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The Toronto-based online casino and sportsbook brand Rivalry, received last week the proper go-to signal from authorities, so it can start operating legally in Ontario , under the platform Casino.exe. For starters, the casino will include eight games, with the library aiming to expand significantly soon.

The leading igaming operator, Betsson Group, made its long-awaited debut in Ontario, with the brand Betsafe. After acquiring the necessary licenses from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario a week ago, Betsafe will go live with casino , sportsbook and poker products.

Sport betting and casino regulators in Ontario have decided to take more severe measures against illegal gambling sites. In addition to losing their ability to enter the market in a regulated manner, all unregulated operators that accept players from Ontario are at risk of facing big fines.

Gambling in Canada is experiencing a rapid growth, and that reflects in the amount of population that gambled in 2022. According to a survey by Statistics Canada, 64.5% of Canadians over age 15 said that they took part in gambling activities (land-based or online casino and sports betting), which is around 18.9 million people.

The rapidly growing game development studio, BF Games, has recently acquired a license from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, so it will legally operate in the province of Ontario. BF Games will now be fully able to provide games for the best Canadian casinos , a landmark step in the company's ambitious strategy for North American expansion.

The Swedish game provider Quickspin (owned by Playtech) is ready to deliver the first of a series of Live Casino games in June 2023. A new brand called Quickspin Live will be running all the live games, so players will be able to differentiate from the classic Quickspin slots.

MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment received a dire warning from an Atlantic City Union that they might incur losses of approximately $1 million daily on their casino properties if workers embark on a strike next month. This report comes after members of Unite Here Local 54 voted to resume strikes on July 1st, 2022, if their list of demands weren't met.

Oak View Group Las Vegas Hotel & Casino is the largest upcoming project on the South Strip. The establishment, which is expected to launch by 2026, will be located on Las Vegas Boulevard and Blue Diamond Road. To make this project a successful venture, Oak Group Partners, Irvine Azoff and Tim Leiweke, have sought the expertise of Randy Morton (ex co-CEO of the Foley Entertainment Group) and Marc Bardian, former president of Las Vegas Raiders.

BetMGM has announced a deal with Sony Pictures and International Game Technologies (IGT). This partnership denotes the gambling operator's plans to kick-start Wheel of Fortune Casino — a branded online platform inspired by the iconic American game show.

Baden Resources has entered a letter of intent with NorthStar Gaming. The motive is the reverse takeover of Baden by NorthStar Gaming. However, the agreement remains non-binding as it is only in the proposal stage. There are further talks to be held and pending regulatory approval.

Bally Cooperation won the bid to own and operate the developing land-based casino in Chicago worth a whopping $1.7 billion. The Mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, announced Bally's win following a lengthy selection process that involved several community meetings.

Back in February, a New-York based firm called Apollo Global Management purchased The Venetian Resort assets for approximately $6.25 billion. This sale included the transfer of ownership for The Venetian, Palazzo, and Venetian Expo. The deal was effected through the real estate investment trust, VICI properties.

Gambit Rewards, a loyalty gaming platform with free-to-play services, has recently announced a partnership with the fast-rising Gamelancer. The latter is a social gaming network for video games, while the former has a strong reputation for turning reward or loyalty points into free games on participating websites or platforms.

Evolution and Soaring Eagle Gaming are fresh partners in a content distribution deal that expands the presence of one and the games lineup of the other in the State of Michigan. The announcement came on Monday, the 6th of June, following the agreement between the behemoth software provider and the tribal-owned company.

High 5 Games, one of the biggest software providers in the industry, recently signed a deal with DraftKings , a top American sports betting and gambling company. This deal would give DraftKings access to the heavy catalog of casino games by High 5 Games.

Bally’s Corporation has finally yielded to the calls for a ban on smoking in its Rhode Island casinos after the cries gained massive momentum in the past week. As a result, smoking would be prohibited at both the Twin River Lincoln and Tiverton casinos.

Paysafe recently put pen to paper as regards extending its partnership with Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), which began in 2015. Before now, users of the gaming facilities managed by the OLG could use Paysafe as a payment system, but with the recent extension, they get even more.

