Canada
BetGames interview: Twain Sport’s debut in Canada

With BetGames’ Twain Sport now live in Ontario, we thought it would be the perfect time to sit down the company’s VP for Europe, Asia & Americas, John-Paul Rowland, to hear more about their plans for Canada.
Offering a completely new hybrid version of sports betting via soccer and basketball, with short-form, live action tournaments and a new match every few minutes, John-Paul takes us through his company’s unique proposition for serving the new ‘Tik-Tok generation’ of players.
With Twain Sport now debuting in Ontario, BetGames will no doubt be very excited to get started! What are your plans for the market and how are you going to make a difference?
We’re very excited to get started! It’s a real landmark launch for us following on from Twain’s debut in Europe and Africa with some of the industry’s biggest tier one brands.
Twain Sport is a completely new hybrid version of live sport – offering matches every four minutes and tournaments every hour, and we’ve been delighted with the impact we’ve had so far. At the end of the day, the market needs innovative content right now, and Twain is here to deliver exactly that.
We’re here to cater to a sports-mad audience in Canada, and we’re filling the gap in demand for short-form live-action sporting content. We know exactly where the opportunity lies for us here, and we believe players in North America are going to love what we have to offer. Our extensive research ahead of launching on the continent identified exactly which demographics and audiences we’ll be entertaining, and we see an excellent product fit there.
When it comes to player demographics – what made you identify the market as a key opportunity and what kind of players do you think Twain Sport will appeal to the most?
As we’ve covered already – Ontario, and indeed Canada, is a fantastic opportunity for us. For a start, the average bettor is between 25 and 30 years old, which is the exact demographic we’re targeting with Twain Sport, as we offer high-turnover, fast action live sport for what is effectively the ‘Tik Tok’ generation, meaning we fit the bill perfectly.
I believe this demand for new shorter-form content is exactly what the market is looking for right now, and we’re here to fulfil that requirement. As I’ve mentioned above, the new generation of player is looking for instant thrills and payouts, similar to what you have with the likes of casino, rather than waiting hours for an NFL match to finish. Twain Sport brings that format into play, bridging both live sport and high-frequency betting.
Given that Twain Sport offers a unique proposition of short-form, live-action betting, do you see your products complementing sportsbook spend?
Yes, I do – BetGames has made a name for itself over the last decade as one of the best out there for complementing and boosting sportsbook spend, so we know exactly what we’re doing with Twain!
With us, players have a match every four minutes, and tournaments every hour. This makes it the perfect product if you’re looking at the weekend’s sporting calendar, you have hour increments between major sporting fixtures, which means we’ve got entertainment ready on tap during downtime.
In my view, this works perfectly for two types of demographics, the first being bettors who time their participation around the schedule, which they know in advance (just like with a race card), and for those browsing the lobby, who, just like with virtuals, see our four-minute increments between games, and are happy to wait 60-90 seconds until the next match.
For our North American readers, how soon do you see Twain Sport making the step into the US, where basketball is also hugely popular?
For me, the key lies in our partnerships and how we service them. Our move into the US will be influenced by both player demand, which will be driven by initial interest on social media, where a lot of our content is being shared already. The second, will of course operator traffic, and that will likely govern our first moves south of the Canadian border.
Looking at the dynamics of what we offer, if you, as a US-based operator, want to keep bettors engaged and on site, then Twain’s perfect for that given the strengths we’ve already covered. Not only that, but the US also offers a unique land-based sports betting environment that we’ll be perfect for too. If you enter any sports betting zone in a casino, you’ll see we’ve got the perfect entertainment for the social aspect of betting there – in effect, short-form, live action basketball for fans to enjoy while they have beer and wings at the sports bar. It really is the ideal product.
Given that Twain Sport’s studios are based in Europe – how do you see streaming and live-action gameplay completing the adjusted time zone on the other side of the Atlantic? Is this a case of launching a bespoke set of schedules?
If there’s a need to and/or a demand for custom scheduling, then of course we can look into that – we’re all about complementing our partners’ existing sports schedules to the best of our ability.
However, our vision for Twain is not to compete with big sports events (i.e. the evening matches), but rather complementing the downtime in between matches, and indeed before, which is during the day. That fits perfectly with the way we currently stream from Europe, with matches available from lunchtime and onwards for a North America audience. After all, distracting players during the big games in the evening would be cannibalising from sportsbook spend!
Last but not least, what would your message be for new operators looking to get in on the Twain Sport action, what can they expect by signing up?
They’ll get something completely different in their portfolio – and the perfect product to bridge the gap between live sports and casino-style staking! As we’ve covered already – we’re all about complementing spend, as well as boosting engagement and incremental revenue.
Given what we offer, we’ve got the exact solution to make both casino and sports fans feel right at home. Not only that, but it’s a product that can be inherently trusted. Our participants are professional athletes at the top of their game, as well as being monitored by Sportradar for integrity – which is the same level tech you’ll see with the likes of FIBA and UEFA. As well as delivering top quality entertainment, we also offer quantity. Even slots do not offer a tournament ever hour – so I have no doubt we can not only appeal to every major demographic, but also offer something truly innovative that is unlike anything else on the market.
Canada
BetVictor Canada launches Tracy McGrady Safer Gambling campaign

