Canada
Gambling Legislation by State in the US and Canada
No matter which region bettors find themselves visiting in both Canada and America, they are bound to find some sort of online gambling offered. America is quickly becoming the online gambling metropolis with Canada showing signs of following suit. More Americans are turning to their mobile devices and laptops to access online gambling in its many forms and shapes. More states are currently in the process of legalizing online gambling, launching sports betting and featuring the latest and newest online casino platforms. US players first visited online casinos that were based in places such as the Isle of Man and Antiguan 1994. In 1996, Canada’s First Nations team started online casinos in Quebec and Montreal.
States That Have Yet to Join the Online Movement
Sports betting is one of the more sought after forms of online gambling in certain states in America. California, Maine, Massachusetts, Florida, Kansas, Missouri and Kentucky are in the process of strategizing with lawmakers, senators and government to pass laws and legislature to legalize sports betting. In most of these states, bills have been proposed and voters have been tallied in favour of these referendums but lawmakers in the states are neither here nor there when it comes to finding out exactly when the industry will launch.
There are, however, states have managed to provide their residents with sports betting at land-based venues for the time being. These states have had no luck with getting the gambling legislature to approve online wagering. New York, Mississippi, Arkansas, Maryland, North Carolina and New Mexico have all tried to get the sports betting scene online, but to no avail. Even though voters have declared that they would want online sports betting offered in these states it seems unlikely that this goal will come to fruition soon.
States That Have Launched Online Wagering
Michigan, Delaware, West Virginia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania are the only states where all three forms of online gambling are being offered presently. The five states all offer their players and residents Online Sports Betting, Online Poker and Online Casinos. New Jersey who generates over $225 million per annum has been identified as the state with the biggest online gambling market in the U.S. Indiana, New Hampshire, Iowa, Oregon, Colorado, Rhodes Island, Tennessee, Montana, Illinois and Washington D.C have all managed to successfully launch a legal and regulated online Sports Betting industry but not much else. In most of these states the online option was made available as a result of the lottery already being played in the respective state. Most establishments where the lottery is allowed will not be permitted to conduct any other forms of online gambling from their premises. However, land-based operators have inked lucrative and strategic partnership deals with premium sportsbook providers such as BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel and Pointsbet.
Lottery
The lottery the only game of chance that is allowed to be played legally in all the states in the U.S and Canada, with the latter offering some of the best Canadian casino websites run by off-shore operators to cater the gambling market. In Georgia, the Lottery Corporation allows patrons to play other forms of online games such as Fantasy 5, Mega Millions and Powerball. Keno games are also allowed in conjunction with Georgia Lottery Corporation’s Diggi Games. In Illinois, Lotto and Mega Millions tickets went on sale in March 2012; along with this the site also sold Powerball tickets. It was in April 2014 that the first record amount of $36.9 million in online ticket sales was announced, after just two years of the game offering going live. In 2014, Michigan announced that its first online tickets were sold for a game called instant Keno. The tickets could be purchased by residents via their mobile devices and computers. Later, in 2016, the Mega Millions 47, Powerball and Fantasy 5 tickets were available online to anyone older than 18, which is the legal lottery gambling age. In Kentucky, in 2016, online ticket for daily draw games and jackpots were finally made available. The state took a total of 3 years and some months to design the game’s intricate system, which does not allow winners to access their winnings, because of the very strict laws regarding money laundering in the state.
Canada
IAGR announces Toronto as host city for 2025 conference
Hot on the heels of its most attended conference in history, the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) is excited to announce that its 2025 conference will take place in Toronto, Canada, from October 20 to 23, 2025.
The event will be held in partnership with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) at the Westin Harbour Castle, offering stunning waterfront views and a premier, downtown Toronto location.
‘Fresh off the success of our Rome conference, we’re thrilled to continue the momentum with next year’s event in Toronto,’ said Ben Haden, IAGR President.
‘The IAGR 2025 conference promises to be another unparalleled opportunity for our global community to come together, collaborate and shape the future of gaming regulation. We’re looking forward to working with AGCO to bring it all together.’
AGCO CEO and Registrar Dr. Karin Schnarr, added, ‘We’re excited to welcome IAGR and its members to Toronto. This partnership provides a great opportunity to share Ontario’s innovative regulatory practices and foster meaningful discussions that drive positive change in the industry.’
Stay tuned for registration details early next year.
Canada
ESE Entertainment Completes Acquisition of Gaming Production Company, Bombee Americas
ESE Entertainment Inc., a gaming company that provides a range of services to leading video game developers and publishers, has announced that it has acquired Bombee Global Entertainment Ltd. (Bombee Americas), the North American arm of Bombee Event Production AB, (Bombee), a global production company specialized in live production, special effects, broadcast, and event management for the gaming sector.