Ocean Casino, a major resort in Atlantic City, is set to invest $85 million in property developments this summer. The plans are already in motion as the resort will be introducing 460 new rooms and a sports and entertainment arena on the 1st of July. This huge investment would be an overhauling upgrade that would influence every aspect of the northernmost resort on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.

FanDuel is looking to take its casino section to similar heights as its hugely popular sports betting platform. As a result, this American gambling company has resorted to the services of Asaf Noifeld to oversee its casino operations. This former managing director of PokerStars Casino has a wealth of experience in the casino business.

Paysafe recently struck a deal with Strive Gaming , the latest in a string of big moves for the online payment company this year. Over the last two months, Paysafe entered a partnership deal with Resorts Casino and extended its agreement with the European arm of Playtech.

EveryMatrix is the latest brand to sign a patent license agreement with IGT. This deal comes just after the American iGaming behemoth sealed a broad patent cross-licensing deal with Aristocrat in Australia. The deal comes at the right time as this software provider company, since 2008, has been knocking on the doors of the US with expansion plans, which the license agreement just happens to optimize.

The Kentucky Derby has broken a new wagering record. The premier horse racing event had 147,294 visitors in the latest edition, a remarkable figure considering the world is just coming out of a pandemic. T he number of persons who came out for this premier horse racing event is only 3,435 less than what was obtainable pre-pandemic in 2019, and 147,294 more than the turnout in 2020 as the event witnessed no attendance.

On the 2nd May 2022, MGM Resorts International submitted an offer in excess of $607 million to LeoVegas AB, which, if successful, would see MGM own the total share capital of the iGaming giant. This proposition made its way to the papers as MGM headquarters in Las Vegas released an official release, notifying the general public of its intentions.

Technology and poker have come in perfect sync once more, as the World Series of Poker (WSOP) has teamed up with Playtika for an initiative that'll see 14 social media influencers compete against each other to become a "WSOP Legend." The #RoadToTheTable campaign will commence in the US this week, with several phases in the mix.

25th April 2022 will go down as a day to remember as Hard Rock Hotel New York finally cut the red ribbon on its masterpiece in Midtown Manhattan. This debut is even more interesting as it also marks the latest hotel-casino to launch operations since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

Blue Guru Games reached a recent milestone by releasing its first slot game — The Nemean Lion. After concluding a few distribution deals with respected companies like Oryx Gaming and Relax, this new release is now live at famed casino sites. Blue Guru CEO, Andrew Braithwaite, sees this game debut as an "important milestone" in the firm's history, as this pristine offering clears the path for other releases scheduled for this year.

With the current developments seen surrounding esports, including tournaments and competitions, strong calls have been raised for a consensus umbrella body for these events. At the just concluded ICE London 2022 , among the panel was the CEO of Luckbox, Thomas Rosander, who raised the call for improvements in the regulation of the fast-developing industry.

There’s a lot of ongoing activity regarding the planned reopening of Palms Casino Resort. In a Tuesday announcement, the popular land-based casino revealed that top intelligence solutions provider for casinos, VizExplorer, will become a partner. VizExplorer will deploy its player development solutions program, “hostVizOps,” to the Las Vegas branch of Palms Casino.

FanDuel and PokerStars are now partners of Toronto-based Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Limited (MLSE). In the Friday press release for the announcement, it was revealed that the strategic partnership designates the FanDuel Sportsbook as an official sports betting partner and PokerStars as an official gaming partner.

Everi Holdings' subsidiary, Everi Payments Inc. has just launched B4U Financial at Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort located on Mississippi's Gulf Coast. B4U Financial is a leading financial solution for the liquidity of cryptocurrencies. Through this payment gateway, casino patrons will be able to convert digital currency into cash to fund their wagers.

Last month, three proposals reached the final stage for Chicago's planned multibillion-dollar casino project. Community meetings where the finalists will engage the public were scheduled from the 5th to 7th of April in three separate appointments with residents in South Loop, Near South Side, and River West.

The much-anticipated iGaming market launch in Ontario took place yesterday, April 4th, 2022, and several operators showed up to the occasion. Debuting their online gambling products on opening day were FanDuel, BetRivers, Rivalry, 888Holdings, BetMGM, and theScore, among others.

A casino development bill for the state of Nebraska has gained approval from legislators in the first round of three votes. The bill makes provision for casinos to be established in six counties with legal horse racing tracks. If approved, this would bring commercial gaming facilities to all eastern and central Nebraska counties with existing racetracks, including Douglas, Lancaster, Adams, Dakota, Hall, and Platte.

