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Steve McAllister
Each week, Steve McAllister, the Editor-In-Chief of the Gaming News Canada, digs deeper into trending gaming and sports betting topics with industry leaders and insiders, reporters and other stakeholders in the business. The discussion and debate also includes questions and opinions from our followers about the hottest industry in sports today.Follow us on Twitter @GamingNewsCA for the latest storylines, and links to the weekly live show.Subscribe to the newsletter http://gamingnewscanada.ca Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Examining year 1 of sports betting and igaming in Ontario, and what comes next?
Amanda Brewer, Will Hill and Mark Silver huddled with host Steve McAllister and our LinkedIn Audio audience to discuss and debate the learnings from a plethora of panels – and networking chats in between said panels - during the Canadian Gaming Association Leaders Forum at the Toronto Region Board of Trade last week. That included an unloading of notes and numbers from iGaming Ontario executive director Martha Otton and from Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario COO Dave Phillips, along with words of wisdom around advertising, responsible gambling, economic development, and more.The Brewer-Hill-Silver trio also took the learnings from the CGA assembly and made a forecast or three on what’s in store over the next 12 months not only for Ontario, but across the rest of the country from elected leaders and provincial lottery corporation leaders chewing on the impact that a regulated, hugely competitive industry has had on Canada’s largest province. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
55:1409/04/2023
Ontario pops the cork on the 1st anniversary of regulated sports betting and igaming
The most robust regulated sports betting and igaming market in North America celebrates its one-year anniversary on Tuesday.So, on the eve of the wide-open Ontario market turning one, Canadian Gaming Association head honcho Paul Burns appeared to offer several thoughts on the first 12 months, and a lookahead to what’s next. Burns also teed up the agenda for the Canadian Gaming Association's sold-out assembly in Toronto on Tuesday.Amanda Brewer (Kindred Group), Will Hill (Sightline Payments), Kris Abbott (Betano Canada), Nic Sulsky (PointsBet Canada) and Mark Silver (Homestand Sports) joined the conversation with Burns, speaking about the good, bad and what-can-be-better going into Year 2 for operators, customers and the industry's other stakeholders.Albert Vartanian, co-host with James Sharman on The Homestand Show, explained the raison d'etre and some of the topics du jour for the Monday-Friday live sports show on SportsGrid Canada - available on The Roku Channel, Fubo, LG, Toshiba and other streaming TV channels. Vartanian added the Blue Jays fans have good reason to be bullish on Toronto's MLB club this season. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
52:4402/04/2023
iGaming, the new American dream
We were joined this week by an expanded gathering of guests to knock off several items from the latest news, notes and quotes across the sports betting and gaming industry. SBC Americas editor Jessica Welman was back to deliver an update on both the efforts by U.S. states to legalize online gaming and states such as Kentucky, Missouri and North Carolina to legalize sports betting. Welman also weighed in on the early weeks of the regulated online sports wagering marketplace in Massachusetts.Rege Behe of CDC Gaming Reports and schoolteacher-turned-social media influencer Kelly Koffler spoke about the growing role of influencers in the casino business. And, usual guests Amanda Brewer, Will Hill, and Kris Betano provided their expertise and insight on the smorgasbord of topics discussed, including the uniqueness of the regulated Ontario marketplace – which turns one year old next week – compared with what’s happening south of the border. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
58:0525/03/2023
Coolbet to exit Ontario sports betting and igaming market, and AGCO chief Tom Mungham is retiring
