Canada
The US continues to sweeten the pot
Dmitry Starostenkov, CEO at EvenBet Gaming examines online poker’s prospects stateside
The US has always been associated with manifest destiny, embarking on new regions and making the most of what is there. It seems fitting then that legalised online poker is finding its way across the country, adjusting to different forms of regulation in various states.
Poker is deeply entrenched within American culture, being as symbolic to the country as Mah-jong is for China or Rummy in India. Even so, the US has been without any legitimate means to enjoy the game online for 10 years and there is a real hunger for it now. Despite all this, the estimated number of Americans regularly playing poker in all its forms still reaches 10 million.
As different states become regulated in one guise or another, the game is finally beginning to find its place on people’s computer and smartphone screens. New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware are the most obvious states for an operator to approach from a regulatory point of view. There is also West Virginia, Michigan and Pennsylvania, which are regulating online poker and are likely to join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement.
Unfortunately, high liquidity is always crucial for the game to be interesting for players and with such prohibitive legislation in the majority of states, the game is not going to be as strong as it could be. This is possibly the biggest obstacle operators will face. However, even in these circumstances major operators like PokerStars are already able to get as much as 500 daily active players in one state, and this number is extremely promising.
That being said, differentiation can always help in standing out from the crowd and that is more important than ever when competing against the industry’s big brands. With poker being synonymous with US gambling, differentiating an offering should not be too great of a challenge. Building a strong and reputable offering, including a balanced tournament schedule are key factors for acquiring players and keeping them engaged.
Obviously, many of these issues could be solved with national gambling regulation, but that is unlikely to be a possibility, certainly not in the next two or three years. In fact, the US is so diverse with respect to state legislation that a national gambling regulation of any kind may simply not be feasible on any timeline.
The current federal government policy is to keep online gaming regulation at the states’ level, so the best outcome we can hope for now is that more states will introduce poker regulation and join the multi-state agreement. However, operators should keep in mind that they will still need to go through licensing in each state separately.
These issues pale in comparison to the sheer potential of the states, however. There is not a country in the world that can compete with the US for the technological infrastructure needed to roll out online poker at scale. The vast majority of US citizens own some form of smartphone. As well as that, for various reasons, desktop gaming is still hugely appealing to customers in the states. As a result of this, I expect that the mobile share will grow, but at a much slower pace than in Asia or South America.
Of course, all this development is promising, but player safety still needs to be a priority. With the current compliance and regulation policies, poker customers in the US are going to be well protected if they play at the legal operators’ websites. The main risk factor that we can foresee is the growth of scam websites passing themselves off as licensed operators. As online gaming gains momentum, monitoring all such activity becomes far more difficult, so players should be careful.
Responsibly enjoying poker, whether offline or online, has always been a special pastime in the US. That explains the initial online poker boom that started in the US and why operators flourish in every state where online poker becomes regulated. Without wanting to sound too optimistic, I hope to see this happening a lot more.
Andrew Cochrane Chief Business Officer of GiG
GiG increases Ontario market presence, powering the launch of Casino Time
Gaming Innovation Group Inc. (GiG), has announced the launch of Casino Time, powered by its award winning iGaming platform and pioneering real-time rules engine LogicX, with revolutionary sportsbook, SportX soon to follow, to further extend its footprint in the regulated Canadian province of Ontario.
The launch of Casino Time carries extra significance, marking only the second time that on-demand, regulated online Bingo has been made available in Ontario. The new Bingo product vertical, launched alongside a strong Casino offering, will be boosted by GiG’s new sportsbook, SportX, as part of a planned release later this year.
GiG has focused its solutions on driving exponential growth in revenue for operators with its highly scalable iGaming platform, offering localised third party content and leading suppliers for the Ontarian market. GiGs peerless gamification layer creates an optimised and immersive casino experience tailored to regional preferences, swelling client retention and player engagement.
Canadian owned and operated, Casino Time is a joint venture amongst leading retail operators in Ontario’s Charitable Gaming sector, delivering Bingo, Slots and Live Dealer Casino Games. Promising a personalised service and community experience, Casino Time is continuing its long-standing partnership with local charities, introducing its joint fundraising model into the iGaming space for the first time.
Now coming towards the end of its second year of licensed operations, Ontario has emerged as one of the largest iGaming markets in North America, second only to New Jersey according to data supplied by Vixio. The first and as yet only Canadian province to launch a regulated market, Ontario boasts more than 1.6 million active player accounts spread over 40 plus operators, generating €1.3 billion in Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) in its first year of trading, with this data supplied by iGaming Ontario.
Andrew Cochrane, Chief Business Officer of GiG, said: “GiG continues to set the pace with a strong cadence of brand launches in 2024, and I’m pleased that when operators are seeking platform solutions in regulated markets, GiG is leading the pack. Our partnership with Casino Time, will help deliver something new and exciting to the Ontarian market, and further helps to demonstrate the flexibility of our solutions, adapting to match the regional aspirations of our partners to deliver growth.”
D’Arcy Stuart, CEO of Casino Time, said: “We are thrilled to partner with GiG as the core technology provider of our iGaming platform. Their powerful suite of player engagement tools, as well as diverse content and regulatory integrations, underpin our ability to serve and delight our player community. Our hybrid online and offline customer network, as well as unique bingo offerings, will drive exciting opportunities as the platform and the marketplace continues to grow.”
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.
The post Glitnor Group expands IBIA’s betting integrity presence in Ontario appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Bragg Gaming Group Inc., a global B2B gaming technology and content provider, announced that Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Ronen Kannor, has notified Bragg’s board of directors (Board) that he will resign from his position to pursue other career opportunities, effective June 3, 2024. The Company confirms that the search for a replacement CFO has commenced.
Matevž Mazij, Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board, commented: “We thank Ronen for his dedication and commitment to Bragg over the past four years and for his unwavering service as a pivotal member of the leadership team.
“During his tenure as CFO, the Company has undergone huge positive transformation including being uplisted to the Toronto Stock Exchange, dual listed on the NASDAQ and successfully completing two acquisitions, all while reporting consecutive years of revenue, gross profit and adjusted EBITDA growth. We wish Ronen all the very best in his future endeavors.”
Ronen Kannor commented: “It has been an honor to be part of the Bragg team which has successfully navigated many challenges and continued to deliver consistent growth over the past four years. I thank the Board for their support throughout my time with Bragg, and I am now fully focused on ensuring a smooth handover to my successor.
“Special thanks goes to my finance team, who work tirelessly to deliver the positive change and financial growth that the Company continues to achieve. I wish them and all of my colleagues continued success with Bragg now and in the future.”
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