Canada
New 155-room hotel and conference centre coming to Whitecap Dakota First Nation
New 155-room hotel and conference centre coming to Whitecap Dakota First Nation
The Government of Canada is proud to support economic development opportunities and growth in First Nation communities.
The Honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Indigenous Services, along with Chief Darcy Bear of Whitecap Dakota First Nation, gathered in Whitecap to celebrate the ground-breaking of a new hotel and conference center.
The Dakota Dunes hotel project will feature Indigenous themes and décor, with 155 rooms, a fitness center, business center, pool and restaurant.
Once completed, the hotel is projected to generate annual revenue of approximately $8.5 million and create 150 new full-time and part-time jobs within the community. The hotel is also expected to stimulate the local economy by contributing to spin-off businesses and increased visitors to area attractions such as the casino and golf course.
Quotes
“I’m thrilled to be celebrating the ground breaking for a new hotel and conference centre in Whitecap Dakota First Nation. The Dakota Dunes hotel project is a fantastic example of what can be achieved through partnership and collaboration to foster economic growth and opportunities in Indigenous communities.”
The Honourable Jane Philpott, M.D., P.C., M.P.
Minister of Indigenous Services
“The Dakota Dunes Hotel is an integral part of our vision that will see Whitecap become a premiere tourism destination resort in Western Canada. The hotel will also generate another 150 jobs and continue to build Whitecap as a major employer in the region. This is a truly an exciting day for our First Nation as we continue on our economic path of building a sustainable community.”
Chief Darcy Bear
Whitecap Dakota First Nations’ Chief
“BMO is grateful for the opportunity to participate in the exciting Dakota Dunes hotel project. This initiative will generate significant economic impacts for members of the community. BMO has provided dedicated and growing support to Indigenous clients since 1992. We are pleased and proud to be working with Whitecap Dakota and commend their leadership for executing on a solid business strategy.”
Stephen Fay
Head, Indigenous Banking North America, BMO
“On behalf of SIGA, we’re very excited to be partnering with the Whitecap Dakota First Nation to help bring this new hotel development to Dakota Dunes. This project will have significant benefits, including supporting the creation of 150 new jobs, increasing tourism to the area, and further enhancing the customer experience at one of our premier gaming destinations.”
Zane Hansen
President and CEO, Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority
Quick Facts
- This project is a prime example of collaboration between the federal government, the private sector, and the Whitecap Dakota First Nation.
- Indigenous Services Canada has contributed $8.6 million to this project through the Community Opportunity Readiness Program. The total estimated cost for the construction of the hotel is $38 million.
- During the construction phase, the hotel project is estimated to create approximately 230 jobs, and once operational in 2020, up to 150 jobs in the community.
- The hotel is expected to generate $230 million in economic benefits for the Saskatoon regional economy over ten years and generate $13 million in annual government fiscal benefits.
Source: Indigenous Services Canada
Canada
Glitnor Group expands IBIA’s betting integrity presence in Ontario
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
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
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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