The Gaming News Canada Show podcast returns from a one-week hiatus in high gear, as host Steve McAllister discussed with Kindred Group’s Amanda Brewer, Will Hill of Sightline Payments and Betano’s Kris Abbott this week’s announcement from Coolbet that the European operator won’t be renewing its Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario licence at the beginning of April, and posted its exit strategy. McAllister also asked Abbott, Hill and Brewer about the potential domino effect of Coolbet’s departure as Ontario enters Year 2 of regulated sports betting and igaming.The panel then switched gears and provided its thoughts on the news that Tom Mungham is stepping down this fall as the registrar and CEO of the AGCO. Parleh Media Group founder/CEO Mark Silver, who was in New York twice over the past 2 weeks to attend the iGaming Next NYC23 conference and SportsPro OTT USA Summit, joined the podcast for a conversation on the evolving dynamics across sports betting and sports media. And, of course, we also dedicated a segment to March Madness and the excitement around the sports betting community for the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
59:5918/03/2023
Pierre Lindh previews a sold out iGaming NEXT NYC23 as our show went live from Berlin, Vancouver, New York and Toronto
Call it one way to become. . . er. . . . more wordly. OK, OK, apologies for the lousy pun. Truth is, however, that the latest episode of your friendly neighbourhood GNCS podcast has a distinct international flavour. The latest episode started in Berlin, where Bayes Esports head of growth and finance Christopher Bohlmann joined us to expand on the comments he made in the Gaming News Canada newsletter about the “healthy transformation” of the esports industry over the first two months of 2023. Then it was off to New York, where iGaming Next managing director Pierre Lindh was setting up his automatic “We’re Sold Out” reply (OK, that’s a statement of the Trumpian/Santos kind) while giving our listeners a lay of the land for next week’s NYC23 conference in The Big Apple. https://twitter.com/iGamingNEXT/status/1631217862751682560 Ryan McCarthy, the BCLC’s person in charge of player health, called in from Vancouver to set the table for the lottery corporation’s New Horizons in Responsible Gambling get-together next week along with the BCLC’s five-year extension of its GameSense partnership with MGM Resorts International and BetMGM that was announced this week. https://twitter.com/BCLC/status/1631101227730898944 PointsBet Canada CCO Nic Sulsky returned to the show for the first time in a few weeks to discuss the operator’s new responsible gambling message from Kerri Einarson’s four-time Canadian curling championship rink. https://youtu.be/zxT6TIumRhk Sulsky also provided a few thoughts on the announcement this week that Bally’s was shutting down Monkey Knife Fight, the daily fantasy sports business which Sulsky helped create in 2017. Finally, regular contributors Amanda Brewer of Kindred Group and Kris Abbott of Kaizen Gaming/Betano also provided their usual keen insight into the latest news from around the industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
57:2805/03/2023
A 24-month journey for Gaming News Canada, and are video gaming machines coming to the home of Les Canadiens?
Amidst the sleet, snow, wind and cold throughout Ontario and parts of the U.S. on Thursday afternoon, we thought “hey, let’s gather the gang around LinkedIn Audio for an hour of dialogue, discussion and debate to help forget about the winter blahs”.And, for the most part, mission accomplished. Canadian Gaming Association grand poobah Paul Burns called in from a bus with his Leaside Wildcats u18 BB hockey team en route to the University of Notre Dame for a final-weekend-in-February tournament to help Gaming News Canada celebrate the second anniversary of our newsletter launch and to look back at the changing landscape of the Canadian sports betting and gaming scene since our inaugural newsletter on February 18, 2021. Benjie Cherniak of Avenue H Capital, Kindred Group’s Amanda Brewer, Kris Abbott of Kaizen Gaming, and Will Hill of Sightline Payments also provided their respective taps of the Jofa Wood Senior to GNC and their thoughts on the shifting sands in Ontario’s regulated industry. And the Gaming News Canada Show’s Fab Four du jour also weighed in on the news last week that Loto-Quebec is involved in discussions with the Montreal Canadiens about installing video gaming machines at Le Centre Bell. Finally, GBG Plc director of gaming Rebekah Jackson, joining us from northern England, provided some additional information and context to the news we broke in Thursday’s dispatch that GBG is first to market in Ontario in providing igaming companies with access to two of Canada’s main credit bureaus, Equifax and TransUnion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
