Canada
Rivalry Announces $14 Million Investment to Accelerate Growth
Rivalry Corp. (the “Company” or “Rivalry”) (TSXV: RVLY) (OTCQX: RVLCF) (FSE: 9VK), the leading sportsbook and iGaming operator for Millennials and Gen Z, today announced a non-brokered private placement offering of convertible debentures (“Convertible Debentures“), and the closing of the first tranche of such offering for aggregate gross proceeds of $14,000,000. The investment comprising this initial closing came from an existing institutional shareholder. All dollar figures are quoted in Canadian dollars.
Under the Offering, each Convertible Debenture will consist of $1,000 principal amount of 10% senior secured convertible debentures of the Company, maturing on November 14, 2027 (the “Maturity Date“). The outstanding principal under the Convertible Debentures will be convertible at the option of the holder, at any time prior to the close of business on the last business day immediately preceding the Maturity Date, into subordinate voting shares in the capital of the Company (“Subordinate Voting Shares“) at the conversion price of $1.40 per Subordinate Voting Share (the “Conversion Price“).
“We are very pleased to receive the support of a long-standing institutional shareholder of Rivalry with this investment,” said Steven Salz, Co-founder and CEO, Rivalry. “Rivalry’s unique product mix and position in the marketplace has brought the business to the inflection point it’s reached today. We’re deeply confident in the underlying trends the business is showing and maintain our expectation to achieve profitability in H1 2024.”
“Strengthening our balance sheet positions the company to maximize the opportunity in front of us. The capital will enable Rivalry to accelerate the development and release of new products, expand marketing efforts, and extend into new geographies and verticals, setting us on a path where we can pursue growth and profitability at the same time,” Salz added.
Terms of the Offering
The Convertible Debentures will bear interest from the date of issue at 10.0% per annum, and will be payable in cash quarterly in arrears on March 30, June 30 September 30 and December 30 of each year (each, an “Interest Payment Date”) commencing December 31, 2025 and will consist of interest accrued from and including the date of issue to the initial Interest Payment Date. Additional tranches of the non-brokered private placement offering may close for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $27,500,000 (inclusive of the initial closing) (the “Offering“).
The Convertible Debentures will be senior secured obligations of the Company, subject to certain exceptions, and will be secured by all of the assets and property of the Company, subject to certain permitted encumbrances, pursuant to a general security agreement, and guaranteed by the Company’s wholly-owned material subsidiaries, and such guarantee shall be secured by a security agreement executed by such subsidiaries granting a first priority security interest on all of their present and after acquired personal property.
The net proceeds received by the Company are expected to be used to fund general working capital and corporate purposes.
The Convertible Debentures shall be offered and sold (i) to investors in Canada on a private placement basis; (ii) to institutional accredited investors in the United States pursuant to available private placement exemptions; (iii) to investors residing in jurisdictions outside of Canada and the United States, in each case in accordance with all applicable laws; provided that no prospectus, registration statement or similar document is required to be filed in such foreign jurisdiction.
All securities issued in connection with the Offering will be subject to a hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable securities legislation.
The securities issuable in connection with the Offering have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act“) or any U.S. state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an available exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the securities referenced in this press release, in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
Canada
Great Canadian Entertainment and Petroglyph Development Group Announce Agreement for Purchase and Sale of Elements Casino Victoria
Great Canadian Entertainment announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell Elements Casino Victoria to Petroglyph Development Group Ltd. (PDG) in yet another historic transaction for both parties.
This transaction comes on the heels of the previously announced definitive agreement for Great Canadian Entertainment to sell its other landmark property and business on Vancouver Island, Casino Nanaimo, to PDG. PDG is a wholly owned corporation of the Snuneymuxw First Nation (the Nation) and is dedicated to realizing the economic potential of the Nation.
Great Canadian’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the transaction, which remains subject to customary closing conditions as well as customary approvals by the regulatory authorities. The Company will provide transition services to PDG for up to two years post-closing.
“We are very pleased to have executed this second historic agreement with the Snuneymuxw First Nation. From its original opening as View Royal Casino in 2001, to major expansion and rebranding of the property in 2018 as Elements Casino Victoria, we are looking forward to the next chapter for this beautiful and historic Vancouver Island destination under PDG’s stewardship. We are excited to work with the Petroglyph team during the transition period to ensure yet another outstanding outcome for the community, our guests, our team members, and the Nation,” said Matt Anfinson, Chief Executive Officer of Great Canadian Entertainment.
“We celebrate our growing partnership with Great Canadian and our continued progress toward building a strong Snuneymuxw economy that provides a solid foundation for Snuneymuxw self-determination and nationhood. With the acquisition of a second casino operation, we continue to honour the decades of work by past Snuneymuxw leadership who tirelessly pursued this goal, as we begin to realize various opportunities that contribute to optimizing Snuneymuxw socioeconomic potential. Our Nation is sharply focused to make investments that bring returns to our people and builds our presence in the economy so that Snuneymuxw takes its rightful place. Today, we also celebrate our partnership with the B.C. Lottery Corporation in our shared pursuit to support the growth of the provincial economy and First Nation participation,” said Snuneymuxw Chief Mike Wyse.
