Evolution announced that it has gone live with its online live casino offering for players in Delaware’s regulated gaming market, in partnership with Rush Street Interactive Inc., a leading US-based iGaming company that operates the BetRivers brand. As with its online slots, Evolution’s live games will feature in Delaware Lottery’s three online casinos — Delaware Park Casino, Bally’s Dover Casino Resort, and Harrington Raceway & Casino. The Delaware Park and Harrington sites are accessible through the BetRivers multi-state platform, while Bally’s Dover Casino Resort offers its own standalone app.

This latest development follows the successful recent Delaware launch through RSI’s BetRivers platform of Evolution Group’s leading online slots from its NetEnt, Red Tiger, and Big Time Gaming brands.

Now, Evolution’s eagerly anticipated live launch brings a host of the biggest and most popular live dealer online casino games to Delaware players. Live dealer games now available at BetRivers in Delaware include Live Roulette, Blackjack, Infinite Blackjack, Baccarat, Craps, and leading Poker variants such as Three Card Poker and Ultimate Texas Hold’em.

Jacob Claesson, Evolution CEO for North America, said: “We are delighted to partner again with Rush Street Interactive for another momentous launch in Delaware. There has been huge anticipation around the arrival of our live online games in Delaware, particularly since our March 2024 online slots launch, as our unique and innovative live games are so well known and have proved so enormously popular in other US markets.”

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Claesson added: “Delaware is our sixth US state and this live games launch further reinforces our standing as the market leader in online gaming in the US. We are confident that Delaware’s online players at BetRivers will absolutely love the quality and extended choice. Our live games add a new dimension of excitement to the player experience, as they bet in real-time, with real dealers, and alongside fellow online players.”

Richard Schwartz, CEO of Rush Street Interactive, said: “BetRivers in Delaware is thrilled to offer players the chance to virtually play on Evolution’s world-renowned live tables. We are confident that the live dealer online casino will be very popular as the live dealer games offer the same level of excitement as playing in a land-based casino.”

Schwartz added: “This launch reinforces BetRivers commitment to offer Delaware online players the best mix of innovative and entertaining games available.”

Recent gambling policy changes in Canada have led to increased opportunities to legally bet on sports and gamble online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The report “Gambling Availability and Advertising in Canada: A Call to Action” looks at the impacts of legal gambling in Canada since the approval of the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act in 2021. The report recommends developing a pan-Canadian strategy to address gambling-related harms. This is a new report by Greo Evidence Insights (Greo) and the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA).

This call to action is in response to the significant increase in gambling advertising on billboards, social media, at commercial breaks during sports broadcasts and during sporting events. Increased gambling availability and advertising are expected to contribute to increased gambling in Canada, thereby posing a significant risk of harms among the general population, particularly for youth, young adults and other vulnerable populations.

The report also describes how the increased availability of gambling and in gambling advertising are of great concern because:

• The types of gambling being made available and promoted (single-event sports betting and live or in-play betting) are associated with a greater risk of harm. For example, single-event sports betting increases gambling intensity and gives an illusion of control over the outcome as people believe their knowledge of the game gives them a competitive edge.
• The volume of gambling advertisements repeatedly pairing sports with betting normalizes gambling, leading people to think of betting as an integral part of being a sports fan.
• Increased availability of gambling and in gambling advertising are happening at a time when many people in Canada are more vulnerable to problematic gambling and gambling-related harms because of the lingering health impacts of COVID-19 and a rise in the cost of living.

“Over the last few years, we have witnessed some of the most significant changes in gambling policy since the 1970s. We have seen a massive increase in gambling advertising and opportunities to gamble. We can no longer watch sports with our kids or go online without being subjected to an overwhelming amount of gambling advertising. Canada is at a critical moment in how it manages gambling. A national strategy or framework — similar to what we have for alcohol, tobacco and cannabis — is critical to manage the expected increase in gambling harm, especially among youth and other vulnerable people,” explained Dr. Matthew Young, Chief Research Officer at Greo, Senior Research Associate at the CCSA and Adjunct Professor at Carleton University.

The report recommends developing a national strategy that will:

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• Develop national standards governing the promotion and availability of gambling;
• Manage conflicts of interest among gambling stakeholders;
• Address inadequate funding for gambling harm prevention and reduction initiatives and research;
• Monitor systematic changes in gambling-related harm, including any assessments of the social and economic costs of gambling; and
• Increase awareness of gambling-related harms among health and social service professionals and the public.

“Increased gambling among people living in Canada will undoubtebly result in increased harms and therefore increased societal costs. These include healthcare costs, criminal-justice costs, child welfare costs, increased unemployment and lost productivity costs because of gambling-related suicide. We need to think about our approach and ensure that it considers not only short-term government revenue and economic activity but also the longer-term societal costs. That’s why we need a national strategy,” Dr. Pam Kent, Director of Research and Emerging Trends at CCSA, said.

WagerWire, a sports gaming marketplace technology company serving sportsbooks and fantasy operators, announced that buying and selling is now live in their app, available in the iOS and Google Play stores. This marks the first time that fantasy players can legally buy and sell daily fantasy Pick’em entries with the tap of a button.

WagerWire users are now able to buy and sell RealTime Fantasy Sports entries on the app, with more fantasy operators to be added for trading soon. WagerWire announced their integration with RealTime Fantasy in January 2024, allowing users to sell their Pick’em lineups while in progress, including during the actual game, directly on the RTFS platform. During the NFL playoffs, the marketplace saw 12% of all DFS Pick’em lineups sell on the secondary market.

“This is a paradigm shifting moment for fantasy. This launch represents a way to bring more ownership and control over their entries. For the first time, there is a way to cash in on your lineups even if they go on to lose – by selling it to a friend or on the open market. The excitement is palpable,” said WagerWire Co-Founder and CEO Zach Doctor.

The newly launched fantasy marketplace is the latest addition to the growing technology portfolio of WagerWire’s parent company Wire Industries Inc. Their app already hosts an array of marketplace tools for both sports betting and fantasy including stat tracking, account syncing, bet value graph builders and calculator, and social features that allow users to follow how their friends, influencers, or sharps are playing.

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“I’ve been playing fantasy for years, but being able to sell my DFS lineups is game-changing. I’m also loving being able to buy and sell in-game and see the progress of my picks with live price suggestions. The RT marketplace in the WagerWire app takes an already great and easy-to-use experience to the next level,” said Braiden Payne, RealTime Fantasy Sports veteran user.

WagerWire was recently shortlisted for two awards at SBC North America – Rising Star of the Year and Affiliate of the Year, in addition to EGR’s Rising Star of the Year and Hashtag Sport’s Best X Presence award.