57:1625/02/2023
Rogers Sportsnet to phase out SNBets and ‘twas a busy week for Canadian companies NorthStar Bets and GeoComply
Jonah Sigel of YYZ Sports Media stepped outside a conference ballroom to speak about his exclusive report very early Thursday morning that Rogers Sportsnet is phasing out its SNBets betting focused content brand. Two Canadian country managers, Amanda Brewer of Kindred Group and Betano’s Kris Abbott, along with Mark Silver and Mike Day from Parleh Media Group, also passed along their thoughts on the work in progress that is making sports betting content accessible, understandable and entertaining for sports fans.John Pappas, the senior VP of government and public affairs for Vancouver-based GeoComply, then joined us for a conversation on the company’s protection of Ontario sportsbook operators from proxy betting and cyberattacks, especially during the week leading up to Super Bowl LVII. And last but not least, NorthStar Gaming CEO and founding father Michael Moskowitz provided more insight into its expanded partnership with global online gaming software provider Playtech, announced at the start of the week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
56:5317/02/2023
theScore Bet’s Aubrey Levy talks Super Bowl plus the operator’s Ontario results, and the Responsible Gambling Council on its SB LVII survey
This week, theScore's marketing and content guru Aubrey Levy joins us to discuss the players, props and other plans for the company's coverage of Chiefs-Eagles. Levy also piggybacked on the recent comments of PENN Entertainment head Jay Snowden about theScore's successful performance so far in Ontario's regulated sports betting and gaming market. Amanda Brewer of Kindred Group, Will Hill of Sightline Payments and Betano Canadian country manager Kris Abbott also appear to deliver their own bon mots on the NFL championship game and also provide their respective thoughts on the buzz around Ontario at last week's ICE London conference.Finally, we spoke with Melissa Toney about the Responsible Gambling Council's latest survey of Canadians planning to place a wager on the Super Bowl, and asked her for some advice on how to avoid getting carried away when betting on the big game. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
01:05:3011/02/2023
Leaders from Canadian Gaming Association, Kindred Group, PointsBet Canada and Betano discuss MP Kevin Waugh's comments, Paysafe survey and ICE London
On the first Gaming News Canada podcast of February – and on the eve of this week’s ICE conference in jolly olde England – Amanda Brewer, Kris Abbott and Nic Sulsky gave their reaction to comments by Conservative MP Kevin Waugh on the regulated gaming industry in Ontario, and the results of a Paysafe survey that were released this week. Gavin Roth of Parleh Media Group also lent his voice to Waugh’s request for reasonable dialogue and patience around advertising by sports betting and online casino operators in the highly competitive Ontario marketplace.Canadian Gaming Association president/CEO Paul Burns then joined the podcast to weigh in on iGaming Ontario’s recently released Market Performance Report, and to highlight some agenda items of interest for ICE London – including Tuesday’s Canadian roundtable featuring Burns, iGO’s Martha Otton, Peter Czegledy from Aird and Berlis LLP, and Sophia Arvantis from the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
01:01:2005/02/2023
PointsBet, Betano and industry insiders share perspective, ponderance, and positive thoughts from iGaming Ontario’s latest market report
