Canada
Bragg Gaming Nominates Kent Young, Don Robertson, and Ron Baryoseph to the Board of Directors
Bragg Gaming Group announced that it has filed a notice of meeting and management information circular (Circular) in respect of its upcoming annual meeting of shareholders (Meeting) to be held on Thursday, June 22, 2023 at 10:00 am (Toronto Time).
In addition, the Company also announced that there will be three new nominees for election to its board of directors (the Board). The new nominees will replace three existing directors, Paul Godfrey (Chair), Paul Pathak, and Rob Godfrey, who have each opted not to stand for re-election to the Board at the Meeting. Paul Godfrey has entered into a 24-month consulting agreement under which he will provide the Company with advisory services.
Including the new nominees, there will be seven individuals nominated for election to the Board. The election of the three new directors will add significant gaming and financial industry experience to the Board and demonstrates Bragg’s ongoing commitment toward initiatives to further establish the Company as a leading global provider of innovative online gaming content. Set out below are the new nominees together with brief background information on each.
Kent Young
Kent Young is an innovator, entrepreneur, and longtime leader in the global gaming industry. In a career spanning more than 30 years, he has held senior executive positions with Bragg and other prominent companies, including Aristocrat Technologies in Australia and America; and Aruze Gaming America. While at Aristocrat, Mr. Young held several roles including Vice President of Research and Development and Global General Manager of Marketing. In this role, Mr. Young helped spearhead the successful effort to introduce and popularize “penny slots” in the industry and significantly contributed to Aristocrats North American market entry. He has served on multiple industry boards including the Gaming Standards Association. An entrepreneur, Kent successfully founded, built, and sold two gaming technology companies – True Blue Gaming and Spin Games. Kent holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from James Cook University of North Queensland. He and his wife, Christina, are based in Reno, Nevada, where they are deeply involved in supporting nonprofit organizations with their time, skills, and assets.
Don Robertson (Independent)
Don Robertson has more than 25 years of corporate finance, risk management, and governance experience and is currently serving on the Board of Directors of Orillia Power Generation Corporation. He served as Managing Director and Head of Global M&A at Scotiabank from 2017 to 2022 and as Chief Executive Officer, Canada and Head of Corporate Finance, Americas at Standard Chartered Bank from 2012 to 2016 as well as Managing Director and Head of Canadian M&A at Credit Suisse from 2006 to 2012. Earlier in his career, Mr. Robertson served as a Director at RBC Capital Markets from 1997 to 2006 and Articled at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP from 1996 to 1997. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Laurentian University, an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University, and a JD from the Osgoode Hall Law School at York University. He was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1998.
Ron Baryoseph (Independent)
Ron Baryoseph is a gaming industry veteran with over 30 years of experience in the North American regulated land based and online gaming sectors. Ron is president of RBY Gaming which has provided distribution, sales, and consulting services to companies including Cammegh, Playtech, Inspired Gaming, Suzo Happ, Softweave, e Connect, Tangiamo, Apt Pay, and others. Prior to opening RBY Gaming, Ron served as SVP of Amaya Gaming. During his tenure, Amaya acquired The Stars Group as well as Cadillac Jack which was subsequently sold to AGS. Ron has also held senior positions with Aristocrat Technologies, IGT, TCS John Huxley, and Paulson Gaming Supplies (now GPI). His strategic planning and collaborative style have led to numerous successes.
Yaniv Sherman, Director and Chief Executive Officer of Bragg, said: “We are delighted to welcome Kent Young, Don Robertson, and Ron Baryoseph to the Board. We believe their collective gaming industry experience, relationships and expertise will provide a significant boost to our continued execution on our many B2B iGaming growth opportunities as we seek to deliver profitable revenue growth and increasing cash flow which will ultimately drive enhanced value for our shareholders. We are confident that the changes to the Board announced today will help take our Company to the next level.
“Paul Godfrey has served as the Chair of the Board since January 2021, and Paul Pathak and Rob Godfrey have dutifully served on the Board and various committees of the Board since 2019. The Company sincerely thanks Messrs. Godfrey, Pathak, and Godfrey for their significant contributions and guidance to the Company. During their time on the Board, Bragg has transformed itself and become a global organization with a diverse platform of game development studios and leading technology. As directors, they played an important role in helping to expand our iGaming capabilities including through the acquisitions of Spin Games and Wild Streak Gaming, which have significantly enhanced our game development efforts and provided an important foundation for our North American expansion which is successfully diversifying our business. More recently, they have helped foster our successful content-led focus which has seen Bragg begin to deliver proprietary and exclusive third-party content to a growing roster of iGaming operators around the globe.”
Stats Perform, the global leader in sports AI, data and technology, has announced an official data partnership with the Northern Super League (NSL). The partnership will allow world-leading Opta data to be collected live from every NSL league game for the next three years.
Beginning this month, the Northern Super League (NSL) establishes a new era in Canadian sport as the country’s first professional domestic women’s soccer league — an ambitious and transformative initiative co-founded by former Canadian international and Olympic medallist Diana Matheson. Its inaugural season kicks off on April 16 and will feature six teams who have assembled multinational player rosters with extensive club and international experience, including 100-cap Canadian internationals Desiree Scott and Quinn.
