Canada

Ontario: opportunity knocks

Published

3 years ago

October 11, 2022

The newly regulated market of Ontario, Canada, is rich with possibilities, with a customer base that is passionate about the world of sports and a demand for betting to match. Antonis Karakousis, Director of Operations at Altenar, discusses the potential of the province and how the company is setting out to provide the market with a best-in-class sports betting offering.

Congratulations on Altenar’s Ontario licence and your debut in Canada! Can you talk us through the licensing process and how long this has been in the works?

We had to meet a list of standards and a variety of requirements, as well as auditing our sportsbook with an independent test lab, but the potential of this province means it was more than worth the challenge. We continue to make worldwide progress as a company and going live in Ontario is proof of that.

Looking to the Canadian market – how do you see the development of Ontario as being a platform for kick-starting regulated online betting across the rest of the country?

Ontario has set the standard for how the rest of Canada can move into regulated gaming. The potential is clear to see: iGaming Ontario, a subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, has reported that Ontario’s igaming revenue for the quarter ending June 30 came to CA$162m (£106.1m/€123.9m), the first quarter on record after the market opened in April this year. There were also 492,000 active player accounts within the quarter, which spent an average of $113 per month. There’s a robust, fair regulatory regime in place, along with a knowledgeable sports and betting audience. I am sure the rest of the country will follow Ontario’s example.

On entertainment and engagement – what’s Altenar got in store for Canadian players? What are your team planning to bring to the table to really start making a difference for operators?

Ontario’s sports fans and bettors deserve the best betting opportunities, and we’re excited to now offer them Altenar’s tier 1 product, which includes: competitive parlays and teasers, a bet builder, a variety of player props, boosted odds, official data of North American Leagues, and a native mobile application.

From your experience, which verticals are going to be key for the Canadian market? How popular are the likes of virtuals and esports compared to the more mainstream NHL?

I believe that esports is the next big thing. The NHL and NFL will remain the kings of traditional betting activity, but we have noticed huge growth in esports and this is where the greatest potential lies. It represents a great way to reach a younger demographic and tap into a new audience. It is being taken seriously on all fronts – esports has been mentioned as a possible Olympic sport and was included as a demonstration event at the 2018 Asian Games, which has previously served as a gateway for judo and taekwondo to become Olympic sports.

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Talk us through the next 12 months for Altenar – how do you see yourselves getting going in Ontario?

Betting with a licensed provider always means peace of mind and added security. We are proud to be one of the first igaming sports betting providers regulated by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and we look forward to applying our expertise to help build a trusted and competitive Canadian sportsbook.

Related Topics:Altenar Antonis Karakousis Director of Operations at Altenar Ontario

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NetGaming Goes Live in Ontario with Rush Street Interactive via BetRivers Platform

Published

1 week ago

June 20, 2025

George Miller

NetGaming, a fast-growing online casino content supplier, is proud to announce its launch in Ontario with Rush Street Interactive, Inc., a leading online casino and sports betting company in the United States, Canada and Latin America. This strategic collaboration marks a significant milestone for NetGaming as it continues to expand its footprint across regulated North American markets.

As part of the launch, Ontario players on BetRivers can now enjoy a diverse portfolio of NetGaming titles, known for their high-quality graphics, immersive gameplay, and unique themes. Standout games such as Zeus’s Thunderbolt, Bison Gold, and Fireball Inferno are among the first to go live, with additional titles set to follow soon.

This partnership is just the beginning. NetGaming plans to extend its collaboration with Rush Street Interactive into Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Mexico over the coming months.

Pallavi Deshmukh, CEO of NetGaming, commented: “We are thrilled to go live with Rush Street Interactive, a powerhouse operator with a strong presence and loyal player base. This launch marks a significant milestone in our
North American expansion strategy and underscores our commitment to delivering exceptional gaming experiences tailored to local player preferences across the region.”