The breaking news of iGaming Ontario’s Q3 2022-23 facts and figures from the province’s regulated sports betting and igaming industry, along with a shining of the spotlight on women in gaming south of the border made for an hour of many voices and meaningful discussion on the latest Gaming News Canada Show.On Thursday morning, iGaming Ontario released its (rather) long-awaited Market Performance Report for the October-December period – a rather robust one on the sports calendar which included the FIFA World Cup, the World Series and a chock-a-block schedule of NFL, NBA and NHL regular-season games. Troy Ross of TRM Public Affairs, Will Hill of Sightline Payments, Kris Abbott of Betano and Nic Sulsky of PointsBet Canada all chimed in on the rosy results delivered by iGO, and looked ahead to a fourth quarter which will be highlighted by the Super Bowl and March Madness.Also, CDC Gaming Reports senior correspondent Rege Behe, Cassie Stratford of Boyd Gaming and Jessica Welman of SBC Americas and Canadian Gaming Business joined the show to discuss CDCGR’s inaugural 10 Women Rising in Gaming. And Welman weighed in on the journey to legalized sports betting in Massachusetts, which launches Tuesday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
48:2027/01/2023
Benjie Cherniak and SBC's Sue Schneider on the state of Canada’s young(ish) sports betting business
To cover a busy 8-10 days in the Canadian sports betting and gaming business, including some not-so-flattering coverage – especially on the frequent flow of advertisements on any and all platforms – we were joined by two veterans of the industry. Sue Schneider, the VP of strategy and growth, Americas for SBC, and Avenue H Capital principal Benjie Cherniak weighed in on both the challenges and opportunities for the still-young regulated gambling industry in Canada and the U.S. of A. Schneider also weighed in on the SBC/Gaming News Canada partnership announcement made last week and provided a glimpse of what attendees can expect at the June 13-15 Canadian Gaming Summit at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
58:3721/01/2023
The quest for diversity and inclusiveness continues in the gambling industry
Kindred Group’s Canadian country manager Amanda Brewer, Responsible Gambling Council CEO Shelley White and Quarter4 co-founder and CEO Kelly Brooks provided their perspective on the progress made to expand the opportunities for women in the sports betting and gaming industry, especially in leadership positions. White also discussed the RGC’s priorities for the coming year in a congested regulated Ontario market and across the rest of the country, while Brooks was asked about the growing presence of artificial intelligence in the industry, and the increasing acknowledgment that Canada is a hotspot when it comes to talent in the technology sector. Homestand Sports president Kevin Kennedy and Jason Sukhraj, the General Manager of Canada for SportsGrid, talked about the announcement that Homestand will produce and distribute original programming on SportsGrid when the FAST channel debuts in February on connected TV platforms in Canada. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
58:4813/01/2023
BET99, Betano and Unibet bosses weigh in on sports betting content
This week’s show is highlighted by a lively discussion about both sportsbook operators creating their own media properties, and the still-early days of media companies trying to integrate sports betting information and opinion into their broadcasts of games and highlight shows without incurring further wrath from sports fans who aren’t bettors. Sports Ventures Holdings (owners of Bet99) CEO Jared Beber, Kindred Group’s Canadian country manager Amanda Brewer, Betano Canada head honcho Kris Abbott, Parleh Media Group CEO Mark Silver and Chief Revenue Officer Gavin Roth, and Playmaker Capital Head of Partnerships Adam Seaborn looked at the initial efforts around content and also what’s to come from both sportsbooks and media companies.Beber also answered our questions about Bet99’s entry into the regulated Ontario market towards the end of 2022, and along with Abbott, Brewer and Silver did some crystal-ball gazing to make a prediction (or two) for the still-evolving gambling industry in Canada and the U.S. over the next 51 weeks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
51:0108/01/2023
13. The year that’s been in the Canadian gambling industry, and James Sharman on Messi, Mbappe, and France-Argentina
In the final episode of the Gaming News Canada Show podcast for 2022, Canadian Gaming Association president/CEO Paul Burns, Kindred Group/Unibet Canadian country manager Amanda Brewer, Sightline Payments Canadian VP Will Hill and PointsBet Canada Chief Commercial Officer Nic Sulsky discussed a dynamic year in Canada’s sports betting and gaming industry – highlighted by the opening of Ontario’s regulated market on April 4. They also got out their respective crystal balls and looked ahead to 2023.Room 4-4-2 host James Sharman also joined the podcast to talk about the FIFA World Cup including his thoughts on Lionel Messi’s place among football’s great players, Didier Deschamps’ place among the great managers of all time in the sport, and also diving into the Argentina-France championship match. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
