Canada
Acuant Announces the Acquisition of Hello Soda to Strengthen Its Trusted Identity Platform and Global Position in Digital Identity
The acquisition follows the company’s best quarter in history with record revenue
Acuant, the global trusted identity platform for fraud prevention and AML compliance, announced the completion of the acquisition of Hello Soda as part of their continued investment and commitment to innovative technology. Hello Soda is a global provider of identity verification and KYC solutions headquartered in the UK with focus on the European and Asian markets. Along with the company’s deep expertise in eMoney and gaming, with customers including VirginBet, Klarna and Paysafe, the union will bring together powerful technology and data science capabilities that are key to unlocking trust in digital identities.
“Our goal has always been to power trust for all, a vision we share with Hello Soda whom we are excited to welcome to the Acuant family,” said Yossi Zekri President and CEO of Acuant. “This is truly the most exhilarating time in our company’s history, coinciding with the disruption of traditional financial markets, the rapid digitalization of the world and the need for business and governments to help safeguard identity more than ever before. Adding Hello Soda to our Trusted Identity Platform will reach more people today and position us even stronger for the future of digital identity.”
Hello Soda’s foundation in advanced analytics has driven its success in developing and delivering to market, a suite of solutions that leverage digital data sources and capabilities for the purpose of KYC and AML. With a strong focus on ensuring businesses receive actionable insight, Hello Soda’s technology utilizes proprietary analytics, matching algorithms and data science modelling to provide configurable and composite scoring, enabling businesses to make trusted decisions from the point of onboarding to enhanced due diligence (EDD) and continuous monitoring. Their leading dark web solution mitigates the risk of impersonation fraud by searching over 600 million records on the dark web for a customer’s information and provides an extra level of security by searching and monitoring customer PII against compromised data. Its innovative and multilingual platform has enabled Hello Soda to become a market leader in automated identity solutions, currently verifying identities in over 180 countries.
“We could not be happier to join Acuant, bringing our talent, technology, network and expertise to strengthen all we have accomplished and to take our mutual vision further as a team,” stated James Blake, Founder and CEO of Hello Soda. “Our combined technology will serve us well in our joint mission to democratize trust and provide solutions to reach every sector of the global population, allowing every individual to conduct trusted transactions when and where they wish.”
Acuant Experiences Record Growth
The acquisition comes on the heels of Acuant’s best quarter in company history and groundbreaking accomplishments:
Robust Growth: In Q1 2021, Acuant saw record revenue with over 30% growth YOY and ARR up over 60%, compliance revenue (with the acquisition of IdentityMind AML solutions in 2020) also grew over 170% YOY; adding several key new hires, total headcount grew over 30% YOY; the company welcoming dozens of new partners (including Refinitiv, Unisys, CoreSE and Albo) and had noticeable business spikes in healthcare and cryptocurrency verticals.
Patented Technology: This quarter, Acuant was awarded Patent # 10,931,461 and 10,965,668
the USPTO both for system and methods relating to digital identity verification (adding to patent
10,872,338); the company also celebrated hitting over 450M digital identities being created with their patented eDNA®).
Enhanced Global Coverage & Technology Partners: Along with the industry’s largest ID library (6k+ templates), Acuant has expanded its leading third-party data ecosystem to expand offerings and increase global coverage for verification to reaching more of the world’s population without physical IDs and/or smart devices.
Industry Leadership: Acuant has joined the Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC), Open Identity Exchange (OIX) and The Investing and Savings Alliance (TISA) to expand its membership of working groups such as the Document Security Alliance (DSA) and Association of Document Validation Professionals (ADVP), among others, and continues to meet INCITS, ICAO, NIST and ISO standards, and is in on track for FedRAMP certification in 2021. The Company continues to be the gold standard with PCI, SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certifications and is on track for FedRAMP certification in 2021. Acuant works to meet with INCITS, ICAO and NIST standards and puts privacy first and puts consumers in control of their identity (see their latest with Microsoft in Verifiable Credentials).
High Roller Technologies, operator of the premium online casino brands High Roller and Fruta, announced the submission of its Internet Gaming Operator license application in Ontario, Canada, targeting the launch of its flagship brand HighRoller.com in the second half of 2025.
“The submission of our licensing application to access Ontario’s regulated online gambling market is an important milestone in our Company’s journey. Once our application is approved, we anticipate that we will have the opportunity to launch our online casino product into the market later this year,” said Ben Clemes, Chief Executive Officer at High Roller.
