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DateTitreDurée
13 Sep 20221. Ontario market open: looking back and looking forward00:58:43

Amanda Brewer, the Canadian country manager for Kindred Group, and Will Hill, Canadian vice-president of business development for Sightline Payments, provided their insight into the first quarterly report presented by iGaming Ontario on the province’s regulated sports betting and igaming business. Brewer and Hill both call for patience, pointing to a market making the transition from grey to white, a soft spot in the sports calendar between April and June, and the industry missing major players such as Super Group, PokerStars and Pinnacle in the opening quarter. 

 Aubrey Levy, the senior VP of content and marketing for The Score, also joined the show to talk about the addition of Jon Lovitz, Russell Peters and Patrick J. Adams to theScore Bet’s “Get Into Bet Mode”campaign. Levy, Brewer and Parleh Media Group CEO Mark Silver discussed the anticipation for the betting industry around the start of a busy fall sports season, highlighted by the NFL’s regular season getting underway.

Host Steve McAllister also brought in sports bettor Tony Luccisano to give his best bets for the U.S. Open tennis men's and women's finals.


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12 Sep 2022Welcome to the Gaming News Canada Show00:15:30
Group founder Mark Silver about the evolution of Canada’s first newsletter dedicated to the new sports betting and gaming landscape in Canada. Beginning with the Parleh newsletter in January 2021 when McAllister chronicled the march of Bill C-218 towards amending the Criminal Code of Canada to open the door for provinces to offer single-event sports betting to covering the early months of Ontario’s wide-open, regulated wagering and igaming market, McAllister and Silver discuss the role of the newsletter – along with weekly “shows” Twitter Spaces – in shining a light on the stories, the players and the issues in the industry.

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18 Sep 20222. Another AGCO licence, a new curling competition, and paying tribute to the Fed Express.00:50:54

This week, Canadian sports betting industry veteran Steve Rapp joined us to talk about his new role as Canadian Country Manager for Pinnacle, and about the company waiting for iGaming Ontario approval after receiving a licence from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

Nic Sulsky, the Chief Commercial Officer for PointsBet Canada, discussed the company’s $1 million bracket challenge and other promotional events around next week’s inaugural PointsBet Invitational curling competition in Fredericton in partnership with Curling Canada.

Rapp, Gavin Roth, Mike Day, Amanda Brewer and Tony Luccisano all weighed in on Roger Federer’s announcement that the tennis legend is retiring from Grand Slams and ATP Tour competition after 20 Slam singles titles and 103 Tour championships. 

The episode finished with a roundtable on the continued quest by Canadian media companies, Rogers' Sportsnet and Bell Media's TSN, to integrate sports betting content into their broadcasts and other platforms.


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26 Sep 20223. Following the fantasy sports dilemma in Ontario with Roto Wire founder Peter Schoenke00:55:29

On this week’s episode, Roto Wire founder and CEO Peter Schoenke and long-time fantasy sports guru Digger Turnbull spoke about the shutdown of daily fantasy sports in Ontario and the efforts of the Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association to bring back DFS (to give your support, go to fantasysportsforall.com/Ontario. Amanda Brewer, the Canadian country manager for Kindred Group, and Nic Sulsky – the current CCO of PointsBet Canada and former co-founder of Monkey Knife Fight – also weighed in on the topic.

Paul Burns, the president and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association, joined the show from the SBC Summit Barcelona to discuss his week in the Spanish city – including his role as moderator of a panel on the early days of the regulated Ontario market - and also to receive congratulations on being named the recipient of a Career Achievement award from VIXIO Gambling Compliance.

We reached Sulsky inside Willie O’Ree Place in Fredericton during the second day of the inaugural PointsBet Canada Invitational, with men’s and women’s rinks competing in a March Madness-style knockout tournament and the winning rink each getting $50,000.


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03 Oct 20224. A new role, what’s new and a James Sharman Room 4-4-2 rendezvous00:59:17

This week, The Gaming News Canada podcast is joined by Kris Abbott, the former Canadian country manager for Coolbet who was recently hired by Kaizen Gaming in the same role for Kaizen’s Betano sportsbook brand. BetSwap founder Brent Winston discussed the latest happenings with the Toronto based startup, and Room 4-4-2 host James Sharman teed up this week’s soccer party at The Rivoli along with the countdown to the FIFA men’s World Cup in November.

As usual, Amanda Brewer from Kindred Group and Will Hill of Sightline Payments discussed the latest news in the sports betting and gaming world.


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10 Oct 20225. Presenting the 411 on the G2E with Responsible Gambling Council CEO Shelley White and Jessica Welman from SBC00:55:59
On this edition of The Gaming News Canada Show, SBC Americas Editor Jessica Welman and Responsible Gambling Council CEO Shelley White help us set the table for this week’s Global Gaming Expo, which is expected to attract some 18,000 gaming industry types to The Venetian. White also gives the lowdown on the RGC’s new PSA campaign in collaboration with thinkTV to educate the public on the risks involved in gambling. We also highlight the major news from the week in the Gaming News Canada newsletter, including the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario’s revised standards for the province’s regulated sports betting and igaming industry.

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24 Oct 20226. Playmaker Capital's Jordan Gnat on a matter of M&A, a recap of G2E and iGO’s quarterly report, and going to (the Ontario) market00:57:17
On the latest Gaming News Canada Show podcast, Playmaker Capital co-founder and CEO Jordan Gnat provides some insight into the company’s acquisition of Wedge Traffic, and also talks about Playmaker’s plunge into the podcast business. Amanda Brewer, the Canadian country manager for Kindred Group, and TRM Public Affairs president Troy Ross take a look back at a hugely successful Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas while also presenting their perspectives on the Q2 performance report issued by iGaming Ontario. Also, Kris Abbott and Steve Rapp of Betano and Pinnacle Sports respectively join the show to discuss their two companies joining an already-busy Ontario market.

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30 Oct 20227. Twitter's Conor Clarence on trending Canadian sports, Room 4-4-2 on Game+ TV, and an audit of Sportsnet's HNIC00:57:27
In this episode of The Gaming News Canada Show podcast, Anthem Sports & Entertainment executive Anthony Cicione joined us to talk about the addition of Parleh Media Group’s Room 4-4-2 soccer show to the menu of sports betting and daily fantasy sports programs on Anthem’s Game+ network. Kindred Group’s Amanda Brewer and Will Hill from Sightline Payments, along with Mark Silver and Gavin Roth from Parleh, weigh in on the Hockey Night in Canada advertising audit in last week’s Gaming News Canada newsletter. Brewer and Hill also provide their thoughts on The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario’s outreach to industry stakeholders on potentially changing the rules of engagement around promotional partnerships in the province’s gaming industry.

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06 Nov 20228. OLG announces sports betting's arrival at Ontario casinos, CGA head Paul Burns weighs in00:59:58
On the latest Gaming News Canada Show podcast, Paul Burns weighed in on the long-awaited arrival of sports betting at some casinos across Ontario in the latest Gaming News Canada Show podcast. Joining the president and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association to discuss the topic are the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Commission's director of media relations Tony Bitonti, Sightline Payments executive Will Hill and Amanda Brewer, the Canadian country manager for Kindred Group. Bitonti also digs into the details from OLG’s first Impact Report: Where Play Meets Purpose, and speaks about the performance of ProLine+ in the first seven months of Ontario’s super-competitive online sports wagering and casino marketplace.

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14 Nov 20229. Steven Salz’s take on Rivalry’s rise, and GeoComply (geo)locates in Toronto00:58:37
In this episode of the Gaming News Canada Show, Rivalry co-founder and CEO Steven Salz talks about the Toronto company’s rise in the esports betting space, its results so far in Ontario’s regulated igaming industry, and its marketing and operational efforts targeted at Gen Z and millennials. Lindsay Slader, the Managing Director – Gaming for GeoComply, joined the show to explain the opening of the Canadian company’s Toronto office this week and its ties to war-torn Ukraine. Podcast regulars Will Hill of Sightline Payments and Amanda Brewer from Kindred Group discussed the latest happenings around the business of betting and gaming.

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27 Nov 202210. Betano gets a FIFA World Cup view through Room 4-4-2, and some thoughts on the New York Times series00:57:55
On this episode of The Gaming News Canada Show podcast, Betano’s Canadian country manager Kris Abbott speaks about the Ontario market newcomer’s partnership with Room 4-4-2’s for the soccer show’s Qatar 2022 coverage. Also, podcast regulars Amanda Brewer from Kindred Group, Will Hill of Sightline Payments and Canadian Gaming Association president/CEO Paul Burns spoke about the New York Times’s investigation into the rapid growth of legal sports betting across the United States, and how Barstool's Dave Portnoy does not speak for the industry.

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05 Dec 202211. PointsBet Canada welcomes Gaming News Canada to their new Toronto digs00:56:01
The Gaming News Canada Show went on the road for the first time, holding court from PointsBet Canada’s new offices in downtown Toronto. Scott Vanderwel, the CEO of PointsBet Canada and Chief Commercial Officer Nic Sulsky spoke about the company’s investment in Ontario’s regulated igaming industry. Amanda Brewer, the Canadian country manager for Kindred Group, joined Sulsky to weigh in on the employment opportunities the new industry has created in 2022, and also discussed the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario’s annual report which was released last week.

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11 Dec 202212. Of women’s sports, women in sport, and who belongs in Cooperstown00:39:33
Dr. Cheri Bradish, the Director of the Future of Sports Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University, joined The Gaming News Canada Show to discuss the proposed Canadian women’s pro soccer league announcement, girls and women in sport, and the opportunities and challenges faced by sportsbooks as potential corporate partners. Also, we catch up with the latest on the FIFA World Cup, and debate on who’s next to get into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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18 Dec 202213. The year that’s been in the Canadian gambling industry, and James Sharman on Messi, Mbappe, and France-Argentina01:02:25

In the final episode of the Gaming News Canada Show podcast for 2022, Canadian Gaming Association president/CEO Paul Burns, Kindred Group/Unibet Canadian country manager Amanda Brewer, Sightline Payments Canadian VP Will Hill and PointsBet Canada Chief Commercial Officer Nic Sulsky discussed a dynamic year in Canada’s sports betting and gaming industry – highlighted by the opening of Ontario’s regulated market on April 4. They also got out their respective crystal balls and looked ahead to 2023.

Room 4-4-2 host James Sharman also joined the podcast to talk about the FIFA World Cup including his thoughts on Lionel Messi’s place among football’s great players, Didier Deschamps’ place among the great managers of all time in the sport, and also diving into the Argentina-France championship match.



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08 Jan 2023BET99, Betano and Unibet bosses weigh in on sports betting content00:51:01

This week’s show is highlighted by a lively discussion about both sportsbook operators creating their own media properties, and the still-early days of media companies trying to integrate sports betting information and opinion into their broadcasts of games and highlight shows without incurring further wrath from sports fans who aren’t bettors. Sports Ventures Holdings (owners of Bet99) CEO Jared Beber, Kindred Group’s Canadian country manager Amanda Brewer, Betano Canada head honcho Kris Abbott, Parleh Media Group CEO Mark Silver and Chief Revenue Officer Gavin Roth, and Playmaker Capital Head of Partnerships Adam Seaborn looked at the initial efforts around content and also what’s to come from both sportsbooks and media companies.

Beber also answered our questions about Bet99’s entry into the regulated Ontario market towards the end of 2022, and along with Abbott, Brewer and Silver did some crystal-ball gazing to make a prediction (or two) for the still-evolving gambling industry in Canada and the U.S. over the next 51 weeks.


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13 Jan 2023The quest for diversity and inclusiveness continues in the gambling industry 00:58:48
Kindred Group’s Canadian country manager Amanda Brewer, Responsible Gambling Council CEO Shelley White and Quarter4 co-founder and CEO Kelly Brooks provided their perspective on the progress made to expand the opportunities for women in the sports betting and gaming industry, especially in leadership positions. White also discussed the RGC’s priorities for the coming year in a congested regulated Ontario market and across the rest of the country, while Brooks was asked about the growing presence of artificial intelligence in the industry, and the increasing acknowledgment that Canada is a hotspot when it comes to talent in the technology sector. Homestand Sports president Kevin Kennedy and Jason Sukhraj, the General Manager of Canada for SportsGrid, talked about the announcement that Homestand will produce and distribute original programming on SportsGrid when the FAST channel debuts in February on connected TV platforms in Canada.

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21 Jan 2023Benjie Cherniak and SBC's Sue Schneider on the state of Canada’s young(ish) sports betting business00:58:37
To cover a busy 8-10 days in the Canadian sports betting and gaming business, including some not-so-flattering coverage – especially on the frequent flow of advertisements on any and all platforms – we were joined by two veterans of the industry. Sue Schneider, the VP of strategy and growth, Americas for SBC, and Avenue H Capital principal Benjie Cherniak weighed in on both the challenges and opportunities for the still-young regulated gambling industry in Canada and the U.S. of A. Schneider also weighed in on the SBC/Gaming News Canada partnership announcement made last week and provided a glimpse of what attendees can expect at the June 13-15 Canadian Gaming Summit at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. 

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27 Jan 2023PointsBet, Betano and industry insiders share perspective, ponderance, and positive thoughts from iGaming Ontario’s latest market report00:48:20

The breaking news of iGaming Ontario’s Q3 2022-23 facts and figures from the province’s regulated sports betting and igaming industry, along with a shining of the spotlight on women in gaming south of the border made for an hour of many voices and meaningful discussion on the latest Gaming News Canada Show.