01:02:2518/12/2022
12. Of women’s sports, women in sport, and who belongs in Cooperstown
Dr. Cheri Bradish, the Director of the Future of Sports Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University, joined The Gaming News Canada Show to discuss the proposed Canadian women’s pro soccer league announcement, girls and women in sport, and the opportunities and challenges faced by sportsbooks as potential corporate partners. Also, we catch up with the latest on the FIFA World Cup, and debate on who’s next to get into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
39:3311/12/2022
11. PointsBet Canada welcomes Gaming News Canada to their new Toronto digs
The Gaming News Canada Show went on the road for the first time, holding court from PointsBet Canada’s new offices in downtown Toronto. Scott Vanderwel, the CEO of PointsBet Canada and Chief Commercial Officer Nic Sulsky spoke about the company’s investment in Ontario’s regulated igaming industry. Amanda Brewer, the Canadian country manager for Kindred Group, joined Sulsky to weigh in on the employment opportunities the new industry has created in 2022, and also discussed the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario’s annual report which was released last week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
56:0105/12/2022
10. Betano gets a FIFA World Cup view through Room 4-4-2, and some thoughts on the New York Times series
On this episode of The Gaming News Canada Show podcast, Betano’s Canadian country manager Kris Abbott speaks about the Ontario market newcomer’s partnership with Room 4-4-2’s for the soccer show’s Qatar 2022 coverage. Also, podcast regulars Amanda Brewer from Kindred Group, Will Hill of Sightline Payments and Canadian Gaming Association president/CEO Paul Burns spoke about the New York Times’s investigation into the rapid growth of legal sports betting across the United States, and how Barstool's Dave Portnoy does not speak for the industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
57:5527/11/2022
9. Steven Salz’s take on Rivalry’s rise, and GeoComply (geo)locates in Toronto
In this episode of the Gaming News Canada Show, Rivalry co-founder and CEO Steven Salz talks about the Toronto company’s rise in the esports betting space, its results so far in Ontario’s regulated igaming industry, and its marketing and operational efforts targeted at Gen Z and millennials. Lindsay Slader, the Managing Director – Gaming for GeoComply, joined the show to explain the opening of the Canadian company’s Toronto office this week and its ties to war-torn Ukraine. Podcast regulars Will Hill of Sightline Payments and Amanda Brewer from Kindred Group discussed the latest happenings around the business of betting and gaming. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
58:3714/11/2022
8. OLG announces sports betting's arrival at Ontario casinos, CGA head Paul Burns weighs in
On the latest Gaming News Canada Show podcast, Paul Burns weighed in on the long-awaited arrival of sports betting at some casinos across Ontario in the latest Gaming News Canada Show podcast. Joining the president and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association to discuss the topic are the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Commission's director of media relations Tony Bitonti, Sightline Payments executive Will Hill and Amanda Brewer, the Canadian country manager for Kindred Group. Bitonti also digs into the details from OLG’s first Impact Report: Where Play Meets Purpose, and speaks about the performance of ProLine+ in the first seven months of Ontario’s super-competitive online sports wagering and casino marketplace. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
59:5806/11/2022
7. Twitter's Conor Clarence on trending Canadian sports, Room 4-4-2 on Game+ TV, and an audit of Sportsnet's HNIC
