Canada
Playmaker Commences Trading on TSXV; Jake Cassaday announced as Chief Operating Officer to bolster growth initiatives

Playmaker Capital Inc., the Toronto-based, newly-listed digital ecosystem for sports fans, is pleased to announced that trading in its common shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (the “TSXV”) will commence today at 9:30 a.m. under the ticker symbol “PMKR”. Playmaker is also pleased to announce the appointment of Jake Cassaday as Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Cassaday was previously a Partner at Relay Ventures, a prominent North American venture capital fund and lead investor behind Playmaker.
Playmaker has a mission to aggregate an ecosystem of engaged sports fans that will be monetized with sports betting companies, blue chip advertisers, leagues and teams. Playmaker’s vision is to apply an intentional and thoughtful approach to becoming a strategic aggregator of sports fans, the true lifeblood of the sports betting industry.
As previously announced, in April 2021, Playmaker completed its first acquisition, Futbol Sites, a leading digital sports media group connecting brands and sports betting operators to millions of fans in Latin America and the U.S. Playmaker anticipates making further acquisitions focused on brands with high-quality assets and solid management teams with a demonstrable track record for sustained growth and profitability.
Playmaker is led by an experienced management team that is well positioned to achieve the goals set out for the organization. In executive officers, Jordan Gnat (Chief Executive Officer), Jake Cassaday (Chief Operating Officer), Mike Cooke (Chief Financial Officer) and Federico Grinberg (Executive Vice President), Playmaker has decades of transaction and industry experience in both the digital media and sports betting sectors. The board of directors is led by Chair Maryann Turcke, currently serving on the board of directors of the Royal Bank of Canada, and previously Chief Operating Officer of the National Football League (NFL) and President of Bell Media.
“Today marks the next step in Playmaker’s journey to become a global player in digital sports media. We will leverage our experienced management team and exceptional board of directors to bring great value to our shareholders,” commented Jordan Gnat, Chief Executive Officer of Playmaker. “These are exciting times in the early life of Playmaker. Our mission is to build an ecosystem of assets that will provide sports fans and our clients with outsized value. We are beginning from an already-profitable position, and now we welcome Jake Cassaday as Chief Operating Officer.”
“To be joining Playmaker, fresh on the heels of a go-public, and ready to scale through both organic and acquisitive growth, is hugely exciting for me,” added Jake Cassaday. “Playmaker connects my passions for sports, technology, and media, and allows me to leverage my experience to support the Playmaker growth engine and build a lasting company in the sports media arena.”
Before joining Playmaker, Mr. Cassaday enjoyed a six-year tenure at Relay Ventures where he served on the board of directors of several high-growth companies, and as an advisor to startup accelerators, including Techstars and the Future of Sport Lab. Mr. Cassaday has been heavily involved with Playmaker since its inception, helping to build out its strategy, raise capital, and carry out initial acquisitions. He holds an MBA from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and a BA from McGill University.
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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