Ontario is one of the largest regulated online gambling markets in the world as measured by gross gaming revenue. In 2024, regulated online gambling operators within the province generated approximately $2.3B in gross gaming revenue, and growth continues to be recorded in the first half of 2025. Recently, the province of Alberta passed enabling legislation to establish a regulatory framework for online gambling. Once available, the Company also intends to pursue licensure in Alberta to expand its regulated market footprint in Canada.
“Ontario is missing an elegant brand like High Roller. We’re excited to roll out the red carpet for our new customers, and we’re looking forward to showcasing our tremendous product,” said Clemes.
The post High Roller Submits Gaming License Application in Ontario appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
The International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) has released the program for its upcoming annual conference, to be held in Toronto from 20-23 October.
With the theme ‘Resilient regulation: Exploring what works, why and what’s next’, the event brings together global regulators and thought leaders to examine how regulatory frameworks can evolve to meet today’s challenges.
The four-day program explores timely issues, including the rise of AI and behavioural analytics, the impact of converging technologies, cross-border collaboration and the continued push to strengthen responsible gambling policies.
IAGR President Ben Haden said the program offers a strong preview of the content and conversations delegates can expect in Toronto.
‘This year’s program showcases the breadth and complexity of the challenges facing gambling regulators worldwide, from protecting player wellbeing to tackling illegal markets and understanding new technologies,’ Haden said.
‘I encourage regulators, researchers and policy professionals from around the world to join us in Toronto. The conference is a space to learn, share experience, challenge assumptions and shape the future of effective, collaborative regulation.’
Confirmed speakers and panellists include:
- Andrew Rhodes, CEO, Gambling Commission, Great Britain
- Anders Dorph, Director, Danish Gambling Authority, Denmark
- Dr Karin Schnarr, CEO and Registrar, Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, Canada
- Mark Vander Linden, Director of Research and Responsible Gaming and Carrie Torrisi, Chief of Sports Wagering Division, Massachusetts Gaming Commission, United States
- Bashir Are, CEO, Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority, Nigeria
- Teo Chun Ching, Chief Executive, Gambling Regulatory Authority, Singapore
- Ladipo Abiose Akolade, Founder, GamblePause Initiative Africa, Nigeria
- Rasmus Kjaergaard, CEO, Mindway AI, Denmark
- Tracy Parker, Senior Vice President, Accreditation, Advisory and Insights, Responsible Gambling Council, Canada
- Pedro Romero, Chief of Safer Gambling Partnerships, BetBlocker, Gibraltar
- Sonia Wasowska, Head of Supervision, General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority, United Arab Emirates
- Steven Blackburn, Partner, Ashurst Risk Advisory, Australia
The event will be held at The Westin Harbour Castle on Toronto’s waterfront.
The post IAGR announces program for IAGR2025 conference in Toronto appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Home field advantage has a new name, as the Edmonton Elks announced that Play Alberta Field at Commonwealth Stadium is now the home of the Elks.
The field naming rights are part of a broader multi-year agreement between Play Alberta and the EE, making Play Alberta the official sports betting partner of the Club.
“We couldn’t be more excited to expand our partnership with Play Alberta. This partnership is about more than just putting a name on the field – it’s about building something meaningful for our fans and our community. Play Alberta is an Alberta-based organization that shares our values and our commitment to giving back. Together, we’re creating new ways for fans to connect with our team and experience the game day atmosphere in a whole new way,” said Elks President and CEO Chris Morris.
The expanded relationship between the Elks and Play Alberta will allow the game day experience to continue to grow. Fans can look forward to unique activations and promotions around the stadium, including the chance to win game tickets and memorabilia.
“Since Play Alberta’s launch five years ago, our team has made it a priority to connect with the communities where our players live and work. We are very excited to join the Edmonton Elks on the field on game days during upcoming CFL seasons. Play Alberta Field at Commonwealth Stadium allows us to partner with the Elks and showcase two brands built for Albertans in a historic Edmonton location,” said Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Chief Executive Officer Kandice Machado.
The Elks open their 76th season on Saturday, June 7 in Vancouver when they take on the B.C. Lions. Edmonton’s home opener at Play Alberta Field at Commonwealth Stadium is slated for Thursday, June 19 against the Montreal Alouettes.
The post Edmonton Elks, Play Alberta Connect on New Partnership appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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