Canada

The Future For The Online Gambling Market in Canada

Published

3 years ago

July 1, 2021

George Miller

The Future For The Online Gambling Market in Canada

Reading Time: 3 minutes

This week Private Members Bill C-218 to legalise single event sports betting in Canada received Royal Assent.

This seismic event paves the way for a dramatic change in the gambling industry in Canada with the opportunity for provincial government-run sites like PlayNow in British Colombia and the OLG in Ontario to add sports betting markets to their product portfolios, and, should they choose, each province to open up the market for private betting firms to be licensed to operate in the territory.

Before now punters in Canada could only bet on the outcome of individual games at sports by using offshore gambling sites. Bettors must use review sites like thecasinoheat.ca if they want to find out where they can play with safe operators who are licensed outside of Canada in jurisdictions like Malta or Gibraltar.

So to the future, and much like the situation in the United States, where legalisation of sports betting is happening state by state and with different rules and regulations in each one, so the same is expected for the provinces of Canada.

Bill C-218 broadly allows for single-game bets in Canada, allowing either the province, or a business or other entity licensed by the province to run a ‘lottery scheme’ in which single event bets are taken.

However, how this scheme is executed is down to each individual government.

Ontario

It is widely expected that the private sector will play a big part of the gambling market, both online and offline in the next decade, with Ontario leading the way in making plans for a fully regulated and competitive market much like that being built south of the border.

Indeed, Ontario’s plans for a new iGaming market are intended to come to fruition in late 2021, and whilst the specifics are not yet clear, it is expected that they will include both sports betting and casino and other games provided by private companies.

A discussion paper published by the Ontario government in March 2021 suggests that revenue share agreements between private companies and a newly formed Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) would be the best way to move forward, with firms paying a share of all revenues generated through games and betting to the AGCO rather than through taxation.

With this model, and by leveraging existing game and platform testing and auditing required for alternative jurisdictions, it is believed that private companies could be up and running by the end of the year.

So in Ontario, the future is very much for the existing government-owned Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) to exist alongside new betting firms operating in the province, with single event sports betting added to its OLG website as soon as it is legal to do so, maybe even by September.

British Columbia and the Other Provinces

Whilst Ontario has taken the lead with its discussion paper and moves to establish the groundwork for a new gambling market that will include casino and poker products from established betting firms, in other provinces the focus for now is solely on capitalising on the opportunities provided by the legalisation of sports betting.

In British Colombia the British Colombia Lottery Corporation plans to implement new betting markets on its PlayNow website as soon as they legally can, with in-person betting at land-based casinos expected to follow in the longer term.

The same is likely to happen in Alberta where the government-run PlayAlberta website is set to add betting markets later this year. Meanwhile, land-based venues may offer the opportunity for single event sports betting at a later date.

Conclusion

Canada has been a long time in catching up with the other regulated gambling markets in Europe and the States, but with the passing of Bill C-218 and now Royal Assent, the opportunity has arrived to provide bettors with safe and competitive products, whilst bringing much-needed revenues into the government that had previously been going to offshore firms. The new bill will also hasten the move towards a new framework for all types of online gambling in Canada in which private operators running casino games will also be able to take bets from punters there legally for the first time.

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Canada

Glitnor Group expands IBIA’s betting integrity presence in Ontario

Published

2 weeks ago

April 10, 2024

Adrienn Sarkany

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Glitnor Group, operating under the LCKY Group in Ontario, has joined the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA). Glitnor Group’s luckycasino.ca brand sportsbook will feed into IBIA’s world leading betting integrity monitoring platform. The operator joins over 50 companies and 125 leading sports betting brands in IBIA and further cements the association’s position as the leading sports betting integrity monitoring body in Ontario and globally.

David Schwieler LCKY Group CEO, said: “At Glitnor Group, we’re dead serious about keeping our betting games fair and square. That’s why teaming up with IBIA is a big deal for us. We know how crucial it is to protect the spirit of sports, and we’re ready to roll up our sleeves and work closely with the IBIA to make sure sports betting stays exciting, speedy, and above all, fair.”

Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “I am delighted to welcome Glitnor Group as IBIA’s latest member in Ontario. Glitnor and IBIA share a common goal to maintain the integrity of the sports betting marketplace and to protecting consumers and sports from match-fixing. Ensuring product integrity is paramount to our approach and we look forward to integrating Glitnor within our leading global sports betting integrity monitoring system.”

IBIA is a not-for-profit body that has no competing conflicts with the delivery of commercial services to other sectors and is run by operators for operators to protect regulated sports betting markets from match-fixing. IBIA’s global monitoring network is a highly effective anti-corruption tool, detecting and reporting suspicious activity in regulated betting markets.

Through the IBIA global monitoring network it is possible to track transactional activities linked to individual customer accounts. IBIA members have over $300bn per annum in betting turnover (handle), accounting for approximately 50% of the global commercial regulated land-based and online sports betting sector, and in excess of 50% for online alone.