On Thursday morning, iGaming Ontario released its (rather) long-awaited Market Performance Report for the October-December period – a rather robust one on the sports calendar which included the FIFA World Cup, the World Series and a chock-a-block schedule of NFL, NBA and NHL regular-season games. Troy Ross of TRM Public Affairs, Will Hill of Sightline Payments, Kris Abbott of Betano and Nic Sulsky of PointsBet Canada all chimed in on the rosy results delivered by iGO, and looked ahead to a fourth quarter which will be highlighted by the Super Bowl and March Madness.

Also, CDC Gaming Reports senior correspondent Rege Behe, Cassie Stratford of Boyd Gaming and Jessica Welman of SBC Americas and Canadian Gaming Business joined the show to discuss CDCGR’s inaugural 10 Women Rising in Gaming. And Welman weighed in on the journey to legalized sports betting in Massachusetts, which launches Tuesday. 


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05 Feb 2023Leaders from Canadian Gaming Association, Kindred Group, PointsBet Canada and Betano discuss MP Kevin Waugh's comments, Paysafe survey and ICE London01:01:20

On the first Gaming News Canada podcast of February – and on the eve of this week’s ICE conference in jolly olde England – Amanda Brewer, Kris Abbott and Nic Sulsky gave their reaction to comments by Conservative MP Kevin Waugh on the regulated gaming industry in Ontario, and the results of a Paysafe survey that were released this week. Gavin Roth of Parleh Media Group also lent his voice to Waugh’s request for reasonable dialogue and patience around advertising by sports betting and online casino operators in the highly competitive Ontario marketplace.

Canadian Gaming Association president/CEO Paul Burns then joined the podcast to weigh in on iGaming Ontario’s recently released Market Performance Report, and to highlight some agenda items of interest for ICE London – including Tuesday’s Canadian roundtable featuring Burns, iGO’s Martha Otton, Peter Czegledy from Aird and Berlis LLP, and Sophia Arvantis from the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development.


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11 Feb 2023theScore Bet’s Aubrey Levy talks Super Bowl plus the operator’s Ontario results, and the Responsible Gambling Council on its SB LVII survey01:05:30

This week, theScore's marketing and content guru Aubrey Levy joins us to discuss the players, props and other plans for the company's coverage of Chiefs-Eagles. Levy also piggybacked on the recent comments of PENN Entertainment head Jay Snowden about theScore's successful performance so far in Ontario's regulated sports betting and gaming market. Amanda Brewer of Kindred Group, Will Hill of Sightline Payments and Betano Canadian country manager Kris Abbott also appear to deliver their own bon mots on the NFL championship game and also provide their respective thoughts on the buzz around Ontario at last week's ICE London conference.

Finally, we spoke with Melissa Toney about the Responsible Gambling Council's latest survey of Canadians planning to place a wager on the Super Bowl, and asked her for some advice on how to avoid getting carried away when betting on the big game.


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17 Feb 2023Rogers Sportsnet to phase out SNBets and ‘twas a busy week for Canadian companies NorthStar Bets and GeoComply00:56:53

Jonah Sigel of YYZ Sports Media stepped outside a conference ballroom to speak about his exclusive report very early Thursday morning that Rogers Sportsnet is phasing out its SNBets betting focused content brand. Two Canadian country managers, Amanda Brewer of Kindred Group and Betano’s Kris Abbott, along with Mark Silver and Mike Day from Parleh Media Group, also passed along their thoughts on the work in progress that is making sports betting content accessible, understandable and entertaining for sports fans.

John Pappas, the senior VP of government and public affairs for Vancouver-based GeoComply, then joined us for a conversation on the company’s protection of Ontario sportsbook operators from proxy betting and cyberattacks, especially during the week leading up to Super Bowl LVII. And last but not least, NorthStar Gaming CEO and founding father Michael Moskowitz provided more insight into its expanded partnership with global online gaming software provider Playtech, announced at the start of the week.


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25 Feb 2023A 24-month journey for Gaming News Canada, and are video gaming machines coming to the home of Les Canadiens? 00:57:16

Amidst the sleet, snow, wind and cold throughout Ontario and parts of the U.S. on Thursday afternoon, we thought “hey, let’s gather the gang around LinkedIn Audio for an hour of dialogue, discussion and debate to help forget about the winter blahs”.

And, for the most part, mission accomplished. Canadian Gaming Association grand poobah Paul Burns called in from a bus with his Leaside Wildcats u18 BB hockey team en route to the University of Notre Dame for a final-weekend-in-February tournament to help Gaming News Canada celebrate the second anniversary of our newsletter launch and to look back at the changing landscape of the Canadian sports betting and gaming scene since our inaugural newsletter on February 18, 2021. Benjie Cherniak of Avenue H Capital, Kindred Group’s Amanda Brewer, Kris Abbott of Kaizen Gaming, and Will Hill of Sightline Payments also provided their respective taps of the Jofa Wood Senior to GNC and their thoughts on the shifting sands in Ontario’s regulated industry. And the Gaming News Canada Show’s Fab Four du jour also weighed in on the news last week that Loto-Quebec is involved in discussions with the Montreal Canadiens about installing video gaming machines at Le Centre Bell. 

Finally, GBG Plc director of gaming Rebekah Jackson, joining us from northern England, provided some additional information and context to the news we broke in Thursday’s dispatch that GBG is first to market in Ontario in providing igaming companies with access to two of Canada’s main credit bureaus, Equifax and TransUnion. 


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05 Mar 2023Pierre Lindh previews a sold out iGaming NEXT NYC23 as our show went live from Berlin, Vancouver, New York and Toronto00:57:28

Call it one way to become. . . er. . . . more wordly.

 

OK, OK, apologies for the lousy pun. Truth is, however, that the latest episode of your friendly neighbourhood GNCS podcast has a distinct international flavour. The latest episode started in Berlin, where Bayes Esports head of growth and finance Christopher Bohlmann joined us to expand on the comments he made in the Gaming News Canada newsletter about the “healthy transformation” of the esports industry over the first two months of 2023. Then it was off to New York, where iGaming Next managing director Pierre Lindh was setting up his automatic “We’re Sold Out” reply (OK, that’s a statement of the Trumpian/Santos kind) while giving our listeners a lay of the land for next week’s NYC23 conference in The Big Apple.

 

https://twitter.com/iGamingNEXT/status/1631217862751682560

 

Ryan McCarthy, the BCLC’s person in charge of player health, called in from Vancouver to set the table for the lottery corporation’s New Horizons in Responsible Gambling get-together next week along with the BCLC’s five-year extension of its GameSense partnership with MGM Resorts International and BetMGM that was announced this week. 

 

https://twitter.com/BCLC/status/1631101227730898944

  

PointsBet Canada CCO Nic Sulsky returned to the show for the first time in a few weeks to discuss the operator’s new responsible gambling message from Kerri Einarson’s four-time Canadian curling championship rink. 

 

https://youtu.be/zxT6TIumRhk

 

Sulsky also provided a few thoughts on the announcement this week that Bally’s was shutting down Monkey Knife Fight, the daily fantasy sports business which Sulsky helped create in 2017. Finally, regular contributors Amanda Brewer of Kindred Group and Kris Abbott of Kaizen Gaming/Betano also provided their usual keen insight into the latest news from around the industry.


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18 Mar 2023Coolbet to exit Ontario sports betting and igaming market, and AGCO chief Tom Mungham is retiring00:59:59

The Gaming News Canada Show podcast returns from a one-week hiatus in high gear, as host Steve McAllister discussed with Kindred Group’s Amanda Brewer, Will Hill of Sightline Payments and Betano’s Kris Abbott this week’s announcement from Coolbet that the European operator won’t be renewing its Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario licence at the beginning of April, and posted its exit strategy. McAllister also asked Abbott, Hill and Brewer about the potential domino effect of Coolbet’s departure as Ontario enters Year 2 of regulated sports betting and igaming.

The panel then switched gears and provided its thoughts on the news that Tom Mungham is stepping down this fall as the registrar and CEO of the AGCO. Parleh Media Group founder/CEO Mark Silver, who was in New York twice over the past 2 weeks to attend the iGaming Next NYC23 conference and SportsPro OTT USA Summit, joined the podcast for a conversation on the evolving dynamics across sports betting and sports media. And, of course, we also dedicated a segment to March Madness and the excitement around the sports betting community for the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.


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25 Mar 2023iGaming, the new American dream00:58:05

We were joined this week by an expanded gathering of guests to knock off several items from the latest news, notes and quotes across the sports betting and gaming industry. 

SBC Americas editor Jessica Welman was back to deliver an update on both the efforts by U.S. states to legalize online gaming and states such as Kentucky, Missouri and North Carolina to legalize sports betting. Welman also weighed in on the early weeks of the regulated online sports wagering marketplace in Massachusetts.

Rege Behe of CDC Gaming Reports and schoolteacher-turned-social media influencer Kelly Koffler spoke about the growing role of influencers in the casino business. And, usual guests Amanda Brewer, Will Hill, and Kris Betano provided their expertise and insight on the smorgasbord of topics discussed, including the uniqueness of the regulated Ontario marketplace – which turns one year old next week – compared with what’s happening south of the border.


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02 Apr 2023Ontario pops the cork on the 1st anniversary of regulated sports betting and igaming00:52:44

The most robust regulated sports betting and igaming market in North America celebrates its one-year anniversary on Tuesday.

So, on the eve of the wide-open Ontario market turning one, Canadian Gaming Association head honcho Paul Burns appeared to offer several thoughts on the first 12 months, and a lookahead to what’s next. Burns also teed up the agenda for the Canadian Gaming Association's sold-out assembly in Toronto on Tuesday.

Amanda Brewer (Kindred Group), Will Hill (Sightline Payments), Kris Abbott (Betano Canada), Nic Sulsky (PointsBet Canada) and Mark Silver (Homestand Sports) joined the conversation with Burns, speaking about the good, bad and what-can-be-better going into Year 2 for operators, customers and the industry's other stakeholders.

Albert Vartanian, co-host with James Sharman on The Homestand Show, explained the raison d'etre and some of the topics du jour for the Monday-Friday live sports show on SportsGrid Canada - available on The Roku Channel, Fubo, LG, Toshiba and other streaming TV channels. Vartanian added the Blue Jays fans have good reason to be bullish on Toronto's MLB club this season.


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09 Apr 2023Examining year 1 of sports betting and igaming in Ontario, and what comes next?00:55:14

Amanda Brewer, Will Hill and Mark Silver huddled with host Steve McAllister and our LinkedIn Audio audience to discuss and debate the learnings from a plethora of panels – and networking chats in between said panels - during the Canadian Gaming Association Leaders Forum at the Toronto Region Board of Trade last week. That included an unloading of notes and numbers from iGaming Ontario executive director Martha Otton and from Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario COO Dave Phillips, along with words of wisdom around advertising, responsible gambling, economic development, and more.

The Brewer-Hill-Silver trio also took the learnings from the CGA assembly and made a forecast or three on what’s in store over the next 12 months not only for Ontario, but across the rest of the country from elected leaders and provincial lottery corporation leaders chewing on the impact that a regulated, hugely competitive industry has had on Canada’s largest province.


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14 Apr 2023Insiders react to AGCO’s proposed ban on athlete and celebrity endorsements00:57:56

After breaking the news that the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario was taking a harder line on the use of athletes and celebrities in sportsbook and igaming advertising, the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP dug deeper into the commission’s proposal.

Kindred Group’s Amanda Brewer, Phill Gray of Sports Interaction, journalist Scott Longley of Earnings+More, Parleh Media Group’s Gavin Roth and Mark Silver, and Canadian sports media expert Jonah Sigel all weighed in on the AGCO’s proposed amended standard:

  1. Create an obligation for operators and suppliers to cease any advertising and marketing activities that use athletes, whether active or retired, in gaming marketing and advertising; and,
  2. Prohibit the use of cartoon figures, symbols, role models, social media influencers, celebrities or entertainers who are reasonably expected to appeal to minors. This proposed amendment differs from the current standard, which is applicable to persons that “primarily appeal” to minors. Advertising remains a permitted activity, provided other Standards are met.

Longley, speaking to us from the UK, provided an update on the decision by the Premier League this week to ban front-of-jersey sponsorships with its soccer clubs. Mark Potter of EPIC Risk Management also joined the show from the UK to talk about the harassment of athletes on social media, and at sports venues, by disgruntled bettors. Hockey analytics guru Meghan Chayka also came on to discuss her FanDuel Canada-sponsored Strength in Number segments on TSN Hockey this season, and also about the ongoing push for gender equity in the sport that now includes a pilot project that will be funded by FanDuel, Bauer Hockey, Canadian Tire and Harvey’s.


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21 Apr 2023NHL, NBA among pro sports leagues joining responsible sports betting advertising coalition in the U.S.00:59:33

The angst over advertising by the sports betting industry took a different twist this week when professional sports leagues – led by the NFL and including the NHL, NBA, WNBA and MLB – got together with two U.S. broadcasters to create the Coalition for Responsible Sports Betting Advertising. The coalition, which received two thumbs-up from the American Gaming Association, has made a commitment to implement and maintain consumer protection policies with a six-pack of principles.

