Canada
Major European Operators Finding Growing Success in New Ontario Market
For years, decades even, the established iGaming industry predominantly founded in Europe has looked west to new markets and new opportunities. It wasn’t until 2018 that they were finally able to gain passage to the US, and in 2022, part of the coveted Canadian market finally opened its doors. As we reported at EuropeanGaming, the Canadian Gaming Association and Ontario government have been looking to regulate the online gambling space since at least 2019.
Not to undervalue the provinces of Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta – which have 2022 population estimates ranging from 4.5 million to 8.6 million – but Ontario is the big fish in Canada. Home to major metropolitan areas of Toronto and Ottawa, The Loyalist Province boasts some 15 million people. This is a major reason why massive brands from across the Atlantic that are already established in the likes of London, Guernsey, and Malta have leaped at the opportunity to offer iGaming in Ontario.
Now, two quarters into Ontario’s new iGaming market, it’s clear to see that brands have quickly found an audience and have done so by offering the best of what they have to offer. Furthermore, there’s even space to grow and connect more deeply with Canada’s betting population.
Ontario’s strong start and notable growth
IMAGE SOURCE: Unsplash
The regulated space of gambling in Ontario has long proven popular with residents. In 2020, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) reported that its returns grew from $1.7 billion in 2015 to just under $2.5 billion, with expectations of eclipsing $3 billion set for 2022/23. Key to this has been the lottery run by OLG, which saw $4 billion in sales from 2015 to 2020 across some 10,000 points of sale across the province.
On 4 April 2022, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) opened a new space for iGaming, with the transition period to being fully regulated ending on 31 October 2022. During this time, several major brands applied for and were granted licenses to operate within Ontario’s regulatory framework, including last year’s highest percentage owner of the market, Betway.
Leading up to the end of September, Ontario has had two quarters to record data. The first quarter, ending 30 June, saw CA$4.07 billion in wagers, which grew by 48.4 per cent to CA$6.04 billion, according to iGamingBusiness. In that time, revenue grew by 64.8 per cent, from CA$162 million to CA$267 million, aligning with a similar jump in operators from 18 to 21. Simply put, iGaming’s already big business in Ontario.
Instant competition by bringing their best
IMAGE SOURCE: Pixaaby
In decades gone by, we’ve seen some operators decide to tease their way into markets, offering a limited number of games and options to effectively show growth as the removed parts get added. This can also be caused by limiting regulations and licensing agreements, but with the Ontario iGaming market, platforms are bringing their best products, with Ontario and UK platforms being identical in some cases.
In the case of the online casino Betway offers, all of the slots, live casino, and sportsbook options are the same in the current .ca platform as they are in the .com version. The brand has brought all of the aspects that made it popular in the UK and across Europe, immediately helping to set a high standard for the nascent market. Just as you’ll find the hit game Dragon’s Cache, you’ll also be able to play the newer Amazon Kingdom.
These two games, in particular, demonstrate that the newest and most popular games are being offered in Ontario. SpinPlay Games, the creator of Dragon’s Cache, is one of the coveted studios now under the Microgaming umbrella, as is Amazon Kingdom from JustForTheWin. Throw into the mix the latest live casino games from Pragmatic Play, Authentic Gaming, OnAir, and Evolution Gaming, and you can see that Canadian players can enjoy all of the same high-tier content as those in much more established and even more populous markets.
Partnerships and ambassadorships for growth
IMAGE SOURCE: Pixabay
Since the US opened up to sports betting – as well as the total iGaming industry to a lesser degree – major brands have been making partnerships with sports leagues. Most pertinent to Canada, the new partnerships the NHL signed will have been noticed for US games, such as Betway becoming the official sports betting partner of the NHL. At the time, Ontario wasn’t up and running, but now, there may be space for a similar partnership. They’re also a key partner of the Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils.
So, there looks to be potential room for partnerships with teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators in the future, or even as the NHL’s official betting partner in Ontario. Also on the table is athlete ambassadorships. A tried-and-trusted tradition for many iGaming brands in Europe, the likes of cricketer Kevin Pietersen, footballer Roy Keane, jump jockey Katie Walsh, and actress Nargis Fakhri are all ambassadors in iGaming. Perhaps a Buds or Sens legend would be interested in an iGaming ambassadorship to raise brand prestige.
Ontario has proven to be a strong market for iGaming from the get-go, with there being plenty of opportunities for further integration in the future.
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.
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.
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.”
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