Top-rated sportsbook BetMGM will be made to pay a fine of $25,000. Investigations have confirmed that BetMGM received bets of less than $100 on the New Jersey college basketball teams that are prohibited in the state’s gambling legislation. The sanctions come late as the bets in question were received late last year.

Top-rated software provider Hacksaw Gaming has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with NetBet. The new deal lets the supplier access NetBet's.co.uk and.com websites, expanding its content to reach more casino lovers. Hacksaw Gaming, popularly known for its blockbuster slot titles including Wanted Dead or a Wild, Chaos Crew and Cubes 2, and Stack 'em, will be the latest addition to the line of software providers already in league with NetBet.

Plans are still in top gear for the launch of the Kiss-themed casino up in the Old Margaritaville site. The new casino, budgeted at $200 million, has the support of KISS rock band members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. It was believed that the arrangements would be on hold as the earmarked location - a property at Biloxi Back Bay - was recently put up for sale.

DraftKings, one of the foremost sportsbook operators, is preparing to dive into the digital atmosphere. They are launching the Primetime NFT series , an exclusive round of digital ownership to some of the most memorable events in the sports industry globally.

The movement for a permanent smoking ban in Atlantic City casinos has suffered a significant setback as a pro-ban supporter cancels membership from the Greater Atlantic City Chamber. Recently, the Greater Atlantic City Chamber, a major business group in the city, protested the bill with a written address on Thursday.

Gaming Realms is the latest company to acquire a gaming supplier license in preparation for the launch of iGaming in Ontario on April 4th, 2022. The company announced on Wednesday that its subsidiary Alchemybet Limited has been awarded a license from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).

Bragg Gaming enters the Ontario gambling market with a newly acquired gambling supplier license from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). This comes ahead of the iGaming launch scheduled for April 4th in Ontario. In anticipation of the launch, several companies have been vying for licenses from the AGCO, the regulatory agency responsible for overseeing the modern open and regulated iGaming and sports betting market in Ontario.

Las Vegas-based gambling company Scientific Games has changed its name from the aforementioned to Light & Wonder Inc. This comes after multiple divestitures completed in 2021. The company let go of its lottery and sports betting business. At the same time, it acquired casino and live casino brands as part of its efforts to focus on casinos and online gambling content.

The World Series of Poker has released the event schedule for the upcoming 53rd WSOP. Last year it was announced that the prestigious tournament, which had been held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino for 17 years, would be moving to Bally's (soon-to-be Horseshoe) in 2022.

Century Casinos has tabled an offer to acquire Nugget Casino Resort in a $195 million deal. On Wednesday, the casino entertainment company announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement with Marnell Gaming to take over 100% of Nugget Sparks LLC, which manages the property's operations.

As legal sports betting continues on an upward trajectory in the US, West Virginia is looking to branch into another gambling vertical that's been receiving lots of attention in recent times – esports. West Virginia delegates introduced House Bill 4826 last week, which will permit e-sports betting in the state once approved.

Pragmatic Play's latest venture in the Latin American gambling market is a partnership with One Bit Tech. On Monday this week, the casino game developer announced that it has forged a deal with the content aggregator to further expand its LatAm presence following its "recent commercial success in the region across multiple verticals." Under the agreement, One Bit Tech will gain access to Pragmatic Play's slots and live casino products and will be able to offer these games to its partners in the region.

Sports betting launched in New York on January 8th this year, and in just 30 days, the state has recorded a betting handle of $1.98 billion. This is the largest amount wagered in any US state in a single month. The period which ran from January 8th to February 6th brought in gross gaming revenue of $138.5 million.

The national organization representing the US casino industry, American Gaming Association (AGA), has revealed that more than 31 million American adults will be betting on the 2022 Super Bowl. This amounts to an estimated $7.61 billion betting handle. The year-on-year increase is 38% for the betting populace and 78% for the revenue.

It has been two weeks since an Arizona man won $229k on a progressive jackpot slot at a Las Vegas Strip casino. The player had already departed the premises upon discovering the jackpot, and after two weeks of trying to track down the player, he was finally awarded the prize.