So, SBC Americas editor Jessica Welman joined the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP to weigh in on reaction to the announcement along with the ongoing debate and discussion around advertising and the integration of sports betting content into broadcasts and other media outlets. Amanda Brewer (Kindred Group), Kris Abbott (Betano Canada), Nic Sulsky (PointsBet Canada) and Gavin Roth (Homestand Sports) added their own bon mots, and also shared their thoughts on the reaction to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario’s announcement last week to make changes to the rules around advertising and the use of athletes and other celebrities.

Aidan Brain, the VP Conference Production, Americas at SBC, joined us to help set the table for next month’s SBC Summit North America in Secaucus, NJ, and for the June 13-15 Canadian Gaming Summit at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. SBC will be charge of managing the Canadian sports betting and gaming industry conference for the first time, and Brain gave a preview of what attendees can expect with the agenda and some bells and whistles. 

Our panelists also went around the horn on reporting over the past week that PointsBet has enlisted the services of a New York investment bank to seek out buyers for the operator’s North American businesses.


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28 Apr 2023Nuvei primed for the Ryan Reynolds bump, and a discussion on Rivalry’s latest collaboration with Pinnacle00:57:11

As we prepare to draw the curtain on April, the final Gaming News Canada Show of the month provided perspective on a plethora of topics, presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP.

Canadian country managers Amanda Brewer (Kindred Group) and Kris Abbott (Betano/Kaizen Gaming), Nic Sulsky of PointsBet Canada, Parleh Media Group partner Gavin Roth, gave three thumbs-up to Nuvei bringing part-time actor/entrepreneur/emerging sports tycoon Ryan Reynolds on board recently as an investor and ambassador for the Montreal-based payments company.

This week’s announcement by esports and sports betting business Rivalry to land igaming operator Pinnacle as a partner in a $10 million financing push, along with NorthStar Gaming’s acquisition of Slapshot Media, kickstarted a conversation on the latest happenings in a dynamic industry which include M&A activity and regulated Ontario operators getting their ducks lined up to take their business into other provinces.

Finally, we took the roundtable route on the habits of sports bettors in a month which includes the start of the MLB season along with the opening rounds of the NBA and Stanley Cup playoffs. Abbott and Sulsky provided a few surprises on what’s been most popular among their brands’ customers.


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05 May 2023AGCO extends submission deadline as CGA CEO advocates for collaborative approach00:59:28

In yesterday’s edition of the Gaming News Canada newsletter, Canadian Gaming Association head honcho Paul Burns preached patience when it came to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and the province’s sports betting and igaming industry finding a compromise on revising some of the standards around advertising and the use of athletes, other celebrities, cartoon characters and social media influencers.

Burns’s call for an approach of the methodical and consultative sorts was followed by the AGCO announcing Thursday that it was extending by a week (to May 15) the deadline for feedback on its proposed changes. The president/CEO of the CGA explains the national body’s role in collaborating with its members and the regulators to evolve in a brave new regulated gambling world in providing a responsible and sustainable industry. Kindred Group’s Amanda Brewer and Kris Abbott from Betano Group also lend their voices to the conversation, echoing Burns’s words that the Ontario market is a unique one that can’t be compared with other jurisdictions. The trio of industry veterans also discuss the role of broadcasters, other media and social media businesses, and government in helping to establish the parameters for a responsible gambling environment.

Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson talks about his decision to step down later this year. Lawson also provides an update on Woodbine’s efforts to integrate sports betting into its business and working alongside regulated operators in Ontario, and tees up the company’s plans at its Toronto racetrack for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby party. 

Last but not least, Homestand Sports CEO Mark Silver explains the media company’s latest partnership with sports gaming software business Tallysight, announced Thursday


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12 May 2023Capturing the buzz at SBC Summit North America00:33:27

In case you didn’t believe the tweets, LinkedIn posts and dispatches from other platforms that the Meadlowlands Exposition Center was buzzing this week at the SBC Summit, we present the proof in live audio form.

 

The latest Gaming News Canada Show podcast presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP was an abbreviated edition of the rapid-fire variety. Over the fortysomething minutes, we had guests moving in and out of chairs in a corner of the SBC Sales Lounge (thanks to Bob McFarland and Sue Schneider for letting us set up shop there) as fast and furiously as the Florida Panthers’ forecheck against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL Eastern Conference semifinal series. GeoComply government and public affairs savant John Pappas stopped by to provide his thoughts on the many conversations around igaming and M&A during the Summit’s three days, and also on his company’s acquisition of fellow Vancouver company OneComply to kick start the week. 

 

Brock University sports management professor Dr. Michael Naraine joined us remotely to discuss the need for third-party research on responsible gambling in Ontario. Regular contributor Kris Abbott from Betano Canada also sat with us for a few minutes, as did Tallysight technology guru Masheed Ahadi to answer a few questions about the San Diego company’s latest partnership deals with Sportradar and Homestand Sports. 

 

Avenue H Capital founder and FOGNC Benjie Cherniak shuffled his schedule to join us and provide his insight on the hottest topics of the Summit. And we gave the last word this week to Homestand Sports CEO Mark Silver (simply to guarantee we had a lift to Newark International Airport for the flight home. . . . ).


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19 May 2023What the PointsBet-Fanatics deal could mean in Ontario, and more on AGCO’s plans to change the rules of (audience) engagement around ads00:44:14

For your listening pleasure during your time in the car, truck, boat, yacht, canoe and/or kayak this holiday weekend to tee up the Canadian summer, we present the latest Gaming News Canada Show podcast presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP.

 

This week’s panel of Kindred Group’s Amanda Brewer, along with Parleh Media Group co-founders Mark Silver and Gavin Roth, covered consolidation, M&A, the impact of partnerships/sponsorships and a couple of other matters around the news this week that PointsBet Canada isn’t included in the acquisition by Fanatics of PointsBet’s U.S. operations. Dr. Michael Naraine from Brock University’s sports management program joined to offer his thoughts on potential changes to the rules around sports betting and gaming advertising from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. And Brewer gave an update on the plans for iGaming Ontario to deliver a centralized self-exclusion program to the province’s licensed operators.

 

Roth, a veteran of the partnership/sponsorship industry, led a conversation about the discussion at a Massachusetts Gaming Commission meeting this week around the use of branding by sportsbook operators and potentially ordering them to incorporate age requirements into that branding.

 

Finally, we announced that our newsletter sponsor GBG Plc is presenting a What’s Next for iGaming Regulation in Canada webinar on June 10, including GBG’s Rebekah Jackson, Brewer and Gaming News Canada editor-in-chief holding the moderator’s microphone.


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26 May 2023Richard McLaren on match-fixing and gambling in sport00:50:48

If Richard McLaren hasn’t seen it all, he’s come awfully darn close.

 

The long-time Canadian lawyer has emerged as a global leader in the fight against the use of performance-enhancing drugs, match-fixing and other forms of corruption in sport. On the eve of next week’s Symposium on Competition Manipulation and Gambling in Sport in Toronto – which will be co-hosted by McLaren Global Sport Solutions and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport – McLaren spoke with Gaming News Canada from his office at McKenzie Lake Lawyers LLP in London. 

 

McLaren, whose career in sport law started as an arbitrator for the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association in the early 1990s, has been a long-standing member of the International Court of Arbitration for Sport, has been involved with five Olympic Games and more recently has been involved in anti-corruption programs for the International Tennis Integrity Agency (which this week banned a chair umpire for manipulating scores for betting purposes), the international basketball federation (FIBA) and the International Boxing Association. We asked McLaren about his journey, and more specifically about his role in unveiling match-fixing activity and educating athletes about gambling in sport. 

 

He also weighs in on the impact of regulated sports betting, more recently in Canada and the U.S., and the responsibility of all stakeholders to protect athletes, coaches, officials and other participants in sport. 


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02 Jun 2023NHL broadcasts under fire for mixing pucks with sportsbook ad bucks00:55:55

There was another tidal wave of media coverage this week about the high volume of online sports betting advertising in Ontario’s hugely competitive gambling industry. Some of that coverage focused on the Stanley Cup playoffs, with broadcasters, teams and the NHL all facing some flak for the steady stream of sports betting content, commercials, digital board ads and in-venue branding from regulated (in a few cases, not regulated) sportsbooks and the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation (OLG).

 

Today (Friday), the interim leader of the province’s Liberal Party held a news conference to also take umbrage with the “sheer volume of their advertisements”.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPO34e3MPfY

 

The latest series of articles and other reporting comes at the same time that the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario is going through 40 submissions with feedback on the commission’s proposal to restrict the use of athletes and celebrities in advertising. So, that was the topic du jour and the subject of a lengthy discussion featuring Amanda Brewer (Kindred Group), Kris Abbott (Betano), Nic Sulsky (PointsBet Canada), along with Gavin Roth and Mark Silver of Parleh Media Group.


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04 Jun 2023Manipulation of sports competitions symposium highlights need for more education00:14:22

The sport and sports betting communities got together this week for the first time since 2019 as the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, and McLaren Global Sport Solutions hosted the Symposium on Match Manipulation and Gambling in Sport at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto.

 

Canadian Gaming Association president/CEO Paul Burns joined the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP to provide a summary of the happenings from the two-day conference of panels, keynote addresses and collaboration by both communities to educate athletes and other participants in sport about the realities involved around match fixing and corruption. Nic Sulsky of PointsBet Canada, a partner of Curling Canada, and Kris Abbott of Betano also weighed in on the cooperation between sportsbooks and sports bodies to educate athletes, coaches and others.

 

Paul Burns joined the show to summarize the happenings from this week’s Symposium on Competition Manipulation and Gambling in Sport, co-hosted by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, and McLaren Global Sport Solutions. During the symposium, the International Betting Integrity Agency – with support from FanDuel, Betway and bet365 – announced a $300,000 commitment over the next three years to fund an education program for athletes and other participants in Canadian sport about betting, match-fixing and other matters around integrity in sport.

 

The CCES put out a news release Friday that the main takeaway from the symposium and its participants was “identifying the need for a coordinated pan-Canadian approach to prevent competition manipulation that is bolstered by comprehensive education”.

 

“The symposium highlighted the fact that Canadian sport needs a plan to address the threat of competition manipulation now before it gets a stronger foothold in Canada,” said Jeremy Luke, the president and CEO of the CCES. “A harmonized, pan-Canadian competition manipulation policy developed with athletes that includes comprehensive education and is administered by an independent organization would be consistent with best practices from sport and other countries, and would contribute to a safer environment for athletes and support personnel. 

 

“The CCES is committed to working with partners, including athletes, to make it a reality.”  

 

The podcast also set the table for next Wednesday’s What’s Next for iGaming Regulation in Canada? webinar presented by GBG Plc and featuring a panel with the aforementioned Brewer, Rebekah Jackson from GBG, PointsBet Canada CEO Scott Vanderwel, and legal beagle Jack Tadman of GME Law.


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07 Jun 2023What's Next for iGaming in Canada? presented by GBG00:56:48

Fourteen months after the launch of the most competitive regulated sports betting and igaming marketplace in the world, there are 45 legal operators and almost 100 licensed vendors doing business. Together, along with the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation (OLG), the industry has delivered more than $2 billion in tax revenue.

What are the learnings from the early days of Ontario's regulated marketplace? What opportunities have been created in a hugely competitive industry. And, is the province's model tailor-made for other provinces across the rest of Canada? Steve McAllister, the Editor-In-Chief of Gaming News Canada, asked those questions - and more - of GBG Plc Director of Gaming Rebekah Jackson; Amanda Brewer, the Canadian Country Manager of Kindred Group; PointsBet Canada Chief Executive Officer Scott Vanderwel; and Jack Tadman of GME Law.


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09 Jun 2023Setting the table for the Canadian Gaming Summit00:59:38

The sports betting and gaming industry gathers in Toronto next week, so SBC’s Cristian Robalino and First Pitch competition moderator Jesse Learmonth tee up the conference. And more on the clash of coalitions.

 

With apologies to devotees of Bill Shakespeare. . . . regulators, operators, communicators, suppliers, marketers, engineers, data darlings, and sure, even the folks who occupy the executive suites, lend us your ears.

 

Cristian Robalino and Jesse Learmonth joined us from Houston and Victoria respectively to help set the table for next week’s Canadian Gaming Summit in the city below Bolton. Robalino, the VP of Marketing for SBC’s Americas business, answered our questions about the preparations for SBC’s maiden voyage in managing the Canadian conference and also delivered some helpful hints for newbie Summit attendees. Learmonth, an industry veteran and owner/operator of The Betting Startups podcast and newsletter, will hold the moderator’s microphone for the First Pitch competition on the final day of the three- day event. Learmonth provided an overview of the three finalists along with the opportunities that come from participating in First Pitch.

 

Amanda Brewer of Kindred Group weighed in on the reporting in Thursday’s Gaming News Canada newsletter presented by GBG Plc on the exchange of legal correspondence between a coalition of four provincial lottery and gaming corporations, and a coalition of registered operators in Ontario. 

 

Finally, researchers Dr. Flora Matheson, Dr. Arthur McLuhan and Madison Ford from the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions walked us through the smartphone app they’ve developed to support people with gambling concerns. The SPRinG app, the researchers hope, will provide additional support to existing services around problem gambling.


