Canada
GROVER GAMING BETS BIG ON OHIO CHARITIES
Grover Gaming announced that it is officially seeking licensure from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office to both manufacture and distribute Electronic Instant Bingo devices to charities, fraternals, and other nonprofit organizations in Ohio.
Grover has made sizable investments already in Ohio. According to Wil Riesgard, Vice President of Operations for Grover Gaming, “We have had a large distribution center here in Columbus for a while and are currently adding another office/warehouse in the northeast part of the state. We will very soon have over fifty employees just in the State of Ohio including a dedicated marketing team.”
“We are already licensed as a Bingo Supply Manufacturer in Ohio, but we have also applied for the separate Distributor license and the Electronic Instant Bingo endorsement to each of those licenses,” said Dorwin “DL” Howard, Compliance and Licensing Specialist at Grover Gaming. “The Ohio Attorney General’s Office, by law, cannot issue any of those licenses until April 1, 2022, but we hope to receive our endorsements on that date or soon after. We do anticipate that they will issue licenses to every manufacturer and distributor entitled to a license at the same time to avoid giving an advantage to one or the other.”
“We cannot offer any proposals to any potential customers in Ohio until we receive those endorsements,” stated Marc Downing, Chief Counsel and Director of Compliance for Grover. “But we do have a plan.”
“We intend to bring the same industry leading software and hardware that has been so successful for our charitable customers in states like Virginia, North Dakota, New Hampshire, and Kentucky,” stated Garrett Blackwelder, President and owner of Grover Gaming. “We are fortunate to be the leader in all those markets by a large margin, and in Virginia and New Hampshire we distribute our products directly to our customers. By distributing our own product, we are able to deal directly with the charities which streamlines our customer service and takes it to an even higher level. This will allow us to further our mission of providing entertaining gaming experiences through a team committed to growth and progress.”
Not only will Grover distribute its own product, but they also intend to place Electronic Instant Bingo equipment and supply Electronic Instant Bingo tickets without requiring any long-term commitments from the charities and fraternals in Ohio. “We will not be requiring contracts of any kind from the charities,” stated Jimmy Forrest, Vice President of Sales for Grover. “We want to earn your business by providing the best performing games and world class service, not because we lock you down with a piece of paper.”
Forrest continued, “another market changing innovation is the integration of our redemption kiosks. With this kiosk a player can just insert their ticket and get cash without having to see an attendant to redeem their winnings. In Virginia, not only has security drastically increased, but we have also seen an increase in net revenue to the charities of over 15% in some locations.” Grover plans to offer those kiosks free of charge along with the biggest selection of custom game terminals.
Grover Gaming develops software, game content, and gaming systems for lotteries and charitable gaming jurisdictions, and is licensed in Ohio, New Hampshire, Kentucky, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Washington, Ontario Canada, and Virginia. Based in Greenville, NC, Grover Gaming has over 360 employees across nine states including a design studio in Wilmington, NC and a Software Development Center in Chicago, IL.
The company is also a 3-year Inc 5000 award recipient, recognizing the fastest-growing privately held companies in the United States and was recently honored with a Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award. Glassdoor ranked Grover Gaming Number 2 in its Best Places to Work list in 2022 among companies across the US with less than 1,000 employees.
Powered by WPeMatico
Canada
IAGR announces Toronto as host city for 2025 conference
Hot on the heels of its most attended conference in history, the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) is excited to announce that its 2025 conference will take place in Toronto, Canada, from October 20 to 23, 2025.
The event will be held in partnership with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) at the Westin Harbour Castle, offering stunning waterfront views and a premier, downtown Toronto location.
‘Fresh off the success of our Rome conference, we’re thrilled to continue the momentum with next year’s event in Toronto,’ said Ben Haden, IAGR President.
‘The IAGR 2025 conference promises to be another unparalleled opportunity for our global community to come together, collaborate and shape the future of gaming regulation. We’re looking forward to working with AGCO to bring it all together.’
AGCO CEO and Registrar Dr. Karin Schnarr, added, ‘We’re excited to welcome IAGR and its members to Toronto. This partnership provides a great opportunity to share Ontario’s innovative regulatory practices and foster meaningful discussions that drive positive change in the industry.’
Stay tuned for registration details early next year.
Bombee Global Entertainment Ltd
ESE Entertainment Completes Acquisition of Gaming Production Company, Bombee Americas
ESE Entertainment Inc., a gaming company that provides a range of services to leading video game developers and publishers, has announced that it has acquired Bombee Global Entertainment Ltd. (Bombee Americas), the North American arm of Bombee Event Production AB, (Bombee), a global production company specialized in live production, special effects, broadcast, and event management for the gaming sector.
Bombee has successfully collaborated with ESE to bring its premier event production services and world class customer service to North America and beyond. The North American arm of Bombee, Bombee Americas, will continue to grow and scale in this new organizational structure under ESE, while maintaining its entire team and global support.
Konrad Wasiela, CEO of ESE, said: “Today marks the next stage of ESE—a 2.0 version of our company. With the acquisition of Bombee Americas, we are not only solidifying our presence in North America but also paving the way for growth and innovation in the gaming industry. This is a major step, positioning us to deliver even greater value to our partners and elevate the gaming experience for our clients globally. We’re thrilled about the opportunities ahead and the exceptional talent joining our team.”