California's San Manuel Band of Mission Indians have recently announced the appointment of a new Chief Public Policy Officer in the person of Steve Burns. The responsibilities of this position include leading and implementing the tribe's public policy strategy on state and federal legislation and regulation.

Any time now, the Atlantic City gambling scene could officially become a smoking-free zone. Casino workers themselves are pushing for the mandate and the New Jersey bill has reportedly received majority support from the opposing political parties. Presently, casinos are exempted from the state’s Smoke-Free Air Act, and this bill aims to amend the law to prohibit smoking in Atlantic City casinos permanently.

In September of last year, Koi Nation announced plans to develop a casino property in Sonoma, California. The Native American Tribe of Northern California, on Monday, concluded a predevelopment agreement with the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma as partners in developing the planned Shiloh Casino & Resort.

Kings Entertainment Group Incorporated has been listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange and will begin trading as a public entity. This shift is expected to enable the Vancouver-based group to access a broader capital base as it plans to expand on the international scene.

International Game Technology has announced that its Resort Wallet cashless gaming technology has received regulatory approval in Nevada. Expressing excitement on the part of the company, Ryan Reddy, IGT SVP Global PM VLT, Systems, Payments & Poker, said, "IGT earning Nevada regulatory approval for our award-winning, fully integrated cashless solution is a perfect bookend for a year marked with tremendous momentum for our Resort Wallet and IGTPay cashless gaming modules of the IGT ADVANTAGE system." The approval means that IGT's entire cashless gaming solution will now be available at casinos throughout the state.

Century Casinos group has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its casino property in Calgary. The Alberta based subsidiary Century Resorts Alberta, Inc. (CRA) is the direct party involved in the deal, which sees the casino establishment taken over by the real estate business Rowanwood Financial Properties at an aggregate price of C$8.1 million (which translates to $6.5million based on the exchange rate at the time of agreement).

Seattle-based digital game developer DoubleDown Interactive is reported to have invested $1.5 million in Epic Games - an American video game developer most notable as the creator of Fortnite. Released in 2017, Fortnite is one of the most popular video games in the world and currently has over 350 million accounts and 2.5 billion friend connections.

Caesars sportsbook has accepted its first sports wagers in New York after receiving its full sports betting license from the New York State Gaming Commission. New York joined the march towards mobile sports betting legalization last year with nine operators shortlisted as the probable gaming suppliers.

Stakelogic Live casino product has been awarded ISO 27001 accreditation. The International casino game developer previously received the prestigious certification back in February 2020 for its best-practice information security management systems. Stakelogic CEO, Stephan van den Oetelaar, said that the team is delighted to have the live casino product, Stakelogic Live, officially following suit.

Gambling.com and Roto Sports, operator of expert fantasy sports news and advice provider RotoWire.com, entered into an agreement last month under which terms the former would acquire the latter for an aggregated price of $27.5 million. As projected, the deal has been reported closed at the start of 2022.

Pennsylvania sports betting revenue for November was an estimated $85 million , an all-time record. This was generated out of an impressive $760 million betting handle, the second-most ever for the state. Several US states, including America's gambling hub, Nevada, have been on a record-breaking streak in the past few months, owing to the loosening of pandemic restrictions and the return of tourism.

The Nevada Gaming Commission has given the green light to the San Manuel tribe following the board’s approval of the tribe as licensees to the Palms. The unanimous decision will allow the Californian tribe to fully begin operating the property, which according to reports, is scheduled to reopen in the spring of 2022.

On Monday, it was announced that Hard Rock International (HRI) and MGM Resorts are in talks for a deal that would hand over the operating rights of the Mirage Las Vegas to the former. The acquisition worth an estimated $1.075 billion will be finalized by Q2 2022, pending regulatory approval and customary closing conditions. “We are honored to welcome The Mirage’s 3,500 team members to the Hard Rock family,” said Jim Allen, Chairman of Hard Rock International. “When complete, Hard Rock Las Vegas will be a fully integrated resort welcoming meetings, groups, tourists, and casino guests from around the world to its nearly 80-acre center-Strip location.” The Mirage’s real estate, a 77-acre property, will be acquired under a long-term lease from VICI Properties, and HRI has indicated its intention to rebrand the property starting with the erection of a guitar-shaped hotel.