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16 Jun 2023The 2023 Canadian Gaming Summit wraps with a lively roundtable 01:04:18

Welcome to the Gaming News Canada Show podcast presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, road show edition.

A steady stream of visitors dropped by the palatial GNC/Homestand Sports booth (Ok, neat and tidy is a better way to put it) on the final day of the Canadian Gaming Summit. Mitch Davidson, the chief of staff for iGaming Ontario, kicked off the pod by answering our questions around the economic development report that the conductor and manager of the province’s regulated sports betting and igaming industry released on Wednesday. In case you missed it, the research conducted by Jeff Harris’s team at Deloitte Canada on behalf of iGO included estimates of more than 12,000 full-time jobs being created across the province in Year 1, and a contribution of nearly $1.6 billion to Ontario’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Regular GNC contributors Amanda Brewer of Kindred Group and Nic Sulsky from PointsBet Canada also weighed in on the report and joined FOGNC Benjie Cherniak of Avenue H Capital for their thoughts on the report, what it might mean for regulated gambling beyond Ontario, a summary of the panel discussions and sundry other conversations on the Summit floor this week. SBC marketing director Dennis Algreen stopped by to accept some bouquets on SBC’s very successful maiden performance hosting the Canadian Gaming Summit, and also did some pumping of the proverbial tires for the SBC Summit Barcelona in September.

Canadian Gaming Association president/CEO Paul Burns provided a few bon mots about the conference and gave us an update on the CGA’s conversations with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario to find some common ground on the hot-button issue of sports betting advertising. Lastly, iGO executive director Martha Otton stopped by the booth and made an impromptu first appearance on the podcast by giving her thoughts on a busy week meeting with stakeholders in Canada’s only regulated gambling industry.


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23 Jun 2023Senators introduce S-269, the sports betting ads bill00:57:34

This week, Senator Marty Deacon introduced Bill S-269, the National Framework on Advertising for Sports Betting Act to put guardrails in place on sports wagering advertising across Canada’s gambling (and media) industries. Deacon and fellow Senator Brent Cotter joined the latest episode of the Gaming News Canada Show podcast presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP to explain the rationale for introducing the act, and the process to get the bill passed.

 

“We’re trying to make sure there’s some guardrails. We’re looking at pulling that [advertising] in, but we’re not saying, ‘no more’'” Deacon told the GNCS audience. “It’s a balance. I’m not going to deny that, but I think it’s important that we keep that as our laser focus.”

 

Great Canadian Entertainment executive Chuck Keeling joined the show from Vancouver to discuss Tuesday’s official opening of the Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto, a massive property that when completely finished, will include a gaming floor with slot machines, gaming tables and sports betting kiosks, a 400-room luxury hotel, a 5,000-seat entertainment theatre, a 250,000-square-foot green roof, and plenty o’ parking. Woodbine Entertainment has also been lobbying for customers of both the new casino resort and the adjacent Woodbine Racetrack to have direct access to public transit, Keeling confirmed.

 

Regular guests Amanda Brewer of Kindred Group and Betano’s Kris Abbott provided their thoughts on the proposed sports betting advertising bill, Toronto’s new $1-billion casino resort, and some final musings on last week’s Canadian Gaming Summit.


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28 Jun 2023No summer break for the Canadian gambling industry00:41:32

Remember the days when Canada Day meant the start of a summer slowdown that included early Wednesday afternoon tee times, taking off Friday afternoons to pack up the tent and sleeping bags and drive to a campground, putting off the first meeting on Monday until after lunch so you could get home from the cottage and drop off the laundry and empties.

 

No, we don’t remember them, either.

 

Ok, there’s a slight stretching of the truth here, but not entirely. On the latest episode of the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Paul Burns teed up a busy summer of committee meetings, dealing with potential changes to sports betting advertising standards by the Alcohol and Gaming Association of Ontario, and other business for the president and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association, and its members. Burns also addressed two Senate public bills which were introduced last week, one to create a framework around sports betting advertising across the country, and another to give First Nations the right to conduct and manage casinos in their communities.

 

Sean Topchi, the director of business development for Kinectify, joined the show to provide some insight on the Las Vegas company’s work around responsible and also answer questions about the company’s new partnership with Kindbridge Behavioral Health to support that organization’s work with people struggling with problem gambling.


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05 Jul 2023The CFL’s deal with FanDuel is just the first act, and an update on the Quebec gaming coalition00:36:26

The Canadian Football League’s just-announced partnership with FanDuel is the beginning of the league rolling out its sports betting strategy. 

 

That comes from our conversation this week with Owen Welsh, the CFL’s associate VP of sports betting, gaming and innovation. Welsh explained the opportunities around the new deal with FanDuel, and the ties of the partnership to both TSN and Genius Sports. He also discussed the league’s coordination with its nine members clubs in the gambling space, which includes the highly-competitive sports betting and igaming market in Ontario, and a monopoly of sorts for provincial lottery and gaming corporations across the rest of the true north, strong and free.

 

Nathalie Bergeron, the spokeswoman for the Quebec Online Gaming Coalition, was also our guest and provided an update on the group’s efforts to persuade elected officials in La Belle Province to bring in a regulated industry.


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25 May 2022theScore Bet and PointsBet Canada take a deep dive into the launch of Ontario’s online sports betting market01:02:48

Spotlight Sports Group hosted a conversation with industry experts in May 2022 to discuss the early weeks of Ontario's online sports betting business. The panel included Rick Wolf from Spotlight Sports Group, Nic Sulsky from PointsBet Canada, and Aubrey Levy from theScore Bet. They covered various aspects, including market opening, customer acquisition and retention strategies, popular betting trends, and the role of partnerships. Here are some key insights from their discussion.

The market opening of Ontario's online sports betting business has been deemed successful by industry stakeholders. Operators, regulators, and vendors are pleased with the progress so far. However, the market is still in its early stages, and there are ongoing efforts to interpret and comply with the rules and regulations.

Creating a sense of belonging within a sports ecosystem is crucial for attracting and retaining customers. This involves engaging users through activities like fantasy sports and betting, allowing them to develop a stronger connection to the games and players. To succeed in the highly competitive Ontario market, operators need to deliver a top-grade product and offer unique differentiators that set them apart. Building a strong brand identity is also essential for long-term success.

While marketing strategies can drive initial interest, the panelists emphasized the importance of focusing on product excellence to win in the online sports betting space. Providing exceptional user experiences and innovative features will help operators stand out from their competitors.

Ontario's sports fans have shown a predictable preference for betting on the province's teams, particularly the Leafs, Raptors, and Blue Jays. Basketball has gained significant popularity, and live, in-play bets are prevalent. Baseball and tennis are also seeing increased interest. As the football season approaches, the panelists are curious to see how the market dynamics might change.

Partnerships with prominent sports organizations are instrumental in building trust, integrity, and excitement around betting brands. Collaborating with organizations like the Blue Jays and Golf Canada allows operators to leverage existing fan bases and engage in joint initiatives to enhance brand awareness and customer loyalty. These partnerships go beyond financial transactions and provide opportunities for learning, education, innovation, and brand activation.

In conclusion, Ontario's new online sports betting business has shown promising results in its early weeks. To thrive in this competitive market, operators must focus on product excellence, brand building, and strategic partnerships. By understanding customer preferences and delivering outstanding user experiences, operators can position themselves for long-term success in Ontario's online sports betting industry.


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12 Jul 2023A chin wag with Responsible Gambling Council and Play Anywhere leaders01:00:32

The Toronto-based Responsible Gambling Council has released its 2022-23 Annual Report, so Shelley White returned to the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. The RGC’s CEO addressed the highlights of the latest report, including the council’s work in Ontario’s new regulated sports betting and gaming industry, the importance of continuing to evolve when it comes to education around gambling responsibly, and what lies ahead for the organization and its work with various stakeholders.

 

Peter Scott, the former Turner Sports and Warner Media executive who joined Play Anywhere in April as chief strategy officer, made his maiden appearance on the GNCS to talk about his journey in the media industry, beginning with CNN and then moving into sports and digital media. Scott explained Play Anywhere’s role in assisting sports bodies such as La Liga – the Spanish soccer league – with interactive media, the opportunities in the space to bring together sports media, sports data, sports betting, and more. And he also delivered his thoughts on the potential uses of artificial intelligence in the sports, entertainment and media worlds.


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19 Jul 2023iGaming Ontario dishes on new report, and FanDuel Canada tees up FIFA Women’s World Cup01:00:16

iGaming Ontario released its first-quarter 2023-24 performance marketing report today, and chief of staff Mitch Davidson provided his perspective on another solid three months for a sports betting and gaming industry that’s now almost 16 months old. Davidson also provided his thoughts on where Ontario sits within the North American gaming industry, and what’s next for the provincial body.

 

Alannah Della Vedova, the brand director for FanDuel Canada, gave us some of the goods on the sportsbook’s plans for the FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament which starts Thursday in Australia and New Zealand. Della Vedova also discussed FanDuel’s commitment to women’s sports, and how the operator will collaborate with TSN on the network’s World Cup coverage.

 

Finally, SBC Americas editor Jessica Welman joined us for a round-the-horn conversation on the latest news from the U.S. gambling industry, including Ohio’s plans to double its tax rate on legal sports betting operators, the possibility of sports wagering coming to Florida in the near future, and the latest developments from the new marketplace in Massachusetts.


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27 Jul 2023Conversations with head honchos of Rivalry and SIGA00:44:01

While the sports betting and igaming industry in Ontario continues to wait for word from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario on expected revisions to advertising standards, Rivalry co-founder and CEO Steven Salz provided some details on the Toronto company's submission of feedback to the AGCO's original proposal back in April and his concerns about it. Salz also discussed a busy time of year for Rivalry with a robust esports calendar, and what's on tap for the fall.

Zane Hansen, the president and CEO of the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA), explained the reasons for the authority's record-setting fiscal year in 2022-23 in coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic and launching its online gaming product (PlayNow.com) in collaboration with the British Columbia Lottery Corportation. Hansen also weighed in on Bill S-268, brought forward in the Senate last month by Senator Scott Tannas to amend the Criminal Code of Canada "to provide that the governing body of a First Nation has exclusive authority to conduct and manage a lottery scheme on its reserve and to license the conduct and management of a lottery scheme by other persons and entities on its reserve", and on possible expansion of regulated sports betting and igaming in Canada beyond Ontario in the future.


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03 Aug 2023Of daily fantasy sports, sports betting and the growth of women in gaming00:47:21

This week, we caught up with Dustin Gouker, the former Catena Media executive and long-time industry watcher who's now the author of The Closing Line blog. Gouker walked us through the controversy involving daily fantasy sports operators as both PrizePicks and Underdog Fantasy have been ordered to stop operating in Wyoming's regulated sports betting market, and the owners of Betr have launched a DFS product.

Friends of GNC - and SBC execs - Sue Schneider and Nicole Fields also joined the podcast to discuss their participation in a gathering last month in Las Vegas of women who work in the gambling industry. While both Schneider and Fields agree significant progress has been made in expanding executive-suite opportunities for women, they also agree there's still work to be done.


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09 Aug 2023Ex-DraftKings and PokerStars exec weighs in on Penn-ESPN deal, the dilio in Ontario, and more00:41:42

Jeffrey Haas’s professional life started as a journalist at the Toronto Sun in 1994, but 10 years later it took a sharp detour into the business of online poker. Since then, the Toronto native has held leadership positions with Bwin, the Asia Pacific Poker Tour, PokerStars, DraftKings, and most recently with CoinSmart and Atomic Hub.

The gambling industry veteran – and current free agent – joined the Gaming News Canada Show for a one-on-one interview. The conversation included a deep dive into this week’s alliance between Penn and ESPN, which is getting into the sportsbook game, Penn’s hefty investments in both the ESPN deal and its acquisition of theScore, along with the challenge ESPN BET faces in competing with the major players in the U.S., online sports betting game. Haas also offered a few thoughts on the potential impact of the Penn/ESPN partnership on the Canadian sports betting and media landscape. 

Haas also spoke about his involvement in online gambling across our home and native land, the creation of Ontario’s regulated market, and the positive impact it’s had on OLG’s online gaming operations (he also cited the missed opportunity by other provinces across the country to follow Ontario’s lead). 

Our interview with Haas concluded with him discussing his current involvement with a Danish venture capital firm, and what excites him about the future of gaming.


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18 Aug 2023Ontario gambling industry trio set the table for a busy fall00:43:47

The start of the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto this weekend presents the annual reality check that summer’s end is just around the corner.

 

With an eye towards post-Labour Day weekend, and also looking back at a summer that’s been anything but dormant in the North American sports betting and igaming industry, we brought back our usual Gaming News Canada Show regulars to join us for a past-present-near future episode of the podcast. Kindred Group’s Canadian lead Amanda Brewer, PointsBet Canada CCO Nic Sulsky and Kaizen Gaming’s Canadian grand poobah Kris Abbott weighed in on an array of happenings and issues from the past couple of months, and also provided their insight into what’s coming in what’s expected to be a very active fall for operators.


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23 Aug 2023Behind the Bets: Harley Redlick's insider perspectives00:30:02

It’s been a while since we last picked the brain of long-time sports betting consultant, sports bettor and the man behind the @SharpEdgePicks account on Twitter/X. 