In this episode of The Gaming News Canada Show podcast, Anthem Sports & Entertainment executive Anthony Cicione joined us to talk about the addition of Parleh Media Group’s Room 4-4-2 soccer show to the menu of sports betting and daily fantasy sports programs on Anthem’s Game+ network. Kindred Group’s Amanda Brewer and Will Hill from Sightline Payments, along with Mark Silver and Gavin Roth from Parleh, weigh in on the Hockey Night in Canada advertising audit in last week’s Gaming News Canada newsletter. Brewer and Hill also provide their thoughts on The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario’s outreach to industry stakeholders on potentially changing the rules of engagement around promotional partnerships in the province’s gaming industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
57:2730/10/2022
6. Playmaker Capital's Jordan Gnat on a matter of M&A, a recap of G2E and iGO’s quarterly report, and going to (the Ontario) market
On the latest Gaming News Canada Show podcast, Playmaker Capital co-founder and CEO Jordan Gnat provides some insight into the company’s acquisition of Wedge Traffic, and also talks about Playmaker’s plunge into the podcast business. Amanda Brewer, the Canadian country manager for Kindred Group, and TRM Public Affairs president Troy Ross take a look back at a hugely successful Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas while also presenting their perspectives on the Q2 performance report issued by iGaming Ontario. Also, Kris Abbott and Steve Rapp of Betano and Pinnacle Sports respectively join the show to discuss their two companies joining an already-busy Ontario market. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
57:1724/10/2022
5. Presenting the 411 on the G2E with Responsible Gambling Council CEO Shelley White and Jessica Welman from SBC
On this edition of The Gaming News Canada Show, SBC Americas Editor Jessica Welman and Responsible Gambling Council CEO Shelley White help us set the table for this week’s Global Gaming Expo, which is expected to attract some 18,000 gaming industry types to The Venetian. White also gives the lowdown on the RGC’s new PSA campaign in collaboration with thinkTV to educate the public on the risks involved in gambling. We also highlight the major news from the week in the Gaming News Canada newsletter, including the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario’s revised standards for the province’s regulated sports betting and igaming industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
55:5910/10/2022
4. A new role, what’s new and a James Sharman Room 4-4-2 rendezvous
This week, The Gaming News Canada podcast is joined by Kris Abbott, the former Canadian country manager for Coolbet who was recently hired by Kaizen Gaming in the same role for Kaizen’s Betano sportsbook brand. BetSwap founder Brent Winston discussed the latest happenings with the Toronto based startup, and Room 4-4-2 host James Sharman teed up this week’s soccer party at The Rivoli along with the countdown to the FIFA men’s World Cup in November.As usual, Amanda Brewer from Kindred Group and Will Hill of Sightline Payments discussed the latest news in the sports betting and gaming world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
59:1703/10/2022
3. Following the fantasy sports dilemma in Ontario with Roto Wire founder Peter Schoenke
On this week’s episode, Roto Wire founder and CEO Peter Schoenke and long-time fantasy sports guru Digger Turnbull spoke about the shutdown of daily fantasy sports in Ontario and the efforts of the Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association to bring back DFS (to give your support, go to fantasysportsforall.com/Ontario. Amanda Brewer, the Canadian country manager for Kindred Group, and Nic Sulsky – the current CCO of PointsBet Canada and former co-founder of Monkey Knife Fight – also weighed in on the topic.Paul Burns, the president and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association, joined the show from the SBC Summit Barcelona to discuss his week in the Spanish city – including his role as moderator of a panel on the early days of the regulated Ontario market - and also to receive congratulations on being named the recipient of a Career Achievement award from VIXIO Gambling Compliance.We reached Sulsky inside Willie O’Ree Place in Fredericton during the second day of the inaugural PointsBet Canada Invitational, with men’s and women’s rinks competing in a March Madness-style knockout tournament and the winning rink each getting $50,000. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
