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One year on: Showcasing Altenar’s Ontario success

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One year on: Showcasing Altenar’s Ontario success

 

Twelve months ago, Altenar made a name for itself as one of the first major European sportsbook providers to go live in Canada’s nascent regulated province of Ontario. 

With the market now in its second year of being regulated, we spoke to Altenar’s Head of Sales, Antonino Barra, to hear more about the success Altenar’s market-leading technology has brought to Ontario, as well as the award-winning provider’s expectations for the year ahead.

 

It is almost a year since Altenar entered Ontario. How have you settled into the region and how has the product been received?

We’ve been live in the region with a big-name operator since the early days of the market being regulated back in early 2022. Overall, business has been fantastic – we can see how much demand there is for sports betting in Ontario thanks to the influx of very successful teams across a wide range of sports, including the Canadian Football League.

When we went live in the market back in April 2022, we envisaged a bright start for us, and it has presented a significant opportunity to develop and implement our bespoke trading and pricing models for Canada’s most popular sports. Without a doubt, we have one of the best trading teams in the industry and we’ve got some fantastic case studies to back it up. All in all, it’s been an excellent first year and our products have been incredibly well received.

 

What is attractive about the region from a sportsbook point of view?

Ontario loves sport, so it has been a great experience for us so far. Teams such as the Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Raptors and the Ottawa Senators are all well supported, and this is evidenced in the extensive popularity we’re seeing when it comes to sports betting on some of Canada’s best-loved sports.

According to iGaming Ontario’s first year’s performance report, Basketball was the most popular sport to bet on, accounting for 29% of all wagers, followed by soccer (15%), football (13%), hockey (9%), and baseball (8%). Sports categories include bets on a variety of athletic activities, including but not limited to professional leagues. Having such a diverse range of sports has proven to be a fantastic challenge for our trading teams and we’ve really enjoyed becoming localised experts on North American sports!

 

Did you set any targets for your first year in Ontario and did you achieve them?

Being able to provide a full solution to players in Ontario, with one of the most comprehensive sports betting propositions available, was also another OKR we put a lot of effort into achieving. A crucial differentiator was to provide a bespoke provision of ad hoc services that could be tailored   to exactly what Canadian players have been looking for. So far, it has been great to see all of these vital targets reached and we look forward to surpassing them.

 

What advantages does Canada offer as opposed to LatAm or the US?

When we compare Ontario to the LatAm region, we must understand that the market is less granular. The legal framework allows space to offer different business plans and enables us to have been one of Ontario’s true pioneers.

In LatAm, it is easy to be overpowered by certain operators who hold too much sway, given some jurisdictions have big name operators holding up to 75% of market share. The retail vs. online split is also hugely different, in that Canada is hugely online-first, while in LatAm – retail will always be the flagship brand.

Looking at comparisons with the US, the cost can be hugely prohibitive in comparison as you have to go through the licensing process for each new US state. As a result, the bureaucratic hurdles involved in making that happen require a vast provision of resources, as well as the risks involved in the land-based lobby slowing down any launch process.

On the other hand, when examining the situation in Ontario, it becomes apparent that the regulatory framework is remarkably flexible, offering a highly convenient platform for sportsbooks venturing into the North American market for the first time. This aspect serves as a significant incentive for numerous European brands to establish their presence in North America prior to expanding further south. The market’s favourable reputation stems from its commendable ability to provide tailored conditions that are exceptionally conducive to growth.

 

How does the next 12 months look? Do you expect to branch into other provinces as they come online?

Absolutely. As it stands, Ontario is the only province that currently offers a licence and is open for entrants, but we will look to target all provinces as they slowly come online. The next couple I expect to follow suit are Alberta and British Columbia, and we’ll be first in the queue for those. The current status regarding lotteries is that they have a monopolistic hold over these provinces, just like we’ve seen with land-based and tribal influence in the US. Of course, Canadian lotteries have a vested interest in seeing themselves hold onto the market so this will be an interesting development to keep an eye on.

For 2023 to 2024, we’ll be focused on solid growth and helping new operators develop and grow their operations to become verifiable contenders.

Finally, given the economic outlook over in Europe – and indeed, the likely contractions faced, there’s plenty of fortune awaiting on the western side of the Atlantic, so we’d certainly encourage brands looking for a better outlook to set foot in here – it’s a place to be watched with interest.

Canada

Court Decision Upholds iGaming Ontario’s Model

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iGaming Ontario has welcomed the decision of the Ontario Superior Court, which found that iGaming Ontario’s model is consistent with the Criminal Code and that iGaming Ontario is conducting and managing igaming in the province.

“We have always been confident in our model and are pleased that the court has ruled in our favour, and that Ontarians can continue to play with confidence in our regulated igaming market,” said Martha Otton, Executive Director of iGaming Ontario.