Bombee has successfully collaborated with ESE to bring its premier event production services and world class customer service to North America and beyond. The North American arm of Bombee, Bombee Americas, will continue to grow and scale in this new organizational structure under ESE, while maintaining its entire team and global support.
Konrad Wasiela, CEO of ESE, said: “Today marks the next stage of ESE—a 2.0 version of our company. With the acquisition of Bombee Americas, we are not only solidifying our presence in North America but also paving the way for growth and innovation in the gaming industry. This is a major step, positioning us to deliver even greater value to our partners and elevate the gaming experience for our clients globally. We’re thrilled about the opportunities ahead and the exceptional talent joining our team.”
Transaction Terms
The Acquisition was completed by way of a share purchase agreement (the SPA) among the Company, Bombee Americas, and the shareholders of Bombee Americas (the Vendors). Pursuant to the SPA, ESE acquired all of the outstanding shares of Bombee Americas in exchange for: (i) $750,000 in cash paid on closing, (ii) $375,000 in cash to be paid six (6) months following closing, subject to customary adjustments based on the working capital of Bombee Americas on closing, (iii) $375,000 in cash to be paid twelve (12) months following closing, and (iv) 30,000,000 common shares of ESE (the Consideration Shares), issued at a deemed issue price of $0.10 per share.
In connection with the Acquisition, the founders of Bombee Americas have signed three-year service agreements and will continue to run the business following the closing, along with the rest of the personnel of Bombee Americas who will remain in place, ensuring a smooth transition of operations. As part of the Acquisition, the Company has acquired the liabilities of Bombee Americas, mainly consisting of customary current obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business for Bombee Americas, which are not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s operations or financial position.
No finder’s fees were paid or payable in conjunction with the Acquisition.
The Acquisition was an arm’s length transaction within the meaning of the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the Exchange) and constituted an “Expedited Acquisition” in accordance with Exchange Policy 5.3 – Acquisitions and Dispositions of Non-Cash Assets. The Acquisition remains subject to the final approval of the Exchange.
Canada
Suspected Digital Fraud Coming from Canada Up Nearly 11% Since H1 2023, Reveals New TransUnion Analysis
In the first half (H1) of 2024, Canada saw a significant increase in suspected Digital Fraud attempts, with nearly 5.74% of all attempted digital transactions where the consumer was located in Canada involving suspected Digital Fraud, revealed a new TransUnion® (NYSE: TRU) analysis. This is nearly an 11% year-over-year (YoY) rate increase from H1 2023, and TransUnion also documented an 11% increase in the volume of suspected Digital Fraud from Canada during this period, despite a less than a one percent (0.7%) YoY increase in the volume of transactions.
According to a recent TransUnion survey,1 more than half (54%) of Canadians said they were recently targeted by email, phone call or text message fraud attempts. Phishing was the most common scheme type (45%), followed by smishing (42%) and vishing (39%).
The increasing use of digital transactions, combined with rising suspected Digital Fraud attempts are also impacting businesses as they potentially face revenue losses and increased operational costs due to fraud. According to a TransUnion business survey for the H2 2024 Update to the State of Omnichannel Fraud report, 200 Canadian business leaders said their companies lost approximately 6% of equivalent revenue – representing $78 billion – over the past year due to fraud. The most prominent causes of fraud loss cited by them were:
- Scam/Authorized fraud (31%): Dishonest scheme intended to trick a person into giving up something of value (e.g., account access, money, information)
- Account takeover (19%): Unauthorized individuals taking over someone’s online account (e.g., bank, social media, email) without their permission
- Synthetic identity fraud (18%): Use of a combination of personal information to fabricate a person or entity to commit a dishonest act for financial or personal gain
TransUnion also found that suspected Digital Fraud attempts – where the consumer was transacting in Canada and targeted businesses globally – increased on average by 10.5% YoY in H1 2024 compared to H1 2023 and impacted all industries.
Top Three Industries Globally with Highest Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts Coming from Canada in H1 2024
- Gambling (online sports betting, poker, etc.) – 9.6%
- Retail – 9.2%
- Government – 7.7%
Top Three Industries Globally with Highest YoY Increase (H1 2024 vs H1 2023) in the Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts Coming from Canada
- Logistics – 172.9%
- Gambling – 79.3%
- Video gaming – 67.8%
“Protecting customers and their businesses from fraud is essential to enabling safe and tailored consumer experiences. These findings reveal that despite the good-faith efforts that are being undertaken by companies to identify and prevent fraud to date, fraudsters continue to evolve and it’s vital that fraud prevention methods keep up with the changing times,” said Patrick Boudreau, head of identity management and fraud solutions at TransUnion Canada.
“Businesses that aren’t already doing so should ensure that they are taking advantage of fraud prevention technologies such as identity verification, IP intelligence, device reputation and synthetic identity detection as critical components of their fraud prevention programs,” he added.
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