Canada
Great Canadian Gaming Announces Temporary Business Interruption Due To COVID-19 and Termination of Substantial Issuer Bid
Great Canadian Gaming Corporation announces today the temporary suspension of gaming facilities in Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, effective Monday, March 16 and until further notice in an effort to contribute to the containment of the COVID-19 virus.
The suspension of the Company’s gaming facilities was made in consultation with the respective lottery corporations and based on announcements from health authorities regarding the risk of possible transmission of the COVID-19 virus in venues where the public may congregate in significant numbers. No cases of the COVID-19 virus have been reported by any guests or employees of the Company at any of its properties and the closures are preventative in nature to limit the potential for transmission of the virus. The suspensions are temporary and will be reviewed as the situation with respect to the COVID-19 virus evolves.
Great Canadian is committed to providing a safe environment for all its guests and staff and will provide further updates as they develop. “On behalf of our 10,000 team members across the country, and the millions of guests we have the privilege of hosting and entertaining each year, we know we have a role to play in the fight to slow down the spread of COVID-19,” stated Rod Baker, Chief Executive Officer. “We are taking this unprecedented and proactive step along with the countless other organizations across the country that are taking similar action to collectively contain the spread of COVID-19,” added Baker.
On February 14, 2020 the Company commenced a substantial issuer bid  (the “Issuer Bid”) pursuant to which, as amended, on March 11 2020, holders of common shares (“Shares”) were invited to tender some or all of their Shares at a price within the range of $39.00 to $46.00 per Share. The Company announces today that it has terminated its offer to purchase up to $350,000,000 in aggregate of its Shares which was due on March 25, 2020 as a result of the Share price and market index conditions to the Issuer Bid not having been satisfied. As a result of this termination, no Shares will be purchased in the Issuer Bid and all Shares previously tendered and not withdrawn will be promptly returned to tendering shareholders.
ABOUT GREAT CANADIAN GAMING CORPORATION:
Founded in 1982, Great Canadian Gaming Corporation is an Ontario based company that operates 25 gaming, entertainment and hospitality facilities in Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Fundamental to the Company’s culture is its commitment to social responsibility. “PROUD of our people, our business, our community” is Great Canadian’s brand that unifies the Company’s community, volunteering and social responsibility efforts. Under the PROUD program, Great Canadian annually supports over 1,400 charitable and non-profit organizations across Canada. In each Canadian gaming jurisdiction, a significant portion of gross gaming revenue from gaming facilities is retained by our crown partners on behalf of their provincial government for the purpose of supporting programs like healthcare, education and social services.
SOURCE Great Canadian Gaming Corporation
Canada
Glitnor Group expands IBIAâs betting integrity presence in Ontario
Glitnor Group, operating under the LCKY Group in Ontario, has joined the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA). Glitnor Groupâs luckycasino.ca brand sportsbook will feed into IBIAâs world leading betting integrity monitoring platform. The operator joins over 50 companies and 125 leading sports betting brands in IBIA and further cements the associationâs position as the leading sports betting integrity monitoring body in Ontario and globally.
David Schwieler LCKY Group CEO, said: âAt 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.â
Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: âI am delighted to welcome Glitnor Group as IBIAâs 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.â
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. IBIAâs 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.
IBIAâs 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.Â
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: âAcquiring 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.â
âThe 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!â 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 SOFTSWISSÂ
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.
âForging partnerships with new faces is always an exciting time but the influence of Caesars Digital is one we pride,â the Chief Executive Officer for Hacksaw Gaming, Marcus Cordes, said. âLaunching this partnership in Ontario is the perfect place to begin our journey.â
âHacksaw Gaming brings an exciting catalog of games to our platforms that should provide a thrilling experience for our players,â the Senior Vice-President and Chief iGaming Officer for Caesars Digital, Matthew Sunderland, said. âWeâre excited to see how our players engage with this content in Ontario and in jurisdictions in the future through our new partnership.â
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