 

So, with the end of August very near, Redlick joined us this week for a rapid round of sorts on a number of topics – including his thoughts on the wins and losses from the first 18 months of regulated sports betting in Ontario and the products provided by operators in a highly competitive marketplace. We also asked his opinion on last week’s partnership announcement between Woodbine Entertainment and bet365, and the challenges both Penn and ESPN face in their new alliance.

 

Also, we started the podcast by asking Redlick for some advice on the rest of the Major League Baseball season, and the Toronto Blue Jays, and some helpful hints for bettors heading into the NFL regular season.


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30 Aug 2023Ontario operators can now move ahead with release of AGCO rule changes00:59:57

The latest episode of the Gaming News Canada Show podcast presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP is focused on Tuesday’s announcement by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario with amended standards for marketing and advertising by sports betting and igaming operators in the province.

 

Canadian Gaming Association grand poobah Paul Burns, PointsBet Canada executive Nic Sulsky, and Betano’s Canadian country manager Kris Abbott provided their respective takes on the news, and what the rule changes mean for the industry as it heads into the busy fall sports schedule.

 

Burns also spoke with us about a recent Toronto Star column around competition manipulation in sport, and concerns that a match-fixing scandal in Canadian sport is just around the corner.


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08 Sep 2023Ontario operators seeking clarity from AGCO on new standards00:59:32

The Gaming News Canada Show presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP returned from summer break to our live recordings on LinkedIn Audio this week.

Amanda Brewer, the Canadian country manager for Kindred Group, and Sports Interaction head of trading operations Phill Gray discussed the amended standards around sports betting advertising introduced last week by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, including a request from the Canadian Gaming Association to sit down with the AGCO and find clarity to some of the changes. Dr. Michael Naraine from Brock University joined the show to call once again for industry stakeholders to participate in putting together data to determine the impact of celebrity appearances in advertising and marketing campaigns on Ontarians placing wagers.

Brewer also weighed in on a summer of changes with leadership at the board level with both the AGCO and iGaming Ontario, and the hiring of Dr. Karin Schnarr to replace Tom Mungham as AGCO’s CEO and registrar. The show finished with a segment featuring Gray on the start of the NFL regular season and some advice for bettors.


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14 Sep 2023Canadian Gaming Association head looks forward, and GeoComply looks into NFL Week 101:00:57

Paul Burns, the president and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association joined the latest episode of the Gaming News Canada Show some 24 hours after giving the latest update to the association’s growing membership. Not surprisingly, some of the conversation during the CGA’s virtual call involved the proposed standards to advertising in the gaming industry by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. Burns, who’ll be part of a discussion on regulated gaming in our home and native land beyond Ontario at next week’s SBC Summit Barcelona, also answered our questions on the leadership changes at the AGCO over the past two months.

 

John Pappas, GeoComply’s senior VP of government and public affairs, made his return to the show to shine a brighter light on GeoComply’s NFL Week 1 report, which included a 56-per-cent rise in betting transactions from a year ago. Pappas also provided an update on efforts by U.S. states to join the 30-something states with legal sports betting.

 

Amanda Brewer, the Canadian country manager for Kindred Group, and her LeoVegas counterpart Jacob Hargaden-Llewellin also lent their voices to the conversation on the latest news in the Canadian sports betting and gaming world.


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24 Sep 2023(When) will PWHL have a betting partner, and what's the fallout from BioSteel's financial follies?00:40:49

The new episode of the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP brought together host Steve McAllister with Parleh Media Group co-founders Mark Silver and Gavin Roth to discuss matters of the sports business sort.

Both Roth, who has put his stamps on so many partnership and sponsorship deals for some of Canada's largest sports organizations, expanded on his comments in the Sept. 14 edition of the Gaming News Canada newsletter presented by GeoComply, that the fledgling Professional Women's Hockey League provides an opportunity that goes beyond customer acquisition in regulated sports betting and gaming markets in Ontario, New York and Massachusetts.

Silver and Roth also addressed the recent news that sport drink company BioSteel, currently owned by Canopy Growth, is seeking creditor protection - and a new buyer. 


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26 Sep 2023Conor Murray on latest FanDuel/TSN collaboration, and Nic Sulsky tees up PointsBet Invitational00:33:48

The exclusive partnership between FanDuel and TSN, which started in the early days of Ontario’s regulated sports betting and gaming marketplace, had been touted for the sharing of information between the trading team at FD and the production folks in the network’s newsroom. Back in August, the partners unveiled an enhanced feature on the TSN website that further showcased the integration of content and product.

 

Conor Murray, FanDuel’s vice president of marketing, joined the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP to discuss the continued collaboration around mobile product innovation and story-telling. Murray’s appearance happened just days before Genius Sports announced the launch of its BetVision platform which includes providing sportsbooks with live video of NFL games (Sam McQuillan of Legal Sports Report had first dibs on this story last week with his piece on Fanatics using the Genius platform to stream NFL games in its sportsbook app).

 

PointsBet Canada’s chief commercial officer, Nic Sulsky, returned to the show on the eve of the second annual PointsBet Invitational. The single-knockout men’s and women’s curling event begins Friday night at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville, Ontario, and PointsBet is once again hosting a $1 million bracket challenge. Sulsky spoke with us about the progress that’s taken place in PointsBet’s partnership with Curling Canada and the opportunity that an Ontario-based PBI presents for the operator this year.


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06 Oct 2023Tales of G2E ’23 and the SBC’s The Ontario Frontier documentary00:48:30

SBC News has dipped its toes into the documentary waters for the first time, releasing this week The Ontario Frontier: Exploring the iGaming Landscape to tell the story of the province’s regulated sports betting and igaming industry which was launched in April 2022. James Ross, SBC’s multimedia journalist, and senior journalist Charlie Horner joined us on the morning before the unveiling of the documentary to give Gaming News Canada the motivation for telling the Ontario story in long-form video, and how it all came together.

 

Gaming Association vice president Maureen Beddis walked us through the plans for the 2023 Global Gaming Expo, which begins Monday at The Venetian in Las Vegas. Beddis provided a preview of the education sessions scheduled for next week along with flagging some of the conference’s new elements, and delivering some helpful hints for first-time G2E attendees.


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09 Oct 2023What’s news this fall in the Ontario gambling biz, and a request for transparency00:57:44

Amanda Brewer, the Canadian country manager for Kindred Group, and Canadian gambling industry veteran Kris Abbott rejoined the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP for a rapid-fire edition.

 

The hour of information, insight and discussion from the panel included some thoughts on the start of the NHL regular season this week and what impact, if any, the changes to sports betting advertising standards by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario will have on Sportsnet and the league’s other broadcast partners. Both Brewer and Abbott were also asked about the comments by NHL business development executive Kyle McMann about the league’s sports betting partnerships and strategy during a pre-season business-of-the-NHL webinar hosted by Sports Business Journal.

 

A segment on the current state of the Ontario sports betting and igaming industry also brought up the cone of silence by the province’s conservative government when it comes to tax revenue created by the 40something operators. 

 

Finally, we teed up this week’s Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas with some advice for first-time attendees along with shining a light on Monday’s panel on what’s happening in Ontario and the rest of Canada with Brewer, new AGCO CEO/registrar Dr. Karin Schnarr, iGaming Ontario executive director Martha Otton, PointsBet’s compliance chief Chantal Cipriano, and Responsible Gambling Council boss Shelley White.


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23 Oct 2023Dave Pridmore on OLG’s 2022-23 annual report and more, and drawing the curtain on G2E '2300:57:52

The 2022-23 annual report for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) was released last week. Chief gaming officer Dave Pridmore appeared on the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP to discuss the lottery corp’s advancements in its digital gaming business, continued growth with its ProLine product both online and on the retail side, investment in responsible gambling initiatives, and more.

 

Regular GNCS contributors Amanda Brewer, the Canadian country manager for Kindred Group, and Kris Abbott were back from Las Vegas and provided their thoughts on a Global Gaming Expo that continues to evolve with the expansion of legal online sports betting and igaming in the U.S. Brewer and Abbott also delved into iGaming Ontario’s market performance report for the July-September quarter.


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26 Oct 2023Sports Interaction debuts live watch and bet broadcast00:17:05

The fall has been a rather busy one for the folks at Sports Interaction, the Canadian-based online sportsbook and igaming operating which Entain acquired from Avid Gaming back in February 2022. A new website was unveiled in September, a marketing campaign lampooned Americans’ hockey knowledge, and SIA got on board Hockey Night in Canada as the leading sportsbook partner for the iconic national TV franchise.

 

The latest activation, as they say in marketing/branding/content parlance is The Locker Room, a live watch party that will debut this evening on the Sports Interaction app and website during the NFL Thursday nighter between the Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Michael Zitney, the former branded content mastermind for Sportsnet and these days the head of brand and content for Sports Interaction, joined the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, to talk about what the sportsbook is calling the first-of-its-kind Canadian integration of a live broadcast experience into its digital products.

 

Zitney, who had a bird’s-eye view of the efforts by Sportsnet to fit sports betting information and branding into HNIC last season, discussed the lessons learned from attempting to strike a balance that engages hockey fans who bet, and doesn’t annoy fans who don’t.


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30 Oct 2023The art of AI in the gaming space, and PointsBet Canada pursues profitability00:59:56

On the latest Gaming News Canada Show podcast presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Epoxy.ai founder and president Jason Angelides discussed his career in engaging sports fans, and the opportunities for the sports betting and gaming industry to exploit artificial intelligence.

Nic Sulsky, the chief commercial officer of PointsBet Canada, returned to the podcast to answer our questions about the comments from PointsBet CEO Sam Swanell that the company predicts profitability for its Canadian business in 2025. Sulsky also commented on the hiring last week of gambling industry veteran Brooke Hilton as head of casino.

Sulsky, regular contributor Kris Abbott and sports marketing agent Brant Feldman, who represents Olympic and Paralympic athletes in both Canada and the U.S., discussed the challenges and opportunities for sportsbook operators around women’s sports, including the Professional Women’s Hockey League which launches in January.


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06 Nov 2023Shane Pinto's NHL suspension reflects urgency for sports betting education00:50:25

Mark Silver traded places with Steve McAllister in the host’s chair for the latest episode of the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, and led a conversation on the NHL’s 41-game suspension of Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto.

 

Silver welcomed Jean-Francois Raymond, a former European pro basketball player and current education ambassador for the International Betting Integrity Association, who spoke about IBIA’s global efforts on monitoring integrity in sport and providing athletes and other participants in sport with information on competition manipulation. 

 

Amanda Brewer and Phill Gray lent their voices to the discussion and also addressed their recent departures from Kindred Group and Sports Interaction, respectively. Brewer provided her perspective on the slow push for regulated online sports betting and gaming in Alberta, as reported on in Thursday’s Gaming News Canada newsletter. Gray addressed his departure from Sports Interaction after two decades as the head of trading operations for the Canadian sportsbook. 


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13 Nov 2023The AGCO opens a dialogue on the forthcoming athlete and celebrity advertising ban00:57:02

As first reported in the latest newsletter by Gaming News Canada, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission began last week meeting with sports betting operators and other stakeholders in the province’s regulated gambling industry about its proposal to ban athletes and celebrities from advertising for the protection of minors. Paul Burns, the president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Gaming Association, returned to the GNC Show podcast presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP to answer questions about the CGA’s get-together with AGCO deputy COO Brent McCurdy and other commission members. Parleh Media Group CEO Mark Silver, GNCS regular contributor Amanda Brewer and Phill Gray joined the conversation to provide their thoughts on a renewed spirit of collaboration by the AGCO to find common ground with the industry on advertising and marketing standards.

Eric Herd, the founder/CEO of A2Z Ventures, and Silver weighed in on the acquisition of Canadian digital sports media company Playmaker Capital by global digital sports media business Better Collective and the opportunities for BC via Playmaker’s operations in Latin America and Canada.

Brewer and the show’s host, Steve McAllister, teed up their third straight appearance at this week’s Prime Time Sports Management Conference & Trade Show, where they will be joined by BetMGM’s Scott Woodgate and Nic Sulsky of PointsBet Canada for a panel on the state of the Canadian gambling industry. 

Finally, Gray – the recently departed head trader for Sports Interaction – gave his perspective on the sports betting action during the first half of the NFL regular season, including the Taylor Swift bump.


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20 Nov 2023ESPN Bets Takes Flight with a Bang00:59:57

The hoopla in advance of last week’s launch of ESPN Bets was well-founded, as the Worldwide Leader’s sportsbook – in collaboration with Penn Entertainment – was No. 1 in app downloads including more than 670,000 in the first 24 hours.

 

SBC Americas journalist Jessica Welman made her return to the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP to speak about the reaction to ESPN Bet’s debut in 17 U.S. states. She also provided some insight into the latest happenings around the push for legal sports betting in California, Texas, Florida and North Carolina.

 

A panel on the final day of the PrimeTime Sports Management Conference & Trade Show included an at-times tense exchange with long-time NHL executive Brian Burke and University of Oregon sports management consultant Mark Francis. Canadian Gaming Association senior advisor Amanda Brewer and PointsBet Canada CCO Nic Sulsky, who were joined on the panel by BetMGM VP Scott Woodgate, provided some additional thoughts on the conversation with Burke and Francis. They also teed up next month’s Promoting Player Health and Wellbeing symposium being organized by the CGA.