Erralyn Joseph, President of PDG, said: “This measured acquisition is one that PDG celebrates on our quest to build a corporate enterprise that reinvests into Snuneymuxw First Nation. With a strong operating plan that includes risk mitigation and yields sizable gains, PDG is well on its way to generating wealth for Snuneymuxw and taking a seat at the local, regional, provincial, national and global economic tables. On behalf of the Board of Directors, we are pleased to share this news and remain committed to advancing the region’s economic growth in support of all its residents.”
Ian Simpson, Chief Executive Officer of PDG, said: “Acquiring this significant asset will unlock unprecedented economic potential for Snuneymuxw and PDG, paving the way for transformative growth in Snuneymuxw’s economy and the profits that PDG returns to our Nation.”
McMillan is serving as legal counsel to Great Canadian. McCarthy Tétrault is acting as legal counsel and KPMG Corporate Finance Inc. is acting as financial advisor to PDG.
The Edmonton Oilers and Play Alberta announced a new agreement that makes Play Alberta the exclusive sports betting and online gaming partner of the Edmonton Oilers.
The deal will see the Play Alberta logo featured prominently on the Oilers home jerseys and GameSense, AGLC’s responsible gambling program, displayed on the helmets of the Oilers for each home game.
“Play Alberta is proud to continue its partnership with the Edmonton Oilers over the next several seasons. We value our patrons and the fans of the Oilers and are thrilled to see PlayAlberta.ca, Alberta’s trusted gambling platform along with the best-in-class responsible gambling program – GameSense – as prominent fixtures on the Oilers uniformsuniforms,” said Kandice Machado, Chief Executive Officer at AGLC.
PlayAlberta.ca is a leader in the iGaming landscape in the province. All money generated through the site goes to the General Revenue Fund, which supports programs and services that Albertans rely on every day. In addition, the website has integrated AGLC’s GameSense and Self-Exclusion programs to better support players in their gambling journey.
“We are proud to call Play Alberta the official sportsbook of the Edmonton Oilers. With the revenue generated by Play Alberta going to valued services and programs that help enrich the lives of Albertans, donning the Play Alberta logo on our iconic home jersey is a testament to our long-term commitment to communities across Oil Country,” said Stew MacDonald, President & Chief Revenue Officer, OEG Sports & Entertainment.
The relationship between the Edmonton Oilers and PlayAlberta.ca will allow fans to experience the Play Alberta and GameSense brands through promotions in Rogers Place and ICE District, as well as giveaways throughout the season, including game tickets and memorabilia.
This past year, PlayAlberta.ca generated $235 million in net sales, an increase of more than $42 million from 2022-23. That number contributes to the $1.5 billion in total gaming revenue that’s sent to Alberta’s General Revenue Fund and supports programs and services that Albertans rely on every day.
Canada
British Columbia Lottery Corporation and Future Anthem partner to establish Artificial Intelligence and Data Innovation Hub in Vancouver
Partnership will create dedicated specialist team to develop and deploy AI to improve player experiences across gaming products and channels.
BCLC has partnered with Future Anthem, a UK-based gambling data science specialist, on the creation of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Innovation Hub (the “Hub”), to be located at BCLC’s Vancouver office.
The Hub will focus on the development of AI, data capabilities and programs designed to improve the player experience across all BCLC gambling platforms, including lottery, gaming, and sports. It will employ a team of data and product professionals, with access to Future Anthem’s Data Science platform.
“BCLC is excited to be partnering with Future Anthem to create the first AI innovation hub in B.C. focused on the gambling industry,” says Mark Goldberg, BCLC’s Chief Information Officer. “We know that the key components of the Hub will be its data driven research and software product development to support player engagement and experience, safer play and improved game design – core BCLC business areas.”
Managed in partnership through a joint Steering Committee that includes senior representatives from both BCLC and Future Anthem, the Hub will create and cultivate highly specialized, Vancouver-based AI technology jobs utilising Future Anthem’s strong experience in building teams focused on AI research and development, complemented by a small team of BCLC employees with skills and experience in this area.
“This dynamic partnership combines our expertise, reach, and technologies and allows us to harness AI for good – to bring true and measurable benefits to players in a responsible, sustainable, and enjoyable manner,” says Leigh Nissim, CEO and Founder of Future Anthem. “With access to more data across all verticals and channels to build amazing machine learning models and AI applications, I am confident this collaboration will quickly deliver benefits to BCLC and its players to reinforce its lead position within lotteries globally.”
As well as recruiting the team in Vancouver, Future Anthem will deploy its market-leading real time AI platform locally to employ best practices for AI product development and governance within the Hub, which includes protocols to ensure transparency of AI use, data security, and management of AI models and their player impact. These models are designed to use anonymised data that is stored in Canada.
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