“Ontario’s model meets the requirements and contributes to the public good by protecting players, their data and their funds, while helping to fund priority public services in Ontario, and bringing well-paid, high-tech jobs and economic development to Ontario,” Otton added.

In dismissing the application brought forward by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK), the Superior Court found that iGaming Ontario is the “operating mind” behind Ontario’s competitive igaming market in accordance with the conduct and manage requirements of the Criminal Code.

iGaming Ontario will continue to conduct and manage igaming as it has since the launch of the regulated market on April 4, 2022.

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Canada

Bragg Gaming Appoints Renowned iGaming Executive Neill Whyte as Chief Commercial Officer

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Bragg Gaming Group, a global iGaming technology and content provider, announced that Neill Whyte has been appointed as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), effective 1st May 2024, establishing a new global commercial structure at the Company and bolstering its leadership team.

Whyte brings over 18 years of experience in the iGaming sector, most recently in the role of Chief Commercial Officer at Digital Gaming Corporation’s (DGC), B2B iGaming Division. After joining DGC in early 2020, he was responsible for the commercially successful launch and growth of its content distribution business in the US.

Prior to joining DGC, Whyte held multiple positions in the gaming industry including as Head of Business Development at Isle of Man-based iGaming specialist Apricot Investments, as Board Member at Swedish iGaming product and Lottery content distributor Genera Networks, and in various senior roles over eleven years at leading iGaming content supplier Microgaming, including as Head of Product Channels.

In his new role with Bragg, Whyte will be tasked with leading the Company’s global commercial teams to drive growth across all of the Company’s product verticals which include proprietary online casino content from its Atomic Slot Lab, Indigo Magic and Wild Streak Gaming studios, exclusive content from content partners, HUB a leading casino content aggregation platform, Fuze player engagement, as well as its award-winning player account management (PAM) platform and turnkey solutions.

Matevž Mazij, Chief Executive Officer at Bragg, said: “I am very pleased to be announcing today the appointment of Neill Whyte as Chief Commercial Officer at Bragg. His iGaming product and market knowledge, together with his record in driving growth from developing successful and mutually beneficial commercial partnerships are exceptional.

“As we leverage our broad content and product portfolio to grow in existing and new markets, including in the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe, Neill’s unique combination of knowledge, skills and experience in this sector are a perfect fit for our ambitions at Bragg.”

Neill Whyte, Chief Commercial Officer at Bragg, said: “It’s an honor to join Matevž and the wider teams at Bragg already in place across North America, Europe and in India. I have been impressed with the depth and quality of the content, product and technology offerings at Bragg, and its ability to rapidly adapt, certify and deploy this content and technology in newly regulated markets is a distinct advantage.

“We also have a huge opportunity to grow our footprint with our existing customers in markets in which we are already established. Our content and product roadmaps are second to none, and I’m planning to get on the road in the coming weeks and months to meet the team and our customers and to start building for the next stage of mutual growth. I can’t wait to get going.”

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Canada

IGT to Launch Cloud-based iLottery Solutions for Atlantic Lottery in Canada

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International Game Technology PLC announced that its subsidiary, IGT Global Solutions Corporation, has signed a five-year contract with the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (Atlantic Lottery), to implement high-performing features and exciting new games for players in Atlantic Canada. As part of the agreement, IGT will deploy its advanced cloud-based remote game server (RGS) and at least 16 digital instant games each year. The contract will run through April 2029 and includes five, one-year extension options.

“As the largest digital instant market in Canada, Atlantic Lottery is pleased to partner with IGT and offer our players dynamic digital instant games from IGT’s comprehensive content portfolio. Additionally, the scalability of IGT’s cloud-based RGS will enable us to modify our digital instants library in real time, provide our players with best-in-class experiences and continually enhance our iGaming offer,” Robert LaLonde, iGaming Director at Atlantic Lottery Corporation, said.

“Partnering with the Atlantic Lottery to deliver IGT’s cloud-based RGS and engaging digital instant games is an exciting opportunity for our iLottery business. We look forward to helping the Atlantic Lottery further grow its business and reach new players in the region with our reliable RGS technology and top-performing iLottery games,” said Srini Nedunuri, IGT Senior Vice President, Global iLottery.

IGT’s RGS platform will enable the Atlantic Lottery to access to IGT’s vast portfolio of digital instant games and content, spanning a variety of player-favorite themes, play styles, omnichannel games, popular licensed content, and award-winning progressive jackpot games. The platform provides cross-channel branding across retail and digital, supports a range of jackpot and prize pool configurations, offers various bonusing tools to enhance player engagement, and is designed for optimum performance and scalability.

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