 

Gray also lent his experience and expertise to discussion around the steps taken by the sports betting and gaming industry to not allow minors to gamble, and the protocols in place when it comes to athletes accessing sportsbook accounts. The former Sports Interaction head of trading operations also offered some advice around the 110th Grey Cup between the Montreal Alouettes and Winnipeg Blue Bombers (and he was right).


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26 Nov 2023Gaming industry insider deems proposed national sports betting advertising framework a non-starter00:57:25

The day after a webcast hosted by Senator Marty Deacon to discuss her push for a national framework around sports betting advertising, a long-time lobbyist and regulatory advisor for the gambling industry said passing Bill S-269 is of the longshot variety.

 

Troy Ross, the president of TRM Public Affairs, appeared on the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP to explain the challenges of putting restrictions on place on advertising. Joining the conversation were Amanda Brewer of the Canadian Gaming Association, GeoComply senior executive Lindsay Slader, Parleh Media Group CEO Mark Silver, and Phill Gray, the former head of trading operations for Sports Interaction.

 

Slader appeared on the show to talk about the opening of GeoComply’s new offices in Toronto, the company’s role in Ontario’s regulated online sports betting and gaming industry, and its advocating regulation in other parts of Canada.


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04 Dec 2023Legalized betting roots out integrity and criminality issues: U.S. Integrity chief01:04:11

Matthew Holt, the co-founder and chief executive officer of U.S. Integrity, made his maiden appearance on the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP. Holt delved into a busy past two-plus years for the company in providing integrity monitoring services to professional sports leagues, and U.S. college sports conferences and athletic departments, along with importance of regulated sports betting in identifying integrity and criminality problems. Holt also discussed his company’s partnership with Odds On Compliance to create Prohibet, an integrity and compliance product. 

 

Joining Holt was Sebastian Jedrzejewski, who just left his senior policy advisor position with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario to come on board U.S. Integrity as director of regulatory affairs. Both Jedrzejewski and his new boss discussed the opportunities for the company in Ontario’s regulated marketplace along with the work U.S. Integrity and other organizations like the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport is doing around educating athletes about sports betting and match manipulation. PointsBet Canada executive Nic Sulsky, who sits with Holt on the board of directors for the Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association, also participated in the segment with the U.S. Integrity folks.

 

Regular contributors Amanda Brewer, Kris Abbott and Phill Gray all weighed in on last week’s announcement by Kindred Group to pull its business out of Ontario and U.S. states where it has been operating. The trio also discussed the challenges for European-based operators coming into Ontario.


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11 Dec 2023Canadian Gaming Association leader takes umbrage with concerns by Ontario’s interim Auditor General00:59:22

Paul Burns, the president and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association, was one of two special guests on the latest Gaming News Canada Show podcast presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. Burns answered our questions on CGA’s symposium and annual general meeting last week in Toronto, which brought together almost 90 industry types to discuss player health and wellbeing, and advertising standards while receiving a presentation from Ipsos Research into Ontario’s regulated sports betting and igaming industry. The association’s head honcho also gave his reaction to legal concerns expressed by the interim Auditor General of Ontario about the province’s competitive market. 

  

Quebec Online Gaming Coalition spokesperson Nathalie Bergeron joined the show to talk about the results of the latest survey commissioned by the coalition on the appetite for a regulated gambling industry in La Belle Province. 

 

Regular guests Amanda Brewer, Kris Abbott and Phil Gray all lent their expertise and experience to the topics of the week.


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16 Dec 2023Being more responsible about betting: Navigating the RG landscape in North America00:57:47

On the year’s final Gaming News Canada Show presented by Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP, U.S. gaming analyst and journalist Steve Ruddock joined Amanda Brewer and Phill Gray for a conversation on efforts to make responsible gambling more accessible to sports bettors and online casino/poker plays in Canada and the United States. Sports management professor Dr. Michael Naraine from Brock University hopped on the podcast to reiterate the need for independent research on RG in Ontario’s regulated industry.

Ruddock, the man behind the Straight to the Point newsletter, also discussed the challenges operators face with the uniqueness of new regulated markets across the U.S. We also asked him for his thoughts on the first month of ESPN Bet being in business south of the border.

Finally, Brewer and Gray pontificated on the biggest stories on the business of Canadian gambling over the past 12 months.


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08 Jan 2024Thoughts and forecasts for the Canadian sports betting and gaming landscape in 202401:02:51

On the return of the Gaming News Canada Show podcast, Amanda Brewer and Kris Abbott weighed in on the issues to watch over the next 12 months. Those include the expected shrinking of Ontario’s regulated online sports betting and gaming industry, the odds of other provinces’s following Ontario’s lead in creating a competitive marketplace, and the finalizing of changes to the standards for advertising and marketing by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. 

 

The two industry experts also provided their thoughts on the need for more education around the benefits of regulated gambling jurisdictions, what should be the priorities for iGaming Ontario this year, and continued the conversation on responsible gambling initiatives and messaging. Finally, we asked Brewer and Abbott to gaze into their respective crystal balls and make a prediction for 2024.


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15 Jan 2024Free-to-play’s place in the gambling industry, and Keith Pelley is MLSE's new head honcho00:46:09

Josh Turk, the chief strategy officer for Low6, was our guest on the Gaming News Canada Show and spoke about the free-to-play gaming business’s partnership with the National Hockey League, including the creation of the NHL All-Star Vote website, and online sportsbooks. Turk also answered our questions about the role of free-to-play in the evolving business of sports wagering and online gaming with regards to customer acquisition and retention.

Parleh Media Group founder and CEO Mark Silver also joined your humble host and gambling industry insiders Amanda Brewer and Kris Abbott for a conversation on the hiring of Keith Pelley as the new president and chief executive of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. Pelley is leaving his head honcho position with the DP World Tour to return to Canada and accept one of the plum gigs in the business of sports world.


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22 Jan 2024iGaming Ontario’s chief of staff delivers good news while Barstool Sports and Action Network CEOs exit00:56:08

In case you missed it, private sports betting and igaming operators delivered record results for iGaming Ontario’s latest market performance report. iGO chief of staff Mitch Davidson appeared on the Gaming News Canada Show to provide details on the double-digit quarterly increases in total wagers and gross gaming revenue for the October-December period. Davidson also answered our questions about what’s top of mind for the government subsidiary in 2024. Regular contributors Amanda Brewer and Phill Gary also lent their respective perspectives on the latest results.

 

A2Z Ventures founder Eric Herd and Parleh Media Group CEO Mark Silver got into a busy week of CEO shuffling across the sports betting/media industry, highlighted by the departure of Erika Ayers Badans from Barstool Sports and the news that Patrick Keane is stepping down as the chief executive officer of the Action Network more than two years after the sports betting content company was acquired by Better Collective. Herd and Silver also discussed the potential purchase of bankruptcy-bound Diamond Sports Group by Amazon.

 

Finally, the aforementioned Gray had a few suggestions for football fans around the NFL playoffs’ divisional round this past weekend.


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11 Feb 2024CBC Marketplace episode faces flak from gambling industry experts00:59:05

The controversy over the amount of advertising by regulated sports betting and gaming operators in Ontario has continued in the first month of 2024. CBC Marketplace enlisted the help of researchers at the University of Bristol in England to track gambling advertising on seven broadcasts of sporting events and with that research finding “gambling messages fill up to 21 per cent of each broadcast, on average”. Last week, Sean Previl of Global News reported on a push from some corners for a ban on gambling advertising across Canada.

 

Paul Burns, the president and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association, appeared on the latest Gaming News Canada podcast and expressed his concern with some of the reporting done in the Marketplace piece. Jessica Welman, the editor-in-chief of SBC Americas, questioned the methodology used by the University of Bristol in its findings while industry veteran Amanda Brewer also weighed in on the Marketplace feature.

 

Burns, Brewer, Welman and Sebastian Jedrzejewski from U.S. Integrity also participated in a discussion on the leading up to new standards from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario on advertising taking effect at the end of February. Finally, sports trading vet Phill Gray offered a couple of thoughts on Sunday’s NFL conference championship games.


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05 Feb 2024The business of betting and gaming enters February with a bang00:57:05
The departure of the Levy clan from Penn, a robust Q2 for PointsBet Canada, the acquisition of Canadian company Quarter4 by FairPlay Sports Media, and looking ahead to ICE headline a busy week.

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11 Feb 2024The 411 on Alberta's regulated gambling regime, ICE was nice, and setting up Super Bowl LVIII00:59:59

Canadian Gaming Association president/CEO Paul Burns joined the Gaming News Canada Show podcast from London the final day of the ICE conference. Burns offered his perspective on the appearance of Alberta minister Dale Nally at the UK rendezvous of the gambling industry, and what it means for a regulated business coming to the western Canadian province. Burns also summarized the activity Canadian style from ICE, which moves to Barcelona in 2025, and about a Canadian roundtable which included Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey and iGaming Ontario executive director Martha Otton. Phill Gray also spoke about his week in jolly olde England.

 

Alannah Della Vedova, the director of content activation and brand for FanDuel, returned to the pod and discussed the operator’s partnership with Bell Media ahead of Super Bowl LVIII, Taylor Swift and the popularity of novelty bets for the NFL championship game. Gray and Kris Abbott later joined in for some sports wagering talk about the Chiefs-Niners tilt.


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20 Feb 2024The search for responsible gaming continues in Ontario00:57:51

The latest Gaming News Canada dispatch, Thursday edition, dedicated a significant amount of wordage to recent reporting on problem gambling, especially among young adults.

So, the latest Gaming News Canada Show went down the same road with the help of Phill Gray, Kris Abbott and Brock University sports management professor Dr. Michael Naraine, who’s been a frequently loud voice for the provincial government - and the operators in Ontario’s regulated gambling industry - to make funding available for research into a market that will be two years old on April 4th. The conversation also referenced the soon-to-come changes imposed by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission on Ontario for advertising and marketing campaigns.

Nathalie Bergeron, the spokesperson for the Quebec Online Gaming Coalition, also made her return to show and responded to reporting by a Sherbrooke news outlet last week that the provincial government in La Belle Province has no intentions to follow Ontario and open up a regulated marketplace. Gray, who has called Quebec home for almost 25 years, provided his thoughts on the issue.

The coalition also recently submitted a pre-budget brief to the province to once again make the case for an expanded legal industry, and Bergeron weighed on that report.


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27 Feb 2024Gaming inside the Ontario Court of Justice00:57:47

On the latest edition of the Gaming News Canada Show, regular guests Amanda Brewer, Kris Abbott and Phill Gray were joined by Covers gambling industry beat writer Geoff Zochodne for a rather robust roundtable.

Zochodne provided his thoughts and layers on spending two days inside an Ontario Superior Court of Justice courtroom last week to listen to lawyers for iGaming Ontario and the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke lay out facts and arguments in the council’s civil proceedings against Ontario’s regulated sports betting and igaming industry. Gray, Abbott and Brewer added their perspective on the case, in which Judge Lisa Brownstone is expected to submit a ruling before summer. 

With the changes to the AGCO’s standards around advertising and marketing taking effect tomorrow, the panel discussed the transition by Ontario’s licensed operators to the new regulations around the use of athletes and celebrities, and the continuing presence of .net operations pitching their products on television networks. 

The announcement by Unibet last week that it will officially leave the Ontario market on March 26 sparked a conversation on the likelihood of other licensed operators vacating the province before Year 3 of regulated sports betting and igaming begins in early April. That conversation prompted Brewer to point out that smaller operators are leaning into the Canadian grey market to support their Ontario businesses.

Finally, there was reaction from Abbott, Brewer, Gray and Zochodne to the American Gaming Association releasing a third straight year of record numbers for regulated gambling across the U.S. of A.  


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05 Mar 2024It's Alberta's turn to open00:56:20

On the latest episode of the Gaming News Canada Show podcast, regulated gambling industry veteran Troy Ross of TRM Public Affairs offered his thoughts on the path to a competitive digital gaming marketplace in Alberta. Ross was among the folks with whom Dale Nally, the Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, met during last month’s ICE conference in London, and a new online gaming regime was mentioned in the provincial government’s budget presentation last week. Ross was joined by regular contributors Kris Abbott, Amanda Brewer and Phil Gray for a roundtable discussion on the odds of British Columbia and Quebec also following the Ontario road to regulation.

The GNCS panel also had a chin wag about the shifting advertising and marketing strategies of licensed operators in Ontario coinciding with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario’s new rules to restrict the use of athletes in paid advertising. Mark Silver, the head honcho of Parleh Media Group – proprietors of Gaming News Canada and Homestand Sports – addressed the already-existing change in direction by operators in promoting their sportsbook and igaming products.

Finally, Brewer, Ross, Gray and Abbott provided some bon mots for Silver and Gaming News Canada editor-in-chief Steve McAllister on the news that GNC is shifting to primarily a podcast format. 

If you’d like to be a guest on the podcast, please let us know by emailing steve@gamingnewscanada.ca.


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07 Mar 2024SharpRank’s evolving journey through the North American sports betting business00:45:00

Chris Adams has been a passenger on the fast-moving train of regulated gambling in the U.S. since the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. The founder and CEO of Baltimore-based SharpRank is our guest on the latest episode of the Gaming News Canada Show to talk about his journey from auditor to investment banking, to enrolling in business school, and to hearing the radio commercial that steered him to the sports wagering industry.