Richard Schwartz, CEO of Rush Street Interactive, commented: “We are pleased to partner with NetGaming to bring innovative, premium games to our players in Ontario. This collaboration aligns with our strategy to offer world-class
entertainment through engaging, action-packed online casino games. We look forward to expanding this partnership into additional regulated markets in the months ahead.”

This strategic partnership highlights both companies’ dedication to providing high- quality, innovative, and responsible entertainment to players in regulated markets.

Canada

User-Centric Redesign for Casinosfiables.ca

Published

1 week ago

June 20, 2025

Niji Narayan

Casinosfiables announced that they have redesigned their existing site – https://casinosfiables.ca/ to better address current user demands.

Although the site’s functionality aligns with modern industry standards, the redesign is a step in the right direction and could very well give a competitive edge.

The changes addressed certain functionality concerns and aligned with ever-changing user preferences and behavior.

• Seamless page transition – The overall performance of the site improved, so pages loaded faster, despite the addition of new elements.

• Integrated social media buttons – Buttons that lead to social media pages became more visible, so it is easier for readers to complete engagement incentives that granted them affiliate-exclusive rewards or promo codes.

• More valuable insights – Previously, charts and ratings were only explained in separate reviews. The new roundup charts and ratings had a dropdown feature that provided more insights or clarity behind the rating.

• Relevant search filters – Some trends or categories that targeted user intent weren’t visible in the previous version. The updated version introduced new categories that better reflected player preferences, or included roundups based on casino features (e.g., cashback, no wager promos, game providers) that weren’t at the forefront previously.

• Author pages – Readers who had similar opinions and game preferences to the site’s authors gained the ability to find other texts from those authors. Each casino expert received a dedicated page listing all of their publications.

The changes were finalized over the past few months. The team pushed these updates in batches rather than a single big update.

Canada

Vancouver Resident Purchased Winning $40 Million Lotto Max Ticket While Quenching Sparkling Water Craving

Published

1 week ago

June 20, 2025

Adrienn Sarkany

Phuc Duc (Daniel) Chau loves the Bubly brand of sparkling water and stopped in a convenience store to purchase a can. Chau likes to buy lottery tickets based on a gut feeling, and due to the employee’s bubbly nature while he purchased his Bubly, Chau also purchased a Lotto Max ticket for the May 23, 2025 draw.

It was this ticket that ended up scoring Chau a whopping $40-million jackpot.

“I was at work when I found out,” recalled Chau of the moment he realized he won. “I was going through my bag to find a cough drop, but I saw that I had two lottery tickets in my bag and decided to scan the tickets, but I needed to update the [BCLC Lotto!] app first. The first ticket I didn’t win anything, but the second said $40 million. I have never seen that many zeroes in my life, ever. I dropped my phone and then called BCLC right away!”

At the time of the prize claim, the Vancouver resident hadn’t yet shared the news of his win.

“My partner doesn’t know yet! I want to share the news with them in a special way.”

Chau shared that his dream has always been to travel the world. “There are so many places I want to go to, so I haven’t fully decided!”

When asked if he will quit his job, he said, “I haven’t decided, but I want to continue to support my community in a different way.”

On how it feels to be a multimillionaire?

“It means a lot to me. It opens up an opportunity for me to give back to my family, community and the world all around me. It’s not meaningful unless you can share this with those who need it.”

Chau purchased the winning ticket at the 7-Eleven on Imperial Street and Boundary Road in Burnaby.

So far in 2025, B.C. lottery players have redeemed more than $146 million from Lotto Max. Lotto Max is a nationwide lottery game drawn on Tuesdays and Fridays after 7:30 p.m. (PST).

Players can purchase tickets at lottery retailers or at PlayNow.com. Winning numbers and group release forms can be found online at www.bclc.com. Players can check their lottery tickets anytime, anywhere on iOS and Android devices.

BCLC offers socially responsible gambling entertainment while generating income to benefit all British Columbians. Players can visit PlayNow.com to learn how to set time and money limits.