Transaction Terms
The Acquisition was completed by way of a share purchase agreement (the SPA) among the Company, Bombee Americas, and the shareholders of Bombee Americas (the Vendors). Pursuant to the SPA, ESE acquired all of the outstanding shares of Bombee Americas in exchange for: (i) $750,000 in cash paid on closing, (ii) $375,000 in cash to be paid six (6) months following closing, subject to customary adjustments based on the working capital of Bombee Americas on closing, (iii) $375,000 in cash to be paid twelve (12) months following closing, and (iv) 30,000,000 common shares of ESE (the Consideration Shares), issued at a deemed issue price of $0.10 per share.
In connection with the Acquisition, the founders of Bombee Americas have signed three-year service agreements and will continue to run the business following the closing, along with the rest of the personnel of Bombee Americas who will remain in place, ensuring a smooth transition of operations. As part of the Acquisition, the Company has acquired the liabilities of Bombee Americas, mainly consisting of customary current obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business for Bombee Americas, which are not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s operations or financial position.
No finder’s fees were paid or payable in conjunction with the Acquisition.
The Acquisition was an arm’s length transaction within the meaning of the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the Exchange) and constituted an “Expedited Acquisition” in accordance with Exchange Policy 5.3 – Acquisitions and Dispositions of Non-Cash Assets. The Acquisition remains subject to the final approval of the Exchange.
Canada
Suspected Digital Fraud Coming from Canada Up Nearly 11% Since H1 2023, Reveals New TransUnion Analysis
In the first half (H1) of 2024, Canada saw a significant increase in suspected Digital Fraud attempts, with nearly 5.74% of all attempted digital transactions where the consumer was located in Canada involving suspected Digital Fraud, revealed a new TransUnion® (NYSE: TRU) analysis. This is nearly an 11% year-over-year (YoY) rate increase from H1 2023, and TransUnion also documented an 11% increase in the volume of suspected Digital Fraud from Canada during this period, despite a less than a one percent (0.7%) YoY increase in the volume of transactions.
According to a recent TransUnion survey,1 more than half (54%) of Canadians said they were recently targeted by email, phone call or text message fraud attempts. Phishing was the most common scheme type (45%), followed by smishing (42%) and vishing (39%).
The increasing use of digital transactions, combined with rising suspected Digital Fraud attempts are also impacting businesses as they potentially face revenue losses and increased operational costs due to fraud. According to a TransUnion business survey for the H2 2024 Update to the State of Omnichannel Fraud report, 200 Canadian business leaders said their companies lost approximately 6% of equivalent revenue – representing $78 billion – over the past year due to fraud. The most prominent causes of fraud loss cited by them were:
- Scam/Authorized fraud (31%): Dishonest scheme intended to trick a person into giving up something of value (e.g., account access, money, information)
- Account takeover (19%): Unauthorized individuals taking over someone’s online account (e.g., bank, social media, email) without their permission
- Synthetic identity fraud (18%): Use of a combination of personal information to fabricate a person or entity to commit a dishonest act for financial or personal gain
TransUnion also found that suspected Digital Fraud attempts – where the consumer was transacting in Canada and targeted businesses globally – increased on average by 10.5% YoY in H1 2024 compared to H1 2023 and impacted all industries.
Top Three Industries Globally with Highest Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts Coming from Canada in H1 2024
- Gambling (online sports betting, poker, etc.) – 9.6%
- Retail – 9.2%
- Government – 7.7%
Top Three Industries Globally with Highest YoY Increase (H1 2024 vs H1 2023) in the Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts Coming from Canada
- Logistics – 172.9%
- Gambling – 79.3%
- Video gaming – 67.8%
“Protecting customers and their businesses from fraud is essential to enabling safe and tailored consumer experiences. These findings reveal that despite the good-faith efforts that are being undertaken by companies to identify and prevent fraud to date, fraudsters continue to evolve and it’s vital that fraud prevention methods keep up with the changing times,” said Patrick Boudreau, head of identity management and fraud solutions at TransUnion Canada.
“Businesses that aren’t already doing so should ensure that they are taking advantage of fraud prevention technologies such as identity verification, IP intelligence, device reputation and synthetic identity detection as critical components of their fraud prevention programs,” he added.
-
Australia7 days ago
ALLIANCE PARTNERS TABCORP AND 1/ST CONTENT COMPLETE DEAL WITH THE JOCKEY CLUB OF TURKIYE TO DELIVER TURKISH RACING TO AUSTRALIA VIA SKY RACING
-
Asia7 days ago
GG.BET is inviting BLAST Premier: World Final attendees to the GG.BOOTH to take part in some fun activities
-
Australia6 days ago
Australia’s BetStop Receives International Regulatory Award
-
Brazilian Ministry of Finance6 days ago
Brazilian Ministry of Finance and IBIA sign sports betting integrity agreement
-
Brazil6 days ago
Delasport Ready for Brazil Expansion
-
Brazil6 days ago
ProntoPaga Transforms its Operating Model in Brazil to Ensure Risk-Free Transactions
-
Canada6 days ago
IAGR announces Toronto as host city for 2025 conference
-
Bonita-Fort Myers Corporation6 days ago
Seminole Tribe of Florida and West Flagler Parties Announce End of Legal Challenges and Beginning of Partnership to Offer and Promote Jai Alai on the Hard Rock Bet App