Adams spoke about the evolution of SharpRank’s business since it shared first-prize honours with Parleh Media Group at the SBC First Pitch competition in December 2021. A company which originally focused on the merging of content, influencers and sportsbooks to protect the marketplace, SharpRank has since emerged as a respected voice among legislators and regulators, including the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

Adams explains the similarities between investing and betting, the blurry lines that can occur when it comes to information being provided to sports bettors, and the challenges operators face in dealing with different legislation and regulation in provinces and states across North America. We also asked him about SharpRanks’ plans for the remainder of 2024.

If you’d like to be a guest on the podcast, please let us know by emailing steve@gamingnewscanada.ca.


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11 Mar 2024Sportradar on match-fixing and AI00:48:45

During Andreas Krannich’s tenure working in the Bundesliga – Germany’s top soccer league – two decades ago, sports wagering was pretty much limited to pre-match betting. With apologies to Bob Dylan, the times they have a changed with the boom around in-play and microbetting.

 

What hasn’t changed is the potential for the manipulation of matches, and efforts by sports leagues and organizations to provide a product where integrity of competition is front and centre. Krannich is one of the good guys trying to protect that integrity in his role as the Executive Vice President, Integrity, Rights Protection and Regulatory Services for Sportradar.

 

Krannich joined us from his Munich office on the latest episode of the Gaming News Canada Show, just days after Sportradar’s integrity services department released its Betting Corruption and Match-Fixing in 2023 report. Highlights of the report include the detection of 1,329 suspicious matches in 11 different sports across 105 countries, with soccer leading the way (880 cases). Europe had the highest number of suspicious matches with 667, up from 630 in 2022. North America, despite an increase to 35 suspicious matches in 2023 from 24 the previous year, continued to trail Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.

 

On the podcast, Krannich points to the diligence of North American sports leagues when it comes to monitoring suspicious betting activity. The Sportradar EVP also delves into the helping hand artificial intelligence has lent in tracking some 850,000 sporting events last year while acknowledging the ongoing need for human brainpower to complement AI in trying to prevent and detect risks to integrity in sport.

 

Krannich addresses his company’s work with organizations around the world, including the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, to educate athletes and other sport stakeholders on red flags around match fixing. And, he weighed in on the ongoing presence of organized crime in the world of sports. 


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23 Mar 2024On Shohei Ohtani, March Madness, Connor McDavid and the second anniversary of Ontario’s gambling industry00:57:05

Sports betting and gaming industry veterans Amanda Brewer, Kris Abbott and Phill Gray returned to the Gaming News Canada Show for a rapid-fire roundtable on what’s happening, starting with the news of a gambling connection to the firing of Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday.

The start of March Madness and the NCAA women’s and men’s basketball tournaments also sparked a discussion on the decision by sports betting regulators in some U.S. states to place a ban on prop wagers involving college athletes.

With the two-year anniversary of Ontario’s competitive sports wagering and igaming industry coming April 4th, the panel weighed in on the departure of Unibet and the due diligence being done by operators to enter the province’s regulated marketplace despite a crowded house of almost 50 operators plus OLG. Brewer also brought up the potential impact that a regulated industry in Alberta – along with the possibility of legal igaming coming to New York and other states – could have on Ontario. And our learned trio were also asked about the impact from the first month of the AGCO’s new standards around the use of athletes in advertising and marketing campaigns, including Connor McDavid’s responsible gambling message for BetMGM.


🎙️ Worth A Listen 

Our most popular Gaming News Canada shows from the past few months.

  • It's Alberta's turn to open - LISTEN
  • Gaming inside the Ontario Court of Justice - LISTEN
  • The search for RG continues in Ontario - LISTEN
  • Keith Pelley is MLSE's new head honcho, and free-to-play’s place in the gambling industry - LISTEN
  • Sportradar on match-fixing and AI - LISTEN

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26 Mar 2024Recommendations on the fight vs. match fixing in Canada00:47:30

Almost 10 months after holding a symposium on competition manipulation and gambling in sport, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport and McLaren Global Sport Solutions have co-authored a white paper with five recommendations to address match fixing.

 

McLaren senior vice-president Robert Copeland was our special guest on the latest episode of the Gaming News Canada Show to answer our questions about the white paper. Copeland addressed the challenges for the Canadian sport system to combat match fixing, including no mention of competition manipulation in the Criminal Code of Canada, and our home and native land so far not being a participant in the Macolin Convention

 

Copeland also got into the need for further education of athletes and other sport stakeholders around sports betting - especially in an Olympic year with the Summer Games coming to Paris- and the need for funding to support education and other programs. He also offered a couple of thoughts on the Shohei Ohtani controversy.


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28 Mar 2024Sports Interaction, Homestand Sports content and brand gurus discuss the integration of sports media and sports wagering00:43:31

Michael Zitney, the director of content and brand for Sports Interaction, and Kevin Kennedy – who holds the same title for Homestand – were our guests on the latest episode of the Gaming News Canada Show. Zitney and Kennedy discussed the Sports Interaction/Homestand partnership and the creation of The Locker Room – a live show available on the sportsbook’s app during the past NFL season and during other major sports events. Sports Interaction’s content/brand lead also answered our questions about the business’s integration into Hockey Night in Canada this NHL season and tailoring its advertising and marketing strategy around the new standards put into place by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario to restrict the use of athletes.

 

Kennedy spoke about the attraction – and evolution - of live events for sports fans post-COVID pandemic, and the ongoing efforts to inform and entertain fans and fans who wager on sporting events.


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01 Apr 2024Betty founder Justin Park on the journey to Ontario’s #1 igaming casino00:39:57

Fourteen years ago, Justin Park was an analyst with a pharmaceutical/biotech management consulting firm in New York. These days, Park is the chief executive officer of Betty, which launched 14 months ago its online casino and “casual mobile gaming” business in Ontario’s regulated igaming industry.

 

The startups veteran was our guest on the latest episode of the Gaming News Canada Show, joining us from the Big Apple. Park spoke about the creation of Betty, why Ontario is the company’s first foray into regulated igaming, its success so far competing against the big players in the province, his laser focus on the future opportunities in other Canadian provinces, and the focus on women as customers, and employees.

 

Park also provided some words of wisdom for startups in the gambling industry.


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03 Apr 2024Ontario’s robust gambling biz turns 2 amidst sports betting (and other) controversies01:06:52

The second anniversary of Ontario’s regulated sports betting and igaming industry lands April 4th, and in the midst of investigations involving MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani and Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors around sports betting. Meanwhile, the debate continues around gambling advertising, sportsbooks placing limits on bettors, and problem gambling.

 

Also, the state of New York just had its second most successful week in sports betting handle from legal operators since the launch of its regulated marketplace in January 2022. And the regulated sports betting business in North Carolina has launched with a bang riding the March Madness wave.

 

The latest episode of the Gaming News Canada Show brings together a media roundtable with SBC Americas editor-in-chief Jessica Welman, the managing editor of Catena Media’s Play Canada, Play Michigan and Play Pennsylvania websites, Dave Briggs, and Geoff Zochodne, the gambling industry beat writer for Covers.com. The trio of journalists joined Steve McAllister to discuss the good, bad and ugly that is the current state of gambling across North America.


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09 Apr 2024PointsBet Canada CEO weighs in on state of sports betting and igaming biz, and what’s next00:52:15

The regulated sports betting and igaming industry in Ontario recently turned the page on its second year of existence and begins Year 3 amidst gambling controversies involving the biggest star in Major League Baseball and a Toronto Raptors player, angst around sports betting advertising that won’t go away, concern on how serious stakeholders across the business of wagering and gaming are when it comes to problem gambling, and illegal operators still having a prominent place across North America.

 

Scott Vanderwel, the chief executive officer of PointsBet Canada, returned to the Gaming News Canada Show to discuss those topics, while also discussing the recent closing of the acquisition of PointsBet USA by Fanatics, PointsBet Canada’s newish partnership with Strive Gaming to enhance its online gaming offering, the impact of University of Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark on the business of sports betting, and the successes and lessons learned by operators, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and iGaming Ontario is a highly competitive marketplace.

 

Vanderwel was also joined by Nic Sulsky for a conversation on the breaking news this morning (Tuesday) that Sulsky is leaving his chief commercial officer position with PointsBet Canada to become a partner and CEO of the newly formed The Curling Group. Sportsnet announced this morning that The Curling Group will take over ownership and operations of the 12-year-old Grand Slam of Curling series. Sulsky told us the story of how The Curling Group was created, the opportunities for continuing to grow the sport globally, PointsBet Canada’s early . . . er. . . gamble on curling, and he also provided his thoughts on the industry he’s leaving.


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10 Apr 2024How Basketball Forever captivates the attention of hoops fans around the world00:41:21

In March, Basketball Forever announced the completion of a $4 million funding round led by Yolo Investments. Gambling industry veterans Paris Smith, Seth Young and Friends of Gaming News Canada Benjie Cherniak and Chris Grove were among the folks putting some dollars – and their faith in the digital sports media company. The successful round of fundraising, explained chief strategy officer Nick Kelland, was the result of pounding the pavement – including the halls of The Venetian during last fall’s Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas.

 

Kelland was our special guest on the latest episode of the Gaming News Canada Show to answer our enquiries about BF’s journey through the worlds of startups, social media, sports media/content, fantasy sports, free-to-play gaming, and sports wagering. Kelland also explained the company’s success in attracting millions of hoops aficionados from Down Under, in the U.S., Canada and other parts of the planet. And, of course, we asked about the Caitlin Clark effect on the growing popularity of women’s basketball with the betting public.


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17 Apr 2024Navigating the shifting responsible gaming landscape00:55:52

When Brianne Doura-Schawohl joined the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling in the fall of 2013, the overturning of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in the United States was five years away and amending the Criminal Code of Canada to pave the way for legal single-event sports betting was eight years away.

 

Since then, Doura-Schawohl has gone on to become a leading voice on responsible gambling and problem gambling in senior leadership roles with the National Council on Problem Gambling, and EPIC Risk Management. In her current role as CEO of Doura-Schawohl Consulting LLC, she’s working with stakeholders across the regulated gambling industry to address the growing concern around problem gambling.

 

On the latest episode of the Gaming News Canada Show, Doura-Schawohl discussed the impact that the fast-moving mobile/online gambling industry in the U.S. is having on people, the influence of gambling advertising and famous brand ambassadors on players, concerns about increased gambling activity among college students, the need for more research into problem gambling, and the responsibility that stakeholders across the industry have to make gambling safer.

 

Doura-Schawohl, who doesn't shy away from advocating for more tangible action on RG, also provided more than a few words of praise to RG efforts in Ontario and across the rest of Canada by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario – when creating the province’s regulated sports betting and igaming marketplace – the Responsible Gambling Council and BCLC with its GameSense self-exclusion program that is being used by operators in the U.S.


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18 Apr 2024Catching up with Canadian Gaming Association head honcho Paul Burns01:03:23

Some 24 hours before iGaming Ontario released its fourth-quarter and 2023-24 year-end market performance report, Canadian Gaming Association president and CEO Paul Burns made his return to the Gaming News Canada Show for somewhat of a rapid-round episode.

 

Burns provided a plethora of perspectives on a number of topics, including the two-year anniversary of regulated gambling in Ontari-ari-ari-o and what’s next, what may lie ahead for regulated sports betting and igaming in other Canadian provinces, the work that’s been done in our home and native land on responsible gambling, and the role that Canada plays internationally in the gambling space. We also asked Burns about preparations between the CGA and SBC for the annual Canadian Gaming Summit in Toronto, taking place June 18-20.

 

And, there was also some girls/women’s hockey talk as the CGA’s head honcho walks away from the bench after a lengthy coaching tenure in the Leaside Wildcats organization.


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23 Apr 2024Jontay Porter's NBA Ban: Valuable Lessons Learned01:10:22

Last week’s suspension of Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter by the NBA for violations of the league’s gambling policy poured more fuel on the fire on the relationships between professional sports leagues and sports betting companies operating in legal gambling jurisdictions across the United States and Canada.

Doug Smith, who’s been covering the Toronto Raptors since Day 1 for the Toronto Star, appeared on this episode of the Gaming News Canada Show with Legal Sports Report gambling biz journalist (and former NBA beat writer) Mike Mazzeo. Smith spoke about the conversations he’s had with Raptors players about the new world of online sports wagering, and the ties that bind leagues and betting operators while Mazzeo weighed in on the measures being taken by all stakeholders in the fight against match-fixing and other potential betting scandals in pro sports. 

Daniel Umfleet, the founder and CEO of Kindbridge Behavioral Health, then joined the show from Southampton, England to weigh in on the Porter ban. Kindbridge’s partners include NASCAR, Entain, BetMGM, DraftKings, U.S. Integrity and Sportradar, and Umfleet answered our questions about the roles companies in different sectors of the sports wagering landscape play in preventing situations such as Porter’s, and the pressures faced by today’s athletes – current, former and those who are trying to prepare for life after playing. He also got into the evolution of responsible gambling programs in the U.S., which traditionally have been based on bricks-and-mortar sportsbooks and casinos to deal with the still-newish world of online gambling.


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25 Apr 2024iGaming payments products continue to innovate00:38:48

As sports betting and gaming continue to evolve, along with almost everything else, in the digital space, so do the methods of payments for people placing a sports wager and/or playing online poker, casino and slots.