BetVictor Canada has launched its new out-of-home advertising campaign across the streets of Toronto to promote NBA legend Tracy McGrady as its Safer Gambling Ambassador.
Two mobile digital trucks strategically targeting high-traffic areas near Scotiabank Arena, Rogers Centre, and major sporting events will provide prime audience exposure for the campaign, scheduled around Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, and Toronto Blue Jays home games.
To further enhance the campaign’s reach, BetVictor Canada has partnered with Clear Media Group to leverage digital taxi tops across Toronto, providing city-wide exposure with 100 taxis displaying key brand messaging. These digital taxi tops will run during peak evening hours (5:00pm – 9:00pm) on select dates until April 5th, 2025.
The campaign coincides with Problem Gambling Awareness Month, a nationwide grassroots campaign held each March that seeks to increase public awareness of problem gambling and promote prevention, treatment, and recovery services.
BetVictor Canada offers an array of tools and services to help its Canadian customers bet and play safely and responsibly, across a host of sports betting markets and online casino games.
Mark Harper, Head of Emerging Markets at BV Group, said: “BetVictor is delighted to be participating in the National Council of Problem Gambling campaign in March, to help increase public awareness of problem gambling and the need to promote prevention, treatment and recovery services.
“In using our Safer Gambling Ambassador, Tracy McGrady, to raise awareness about BetVictor’s safer gambling tools such as loss limits, time alerts and product restrictions we are dedicated to ensuring all players have a safe gambling experience. #PGAM2025.”
Canada
AGCO issues $110,000 in penalties to BetMGM Canada for offering cash to induce new gambling customers

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has served BetMGM Canada Inc. with an Order of Monetary Penalty (OMP) of $110,000 for violations of the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming.
In two separate incidents in 2024, BetMGM engaged marketing companies who offered cash to members of the public in return for opening new BetMGM accounts. The marketing activities occurred in public forums, such as a major national trade conference. Under AGCO’s Standards, operators are responsible for the conduct of their third-party suppliers who are contracted to support the operator’s Ontario gaming business, and must require their third-parties to meet Ontario laws, regulations and standards (Standard 1.19).
Ontario is one of the first jurisdictions in the world to establish and enforce rules that strictly limit high-risk inducement advertising and marketing in the online gambling industry. Registered iGaming operators are prohibited from offering gambling inducements, bonuses and credits as part of their broad public advertising and marketing activities (Standard 2.05). These Standards exist to protect Ontarians from predatory advertising and promotional marketing practices in order to limit the risk of gambling-related harm.
A registered operator served with an OMP by the AGCO has the right to appeal the Registrar’s decision to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), which is an adjudicative tribunal independent of the AGCO and part of Tribunals Ontario.
QUOTE
“Responsible gambling safeguards and the protection of Ontarians on registered gaming sites is among our key priorities. The AGCO monitors the activities of all registered operators and their third-party suppliers to ensure they are meeting our high standards and we continue to take strong action to ensure they operate within the public interest.”
Dr. Karin Schnarr, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar – AGCO
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
BetMGM Canada Inc. failed to comply with the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming. Specifically, the licensee failed to comply with the following provisions of the Standards:
- 1.19 Operators are responsible for the actions of third parties with whom they contract for the provision of any aspect of the Operator’s business related to gaming in Ontario and must require the third party to conduct themselves in so far as they carry out activities on behalf of the operator as if they were bound by the same laws, regulations, and standards.
- 2.05 Advertising and marketing materials that communicate gambling inducements, bonuses and credits are prohibited, except on an operator’s gaming site and through direct advertising and marketing, after receiving active player consent.
Contrary to the Standards, BetMGM Canada Inc. and/or their affiliates allegedly engaged in the following activities:
a) | On or about January 13 and 14, 2024, BetMGM representatives were alleged to have attended the National Franchise Show and were offering $100 in cash to new players for opening a new account and depositing $15. |
b) | On or about March 11, 2024, BetMGM acknowledged that its marketing affiliate “Above the Street” had engaged in prohibited inducement marketing. The conduct resulted in 377 player sign-ups and $127,180.00 in commissions to “Above the Street”. |
c) | On or about April 13, 2024, another BetMGM marketing affiliate “Maple Leaf Marketing” engaged in prohibited inducements and marketing to induce on-site activations and acquire new players. The conduct resulted in 94 player sign-ups and about $34,000.00 in commissions paid to “Maple Leaf Marketing”. |
Canada
BCLC Launches “What’s played here stays here” Campaign

BCLC’s new “What’s played here stays here” campaign is issuing an important reminder to British Columbians who choose to gamble – specifically that all net profit its operations generate stays in B.C. to help fund critical services like education, health care and community programs.
The campaign also reinforces that all other gambling websites operating in B.C. are illegal and take away funds from critical community programs and services.
“Across B.C. and Canada, we’ve seen incredible groundswell around the importance of buying and supporting local, and that’s no different for British Columbians who choose gambling for their entertainment. We want our B.C. players to know they can find a world-class gambling experience in their own backyard, whether it’s at one of our 33 casinos, 3,400 lottery retailers, or online at PlayNow.com, and that the proceeds from their play with BCLC make a positive impact at home in their community,” Pat Davis, President and CEO of BCLC, said.
Along with illegal online gambling websites, BCLC also competes with Washington State and Las Vegas casinos, all of which aggressively market to B.C. residents.
“BCLC continues to raise awareness that these gambling options do not support B.C.’s economy and take away funds from vital provincial and community-based programs and services. In a time when British Columbians are standing united, we want to reinforce that playing together with BCLC helps make B.C. even better,” Pat Davis added.
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