IBIA recently released a report on the Availability of Sports Betting Products which highlighted Ontario as a leading regulated gambling jurisdiction, with an expected onshore channelisation for sports betting of 92% in 2024 forecast to rise to 97% in 2028. IBIA currently represents over 60% of the private sports betting operators licensed in the province. All online sports betting operators licensed in Ontario are required to be part of a betting integrity monitoring body.

IBIA’s 2023 annual integrity report detailed 184 alerts reported in the year, which represents a decrease of 101 (or 35%) on the revised 2022 figure of 285 alerts. IBIA alerts contributed to the investigations and subsequent successful sanctioning of 21 clubs, players and officials in 2023, an increase on the 15 sanctioned in 2022.

Canada

SOFTSWISS Obtains Firstly Issued B2B Tobique Gaming Licence

Published

3 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

George Miller

SOFTSWISS Obtains Firstly Issued B2B Tobique Gaming Licence

Reading Time: 2 minutes

SOFTSWISS, an iGaming software provider celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2024, has obtained the B2B Tobique Gaming Licence, the first ever issued in the jurisdiction. The Tobique Gaming Commission (TGC) and Differentia Licensing Advisory Group Limited (DLAG), a provider and facilitator to gaming companies for international gaming licences, authorised SOFTSWISS to engage in business activities for one year.

Located in western New Brunswick, Canada, the Tobique First Nation is a sovereign indigenous community issuing online gambling licences through the TGC under the Tobique Gaming Act of 2023. The licence, recognised as the B2B Tobique Gaming Licence, offers businesses the prospect of international operations, facilitating the establishment of a global footprint. The licence covers various categories of real money betting, including sports, casino games and lottery. Its significant advantages include the streamlined application process, reasonable price and quick acquisition.

Yuri Sharapa, Head of Country Projects at SOFTSWISS, comments: “Acquiring a new licence is a remarkable achievement for us, signifying our dedication to offering our clients a diverse range of options. We extend our gratitude to the Tobique Gaming Commission for their trust and stringent standards. We are proud to announce that one of the companies under the SOFTSWISS brand has become the first company to secure the B2B Tobique iGaming Licence.”

“The DLAG team is pleased to announce that the first Tobique Licence has been granted. The Licensee is under the tier-1 international brand, SOFTSWISS, in our industry, recognised for its leading products and services. These are exciting times for both the gaming world and Tobique!” adds Graham Martin, Chairman of DLAG.

SOFTSWISS supplies multiple operators under three international licences: MGA, CGA, and Kahnawake. Additionally, SOFTSWISS has several national licences and certifications, among which the recently obtained South African Licence through the acquisition of Turfsport, a leading South African provider of wagering software with 35 years of experience. Additionally, last year, as part of its strategy to enter regulated markets, the SOFTSWISS Casino Platform and the SOFTSWISS Sportsbook obtained GLI-19 and GLI-33 certifications, respectively.

About SOFTSWISS

SOFTSWISS is an international tech company supplying software solutions for managing iGaming projects. The expert team, which counts over 2,000 employees, is based in Malta, Poland and Georgia. SOFTSWISS holds a number of gaming licences and provides one-stop-shop iGaming software solutions. The company has a vast product portfolio, including the Casino Platform, Game Aggregator, the Affilka affiliate tracking platform, Sportsbook Platform, and Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS was the first in the world to introduce a Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution.

Canada

Hacksaw Gaming and Caesars Digital Partner to Launch Online Casino Games in Ontario

Published

4 months ago

December 21, 2023

Alan Campbell

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Launch brings Hacksaw Gaming titles to Caesars Palace Online Casino and Caesars Sportsbook & Casino in Ontario

Hacksaw Gaming today announced its first market launch with Caesars Digital in North America, in the regulated iGaming province of Ontario, Canada. The new partnership marks the exciting launch of new games on Caesars Palace Online Casino and Caesars Sportsbook & Casino in the province.

This new partnership, a first between the two companies, will bring familiar titles to online casino players and will be followed by a dedicated roadmap for additional launches in more jurisdictions in 2024, showcasing the entire Hacksaw Gaming catalog. The first release of games includes Hacksaw Gaming classics Wanted Dead or a Wild, RIP City, Hand of Anubis and Mines.

“Forging partnerships with new faces is always an exciting time but the influence of Caesars Digital is one we pride,” the Chief Executive Officer for Hacksaw Gaming, Marcus Cordes, said. “Launching this partnership in Ontario is the perfect place to begin our journey.”

“Hacksaw Gaming brings an exciting catalog of games to our platforms that should provide a thrilling experience for our players,” the Senior Vice-President and Chief iGaming Officer for Caesars Digital, Matthew Sunderland, said. “We’re excited to see how our players engage with this content in Ontario and in jurisdictions in the future through our new partnership.”