55:2926/09/2022
2. Another AGCO licence, a new curling competition, and paying tribute to the Fed Express.
This week, Canadian sports betting industry veteran Steve Rapp joined us to talk about his new role as Canadian Country Manager for Pinnacle, and about the company waiting for iGaming Ontario approval after receiving a licence from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.Nic Sulsky, the Chief Commercial Officer for PointsBet Canada, discussed the company’s $1 million bracket challenge and other promotional events around next week’s inaugural PointsBet Invitational curling competition in Fredericton in partnership with Curling Canada. Rapp, Gavin Roth, Mike Day, Amanda Brewer and Tony Luccisano all weighed in on Roger Federer’s announcement that the tennis legend is retiring from Grand Slams and ATP Tour competition after 20 Slam singles titles and 103 Tour championships. The episode finished with a roundtable on the continued quest by Canadian media companies, Rogers' Sportsnet and Bell Media's TSN, to integrate sports betting content into their broadcasts and other platforms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
50:5418/09/2022
1. Ontario market open: looking back and looking forward
Amanda Brewer, the Canadian country manager for Kindred Group, and Will Hill, Canadian vice-president of business development for Sightline Payments, provided their insight into the first quarterly report presented by iGaming Ontario on the province’s regulated sports betting and igaming business. Brewer and Hill both call for patience, pointing to a market making the transition from grey to white, a soft spot in the sports calendar between April and June, and the industry missing major players such as Super Group, PokerStars and Pinnacle in the opening quarter. Aubrey Levy, the senior VP of content and marketing for The Score, also joined the show to talk about the addition of Jon Lovitz, Russell Peters and Patrick J. Adams to theScore Bet’s “Get Into Bet Mode”campaign. Levy, Brewer and Parleh Media Group CEO Mark Silver discussed the anticipation for the betting industry around the start of a busy fall sports season, highlighted by the NFL’s regular season getting underway.Host Steve McAllister also brought in sports bettor Tony Luccisano to give his best bets for the U.S. Open tennis men's and women's finals. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
58:4313/09/2022
Welcome to the Gaming News Canada Show
Group founder Mark Silver about the evolution of Canada’s first newsletter dedicated to the new sports betting and gaming landscape in Canada. Beginning with the Parleh newsletter in January 2021 when McAllister chronicled the march of Bill C-218 towards amending the Criminal Code of Canada to open the door for provinces to offer single-event sports betting to covering the early months of Ontario’s wide-open, regulated wagering and igaming market, McAllister and Silver discuss the role of the newsletter – along with weekly “shows” Twitter Spaces – in shining a light on the stories, the players and the issues in the industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
15:3012/09/2022
theScore Bet and PointsBet Canada take a deep dive into the launch of Ontario’s online sports betting market
Spotlight Sports Group hosted a conversation with industry experts in May 2022 to discuss the early weeks of Ontario's online sports betting business. The panel included Rick Wolf from Spotlight Sports Group, Nic Sulsky from PointsBet Canada, and Aubrey Levy from theScore Bet. They covered various aspects, including market opening, customer acquisition and retention strategies, popular betting trends, and the role of partnerships. Here are some key insights from their discussion.The market opening of Ontario's online sports betting business has been deemed successful by industry stakeholders. Operators, regulators, and vendors are pleased with the progress so far. However, the market is still in its early stages, and there are ongoing efforts to interpret and comply with the rules and regulations.Creating a sense of belonging within a sports ecosystem is crucial for attracting and retaining customers. This involves engaging users through activities like fantasy sports and betting, allowing them to develop a stronger connection to the games and players. To succeed in the highly competitive Ontario market, operators need to deliver a top-grade product and offer unique differentiators that set them apart. Building a strong brand identity is also essential for long-term success.While marketing strategies can drive initial interest, the panelists emphasized the importance of focusing on product excellence to win in the online sports betting space. Providing exceptional user experiences and innovative features will help operators stand out from their competitors.Ontario's sports fans have shown a predictable preference for betting on the province's teams, particularly the Leafs, Raptors, and Blue Jays. Basketball has gained significant popularity, and live, in-play bets are prevalent. Baseball and tennis are also seeing increased interest. As the football season approaches, the panelists are curious to see how the market dynamics might change.Partnerships with prominent sports organizations are instrumental in building trust, integrity, and excitement around betting brands. Collaborating with organizations like the Blue Jays and Golf Canada allows operators to leverage existing fan bases and engage in joint initiatives to enhance brand awareness and customer loyalty. These partnerships go beyond financial transactions and provide opportunities for learning, education, innovation, and brand activation.In conclusion, Ontario's new online sports betting business has shown promising results in its early weeks. To thrive in this competitive market, operators must focus on product excellence, brand building, and strategic partnerships. By understanding customer preferences and delivering outstanding user experiences, operators can position themselves for long-term success in Ontario's online sports betting industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
01:02:4825/05/2022