will steadily expand in the weeks and months following the market’s launch and all operators and suppliers working toward entering Ontario’s market are strongly encouraged to review the updated Guide to help ensure readiness for go-live.