Canada
Exclusive Q&A with Robb Vecchio Managing Director of Jogo Global US
Jogo Global is one of the industry’s newest suppliers and is already making a name for itself. In the past month, the emerging platform provider and casino content developer announced two high-profile appointments, which highlighted the strong ambitions the company has for its future operations. Cashcade and Gaming Realms co-founder Simon Collins has become its new chairman, while the highly experienced Robb Vecchio joined as Managing Director of Jogo Global US.
Gaming Americas caught up with Robb Vecchio to understand more about what exactly Jogo Global has to offer and the company’s strategic plans for the US market.
Congratulations on your new role at Jogo Global US, Robb. What will be your initial focus over the coming months?
I’m really excited to have joined such an ambitious company. My key focus is to build the brand awareness of Jogo Global within the US casino industry and educate businesses about how our content, platforms and services will drive business growth. I’m very confident we have all the right assets and resources, and know we have a very talented team of highly experienced individuals that are developing quality products. I will be sure to tap into my digital rolodex over the coming months, as there’s a massive opportunity right now in the US as the landscape shifts from the land-based to online. We are in a unique position as a global omnichannel gaming company providing a wide range of services.
What are the types of services that Jogo Global offers in the US right now?
We can offer bespoke solutions, something that a lot of the main organizations within the industry cannot offer right now. Given that we’re a nimble and agile company, we can provide a personalised service and deliver a product that truly meets a customer’s requirements, which is very rare these days.
The localized approach is something I learned during my time at Video Gaming Technology (VGT). We successfully introduced a new foreign subsidiary, VGT Mexico, and turned it into a multi-million nationwide enterprise. That was very much driven by a localized product for the market’s needs. At Jogo, we have that ability at scale to develop bespoke content and platforms for our partners that match their individual requirements.
What can Jogo Global offer that’s different to what’s already available in the market, particularly compared to the main suppliers?
Having a scalable business is very important, even for start-ups. Companies want to know that a third-party provider can match their expectations and deliver a reliable service. We can prove that our offering is scalable to prospective new clients, which has been a driving force behind Jogo Global securing new commercial agreements both in the UK and US, which hopefully will be announced very soon. References and new customer wins are going to be key to truly establish ourselves as a business that is going places. Word of mouth is hugely valuable in helping a young company to position itself in the marketplace.
Secondly, our creative solutions have impressed a number of organizations that we’ve engaged with already. The unique overlay that our solutions can offer to their existing ecosystem is something that is highly advantageous to them.
Close relationships are key and that’s an area we’ll be working hard on to ensure partners get the best possible service. Those deep-seeded partnerships, almost like a family, go along way in this industry and help take a start-up to the next level.
In the US we’re seeing the digital iGaming industry accelerating at warp speed. Given your background in the land-based environment, how are you looking to support those companies in translating their content for online?
There’s a lot of potential in the legalized jurisdictions of both land-based and online gaming, particularly in the Class II category, which requires games to be associated as a form of bingo. Class II machines are heavily prominent in the Native American properties, and there’s an opportunity to adapt that type of content for online use.
Digital gaming has certainly grown, especially as Covid-19 forced venues to shut down and players naturally migrated to online sites. Online activity is likely to double over the next 12 months, and I think in the near future we’ll see smaller land-based casinos as a result, which only showcase the brand and top games, but eventually lead players to their online and mobile offering.
Can you give us an insight into your new business targets for the next few months?
Here in the US, we think more can be done to provide a better service to the tier 2 operators. Most of these operators aren’t being looked after properly, certainly when you compare the support that UK and European companies of a similar size receive from their suppliers, along with the big players in the industry. We have a great opportunity to showcase how nimble we are as a business and be more attentive to operators in their everyday needs. We look forward to maintaining our momentum and interest generated by attending the recent NIGA Conference and carrying it forward to the upcoming OIGA Conference later this month.
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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.
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