Once the action begins, detailed data from every on-ball event, including advanced AI-powered Opta Analytics metrics such as Expected Goals (xG) and Expected Assists (xA), will be captured and distributed via feeds and Stats Perform products, including OptaAI Studio. This will enable various broadcasters, publishers and rights holders to generate stories and insights throughout the NSL season and provide them straight to the league’s fans in real time.
As part of the agreement, the NSL’s League Office and every NSL club will also have access to Opta Search, part of OptaAI Studio. This will allow their content creators to leverage all Opta data collected during the NSL season in the creation of data-led stories on the stand-out performers, and will help them generate key talking points for publication on official league and club platforms. Opta Search will also empower the NSL’s media team to create a range of data visualizations, including player shot maps and touch maps, to visually illustrate the impact of different players’ on-field performances.
Christina Litz, NSL President, said: “We are thrilled to have Stats Perform on board as our official data partner. When we talk about detailed performance data in soccer, Opta is the gold standard, so we are delighted to have it powering each of our official digital channels. As the season progresses, we want to put the spotlight on all the on-field heroes who emerge and having access to world-class data will help us tell their stories and inspire a new generation of Canadian soccer fans.”
Steve Xeller, Chief Revenue Officer at Stats Perform, said: “Stats Perform has been a huge supporter of expansion leagues around the world, so we are very pleased to be partnering with NSL in the lead-up to their first domestic campaign. Seeing a fully professional women’s soccer league launch in Canada is an incredibly exciting development for the sport in North America and we see considerable potential in working proactively with the League’s Head Office to help the competition grow, using the power of AI and data-led storytelling to build fan communities across the continent.”
With the Ottawa Senators securing a playoff spot in the NHL, ToonieBet will be there every step of the way, engaging fans with exclusive giveaways, premium entertainment, and a casino experience that mirrors the team’s energy and excitement.
The Ottawa Senators and Tooniebet, an online casino for players across Ontario, announced a partnership that will make Tooniebet the NHL team’s Official Online Casino Partner.
Tooniebet, which launched in 2024 is part of Soft2Bet – one of the world’s fastest growing iGaming turnkey solutions providers with iGaming brands around the world with a portfolio of 19 global licenses, including Ontario.
Additional highlights of the Ottawa Senators and TonnieBet partnership will include:
- In-Arena & Broadcast Branding: Digitally enhanced dashboards for home and away games
- In-rink board signage for home games
- Virtual slot signage for various games
- Digital inventory throughout the Ottawa Senators site on NHL.com
- Direct Fan Engagement: Social contests and promotions hosted on Senators’ digital platforms
- Television Broadcast Branding: Digitally enhanced rink boards for home and away games
- In-arena rink board signage for home games
Martin Ballard, VP Corporate Partnerships, Ottawa Senators stated: “We are thrilled to welcome ToonieBet as an official partner of the Ottawa Senators. Cooperating with a brand that shares our commitment to providing fans with an exceptional and trusted experience is incredibly exciting. Together, we look forward to delivering memorable moments and engaging our passionate fanbase in new and innovative ways.”
Oksana Tsyhankova, Chief Marketing Officer at Soft2Bet, commented: “Partnering Soft2Bet’s ToonieBet brand with the Ottawa Senators is a significant milestone that reinforces our strong brand presence in Ontario. In a short period, we have achieved impressive performance and retention results, with a primary focus on localised, engaging experiences for Canadian players, which makes ToonieBet truly set itself apart.”
By tapping into the Senators’ digital platforms and in-arena presence, ToonieBet will stay close to the action and connect with fans in real, engaging ways while continuing to offer a top-quality online casino experience.
ToonieBet offers a fast, localised online casino experience for players in Ottawa and across Ontario. Through this partnership, fans will have the chance to win Senators merchandise and tickets while ToonieBet grows its presence in a competitive Ontario market. With in-arena branding, regional broadcast coverage, and digital promotions, ToonieBet will be highly visible to the team’s loyal supporters.
PENN Entertainment announced that it has launched theScore Casino, a new stand-alone iCasino app in Ontario. The dedicated online casino experience leverages the popular theScore brand, which has been a mainstay in the Ontario market for decades. Now available on Android, iOS, and desktop, customers can login using their existing theScore Bet credentials, allowing for a seamless experience across online gaming platforms.
theScore Casino operates on the same cutting-edge proprietary technology platform as PENN’s online Hollywood Casino, which launched as a standalone product in the US in December. The product was recently ranked by Eilers & Krejcik as the #2 overall iCasino product in the US.
theScore Casino, also available within theScore Bet app, offers a variety of online slots, table games, and live dealer content, including original titles from PENN Game Studios, the company’s in-house game development studio. theScore Casino also includes bespoke live dealer tables and exclusive games such as Blue Jays Blackjack, an original title leveraging theScore Bet’s partnership with the Toronto Blue Jays.
“We’re excited to introduce our dedicated iCasino product in Ontario under the well-known and trusted theScore brand. We’ve built a strong online gaming foothold in the Ontario market and are primed to deliver an even better casino experience with our proven stand-alone app. Our customer-friendly platform features more than 1200 games, dozens of original titles and intuitive game play that distinguishes our product and positions us for even greater success,” said Aaron LaBerge, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Interactive at PENN Entertainment.
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