 

On this episode of the Gaming News Canada Show, Paysafe executive Greg Kirstein was our guest. Kirstein, who joined Paysafe in the summer of 2013 and is currently the general manager, iGaming for the company’s North American business, discussed the business’s work with the lottery and gaming corporations in Ontario and Quebec, and regulated operators in Ontari-ari-ari-o. He also got into the expanding inventory of online payment products.

 

And, of course, we asked the Montreal-based Kirstein about the potential for expanding regulated gambling into other provinces across our home and native land.


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30 Apr 2024Canadian Lottery Coalition executive on the role of crown corps in sports betting and gaming00:47:51

It was a homecoming of sorts when Will Hill joined the Canadian Lottery Coalition as its executive director. 

 

Hill, who spent 11 years with OLG, these days represents a collaboration of the Alberta Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, BCLC, Loto-Québec, the Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Corporation, and the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority. On the latest episode of the Gaming News Canada Show, he addressed the coalition’s advocacy for legal gambling across Canada and the work that’s been done in trying to limit gambling advertising by regulated operators in Ontario within the province’s borders. And, we asked him about the apparent road to regulation that’s happening in Alberta.

 

The former journalist and Toronto Blue Jays employee also teed up a panel discussion at the Canadian Gaming Summit in June which is scheduled to include crown corporation leaders Kandice Machado (AGLC), Pat Davis (BCLC), Patrick Daigle (ALC) and Jean-Francois Bergeron (Loto-Québec). Hill also provided some thoughts on the current state of the gambling industry in North America, including a decline in casino visitors in some U.S. states.


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02 May 2024SBC Summit North America & Canadian Gaming Summit highlight spring gambling conferences season00:38:34

Some 5,000 people working across various sectors of the sports wagering and gaming industry in the U.S., Canada and countries around the planet will gather inside at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, NJ, next week for the annual SBC Summit North America. It’s one of two major conferences organized this spring by SBC, which will co-host with the Canadian Gaming Association the June 18-20 Canadian Gaming Summit at the Metro Toronto Convention Center. 

 

Gambling industry veteran Sue Schneider, the VP of Growth and Strategy for SBC’s North American business, was our guest on this edition of the Gaming News Canada Show. Schneider, who was inducted into the Sports Betting Hall of Fame during the 2022 North America summit, teed up next week’s rendezvous in Secaucus, provided some helpful hints to first-time attendees and gave her perspective on the evolution of the SBC events, and the industry itself over a quarter of a century. We also asked what attendees of the Canadian Gaming Summit can expect next month in SBC’s second year of co-hosting the conference.

 

One of the most-passionate advocates for women working in the industry, Schneider also spoke about the progress that’s been made, including the creation of companies such as Ontario-regulated online gaming business Betty, and Betting Ladies, and the need to continue those efforts. She also weighed in on the current state of the gambling industry in the U.S.


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07 May 2024IC360 leaders Holt and Frank talk merger, integrity compliance, AI, and commitment to Canada00:28:24

The leadership group at U.S. Integrity and Odds On Compliance took its own version of the Nestea plunge last month when it announced the merger of the two companies under a new brand, IC360.

 

Matthew Holt, the chief executive officer of the new company, and IC360 president Eric Frank appeared on the latest episode of the Gaming News Canada Show. The main drivers of the merger gave us the back story on how U.S. Integrity and Odds On Compliance came together since launching ProhiBet at the beginning of 2023, and the new business’s integration of integrity and compliance products. Holt explained the creation of an education and training team led by former EPIC Global Solutions employees Mark Potter and Dan Trolaro while both Holt and Frank got into the fast-moving evolution of artificial intelligence in supporting its integrity and compliance services. The interview also included a discussion on IC360’s plans for the Canadian market, including the hiring of Sebastian Jedrzejewski from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario last year and U.S. Integrity’s collaboration with the AGCO in the days leading up to the opening of the province’s regulated gambling marketplace.


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09 May 2024Parleh Media Group leaders on three years of innovation and lessons learned00:30:27

Three years since doing the incorporation thing – and less than a year before the opening of Ontario’s regulated sports betting and igaming industry – Parleh Media Group’s journey has been one of twists and turns for its Homestand, Bettor Content and The Parleh/Gaming News Canada brands.

 

Mark Silver, the PMG chief executive officer who brought together the company’s six founding partners in early 2021 and Homestand’s content/brand grand poobah Kevin Kennedy appeared on the Gaming News Canada Show for some reminiscing and a lookahead at the opportunities in the always-changing world of betting, gaming and media. Silver spoke about his latest experience in a startup business, and the need for continuous experimenting and shifting strategies to meet the needs of some 10 clients which Parleh has served in Ontario’s two-year-old regulated marketplace. Kennedy was asked for his thoughts on the merger of sports betting and sports media – including The Locker Room program that’s available on the Sports Interaction app - the continuous search for unique content in a market that remains crowded despite the challenges faced by traditional media, and the content opportunities around Ontario’s robust online gaming business. 

 

Both PMG leaders gave their own taps of the hockey twig, Silver to investors and other supporters of the company, and Kennedy to the group of established and just-starting content creators who are finding a different path these days to telling stories in the world of sports.


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14 May 2024Sharp Alpha Advisors' Lloyd Danzig on closing Fund II00:37:31

This morning, Sharp Alpha Advisors – the New York-based venture capital firm which specializes in sports, gaming and entertainment – announced the closing of Sharp Alpha Fund II, an oversubscribed $250-million VC fund investing in early-stage businesses. Lloyd Danzig, the managing partner of Sharp Alpha Advisors, joined the Gaming News Canada Show from Dallas to provide more details around the breaking news.

 

He also spoke about the flurry of M&A activity so far in 2024, including the acquisition of Quarter4 by FairPlay Sports Media Group, and what’s motivating those transactions, and what investors are looking for when it comes to providing funding to companies in the sports, gaming and entertainment spaces. And, what excites him about the innovation and products appearing in the world of sports wagering and online gaming these days.

Danzig, who will be speaking at next month’s Canadian Gaming Summit in Toronto, also addressed the opportunities north of the border. 


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21 May 2024CEBL commissioner, deputy commissioner on 6th season, sports betting education, and its partner BetVictor00:42:10

The Canadian Elite Basketball League opens its sixth season tonight in Calgary with the hometown Surge hosting the Edmonton Stingers in a hoops edition of the Battle of Alberta expected to draw more than 10,000 fans.

 

Mike Morreale, the CEBL’s commissioner, and deputy commissioner John Lashway appeared on the Gaming News Canada Show to set the table for the 10-team loop’s Summer of 2024. Morreale and Lashway walked GNCS host Steve McAllister through the league’s efforts to educate players, coaches, officials and other stakeholders on its sports betting policy and collaborating with league partners Genius Sports, SIS and BetVictor in the fight against match-fixing.

 

The podcast also includes a discussion on the CEBL’s partnership with BetVictor, which this season includes a weekly betting show to be produced by Homestand Sports.

 

And, Morreale and Lashway both weighed in on the league’s growth from six teams in its 2019 inaugural season to 10 teams with plans for expansion in 2025, the development of players, coaches and officials who have graduated to the National Basketball Association, and the CEBL becoming an attractive place for players looking to climb the pro hoops ladder.


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28 May 2024Mkodo's Stuart Godfree on geolocation technology, regulation navigation in Ontario and beyond, and the art of AI00:46:43

Stuart Godfree, the Managing Director, Mobile and Geolocation Specialists for Mkodo, is our latest guest on the Gaming News Canada Show. Godfree, who co-founded the UK-based geolocation technology business 23 years ago this month, discussed the evolution of the company’s business in the more-recent regulatory environment of U.S. states and Ontario, including Mkodo’s work with the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation, Casumo and Betty. We asked Godfree for his thoughts on the regulatory regime created by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, with the assistance of iGaming Ontario, and the need for other Canadian provinces to follow the lead of the provincial government in Ontari-ari-ari-o.

Our conversation touched on the collaboration between operators and companies like Mkodo, which includes its Geo Locs service for igaming operators. Godfree, who will participate in the Modern Approaches to Traditional Verticals: Digitization Comes for Lottery, Bingo, and Horses panel at next month’s Canadian Gaming Summit, also provided his thoughts on the evolution of machine learning/artificial intelligence.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/G2ysd1G6HSc?si=khj82YOv6NPC4SeW


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30 May 2024iGaming Ontario wins court case, the case for gaming tax hikes, and more00:47:24

Given the recent cornucopia of happenings around the business of sports betting and igaming, we brought back the Gaming News Canada Show panel with Amanda Brewer and Phill Gray.

The rapid-fire roundtable featuring the two gambling industry veterans opened with a discussion on the recent ruling by the Ontario Superior Court against the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke that the gaming model operated by iGaming Ontario is of the valid variety, and its potential impact on the future on other regulated provinces across Canada. 

Brewer, who will participate in a couple of panels at next month's Canadian Gaming Summit in Toronto, and Gray also weighed in on the agenda that's been created by SBC in collaboration with the Canadian Gaming Association for the three-day conference inside the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

The conversation turned to south of the border where U.S. states such as Illinois are proposing tax hikes to regulated sports betting operators, and the recent snub by operators toward the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to discuss placing betting limitations. We also asked our pair of panelists for their thoughts on the rising wave around women's sports, including an exciting final series in the Professional Women's Hockey League, the launch of the new WNBA season with rookie sensation Caitlin Clark, and this week's announcement about the incoming Northern Super League in Canada.


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03 Jun 2024OLG Leaders Continue to Push Ahead on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion01:00:12

On the latest edition of the Gaming News Canada Show, we are joined by two women who’ve been instrumental in the highly acclaimed efforts of the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation when it comes to creating and continuing to push forward with a culture that embraces diversity, equity and inclusivity. 

 

Catherine Meade, the Vice President of Community, Sustainability and Social Responsibility has been with OLG for more than eight years, and in May was named North America Leader of the Year during the SBC Summit North America. Tyjondah Kerr will celebrate 25 years with OLG later this year, and is currently the corp’s Director, Social Responsibility.

 

Meade and Kerr both spoke about OLG’s commitment to DEI, beginning with an embracing of the organization’s five-year plan in February 2019 and continuing to build on that strategy at a time when companies are pulling back on their DEI efforts. Meade talked about the work she’s done in various roles over her career, beginning as an equity officer at Acadia University and the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society in the 1990s, to her position of Director, Capital Projects for the PanAm/Parapan Games group in Toronto less than a decade ago, and as a passionate advocate for the LGBTQ sports community.

 

We asked Kerr about her early years as a young black woman in the business of gambling – telling the story of her frustration at being overlooked for promotions - and the (slow) evolution of the industry as one that’s more inclusive with work still to be done. Our two guests also weighed in on the tidal wave these days around women’s sports.

 

Meade and Kerr will both be speaking at the June 18-20 Canadian Gaming Summit in Toronto. 


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06 Jun 2024BetMGM and the Taylor Swift, Caitlin Clark effect on women bettors, and betting on women’s sports00:35:21

As the boom in women’s sports continues, led by Caitlin Clark’s arrival to the WNBA, the inaugural season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League, and Nelly Korda’s dominant season on the LPGA Tour, BetMGM has seen that rising tide impact its sports betting handle in a bullish manner.

 

Scott Woodgate, the company’s Vice President in charge of Canada, and PR Manager – Data Insights John Ewing appeared on the Gaming News Canada Show to provide thoughts and metrics on the increase in betting on women’s sports, and the rise in female bettors. Ewing dug into BetMGM’s announcement earlier this year there was a 51-per-cent increase on women betting on the Super Bowl – thanks in some part to the Taylor Swift effect – compared with the 2023 NFL championship game. Ewing answered our question about the habits of female bettors.

 

Both Ewing and Woodgate also got into the impact of increased attention around women’s sports on BetMGM’s product, including customers being invested in Clark during NCAA March Madness and in her rookie WNBA season with the Indiana Fever. “We reflect the interest from bettors,” said Ewing, who, with Woodgate, spoke about the similarities between sportsbooks and media when it comes to women's sports.

 

Woodgate provided his perspective on the current state of regulated gambling in Ontario, and the prospect of Alberta becoming the next Canadian province to open its door to legal operators. Alberta’s iGaming Evolution is among the panels at the June 18-20 Canadian Gaming Summit, with Patrick Harrison guiding a conversation between TRM Public Affairs President, Entain senior executive Martin Lycka, and BetMGM Vice President, Strategy & Development Witek Wachinski.


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11 Jun 2024Steven Salz on the Rivalry Token, crypto, and what about Alberta?00:42:41

The co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Toronto-based Rivalry made his return to the Gaming News Canada Show.

 

A conversation between Steves – Salz and McAllister – begins with the head honcho of the online gambling company laying out the path to last week’s announcement of Rivalry entering the world of cryptocurrency, including the NUTZ interim points program. 

 

Salz answered our questions about the company’s latest financials, also released last week, and the company’s strategy for the remainder of 2024. There was also a discussion on what’s happening in the esports universe, and Salz’s observations about Ontario’s regulated gambling market moving into Year 3.

 

The expansion of regulated gambling beyond Ontario in our home and native land also prompted a couple of interesting responses from Salz, who will participate in the Next-Gen gamification: engaging Millennials and GenZ panel at the upcoming Canadian Gaming Summit.


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