Canada
Interview with Declan Raines from TransUnion

First of all, could you give us a ‘status report’ about the current online gambling environment? How concerned should players be about fraud? Is it a widespread threat?
Online gambling has experienced enormous growth thanks to digital platform improvements, stay-at-home orders, and loosening regulations. The United States in particular reached record highs with more Americans gambling in 2021 than ever before. Mobile sports betting was one of the main drivers as many states turned to online gaming to capture tax revenue and bolster budgets. New York is a clear example; mobile betting went live at the beginning of the year and immediately set records with more than $1.6B wagered by residents in January. Large states like California, Massachusetts and Florida are considering similar legislation and it’s a matter of time before they join the mobile betting market too.
All this growth, attention, and revenue has been great for the industry, but naturally it’s also attracted the attention of criminals. The challenge with measuring fraud is that you have to catch it to count it, but even with that limitation, TransUnion’s 2022 Global Digital Fraud Trends Report saw a 19.2% increase in suspected digital fraud targeting the gambling industry.
We expect attention from fraudsters to keep pace with the growth of online gambling, and it should be a major concern for both players and gaming companies. That’s supported by what we’ve seen in Europe, where online gambling has been legal for some time now and fraud has been a continuous issue. The silver lining is that the U.S. can benefit from Europe’s example and adopt the most effective compliance, risk, and regulation best practices for consumers and the industry.
What are the reasons behind the rising number of fraud crimes committed?
Fraud will always follow large amounts of money, but much of the recent uptick in fraud can be attributed to bonus abuse. The competition from operators for all these new mobile customers is fierce. To stand out, companies are offering thousands of dollars in deposit bonuses when players sign up. These lucrative bonus offers, and incentives have become table stakes in attracting players to online operators.
In the rush to acquire new players operators have opened themselves up to fraud. They are susceptible to things like arbitrage betting where players make opposite sides of the same bet on different platforms but capture the deposit bonuses from each company. There are also bad actors using synthetic identities to create multiple fake accounts to try and clean funds or capture bonuses.
Bonus abuse will continue to be widespread when there’s such an emphasis on offering enormous bonuses to try and draw new players onto platforms. Ultimately bonus abuse in the US is somewhat of a commercial decision for operators as they strive to balance player acquisition with bonus abuse. Even in Europe, where there are more mature markets and smaller deposit bonuses, this type of fraud continues. It’s up to operators to take steps to protect themselves and customers.
Using/visiting multiple gaming sites: how do consumers differentiate between regulated/unregulated sites?
Our team at TransUnion exclusively supports the regulated gambling industry, but it’s worth acknowledging that there is an enormous unregulated market available to players – due in no small part to US prohibitions against gambling. An estimated $1.7 trillion was illegally wagered on sports in 2021 versus $40 billion wagered through legal channels, according to a report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Given all the options available, it can be difficult to differentiate between a regulated provider of mobile sports betting like DraftKings or FanDuel versus an unregulated operator.
There are ways that savvy players can verify that information. Most platforms and websites will explicitly state the jurisdictions that they are regulated in. Players can also go to the websites of their respective state gaming regulator to see who has been licensed to operate. These are important steps for consumers to take to protect themselves from both bad actors and legal liability.
What type of information is at risk? How can they be used against players?
The primary concern of players should be account takeover fraud. Fraudsters are actively looking to gain access to account credentials and are using increasingly complex techniques to accomplish that. Everything from phishing scams to SIM swapping to capture one-time passcodes have been used to gain access to funds in betting accounts. Once they gain access, fraudsters will directly withdraw the funds to one of their own accounts or sell that information on the dark web to other bad actors who will do the same.
Players can protect themselves with robust info security practices. When it comes to online gambling, using a password manager is still effective, but other techniques like VPNs aren’t available to consumers since regulation requires geolocation. Ultimately, good cyber hygiene and being vigilant in monitoring your account will be enough to repel most fraud attempts.
What can game providers do against these attacks? Is it possible to protect players without impairing player experience?
There’s a lot that online operators can do to vet and identify potential fraudsters – there are near-countless customer authentication methods available – but the industry as a whole has largely prioritized the player experience due to the risk of player abandonment. Player abandonment is estimated to be near 70% in the online gambling space right now and it’s easy to imagine why. Most people sign up for a mobile betting account with a specific bet in mind, something that’s especially true for sports wagers. A prospective player sits down on the couch to watch the game, decides they would like to make a wager, but only has a limited amount of time before the game starts. If that person has authentication issues or is impeded in any way during the onboarding process, they’re very likely to abandon the attempt or find a more lenient operator.
I would surmise that operators in the US are more tolerant of having fewer authentication methods in place because player acquisition is the priority right now. That will inevitably change as the industry matures, so operators will have to find a balance between a smooth player experience and better fraud prevention practices.
How does TransUnion ensure safety? What makes the company stand out?
Many online operators believe they must choose between the player experience and fraud prevention – but our team at TransUnion knows that’s not the case. Our experiences in Europe show that you can offer a frictionless player journey and a robust prevention strategy that does give you the best of both worlds.
The key to that is intelligence. Our approach measures confidence levels across three different data categories for each player: who they are, where they are, and what devices they are using. You can quickly identify fraudulent activity from any misalignments in those data elements. For example, if an address doesn’t match with the geolocation or an identity doesn’t match to a device, our team can flag for operators that this account needs an extra layer of scrutiny or friction before allowing access.
This is possible through the industry consortiums we support and work with to share information on potential fraudsters. If a device is associated with healthcare, credit card, or synthetic identity fraud, our gambling operator partners know and can act accordingly if the same information or devices are used on their platforms.
Our teams cast the widest net possible to ensure that online operators don’t have to ask for additional information and can avoid increasing friction in the onboarding process and improve the chances of legitimate players going through the experience seamlessly.
My belief is that with a fully accurate summation of fraud in the gaming market in the US would dwarf the fraud that happens Europe. Operators haven’t been able to put procedures in place to adequately protect themselves during the race to bring on new players. This is temporary; operators will eventually incorporate more robust fraud prevention into the onboarding process as the emphasis on player acquisition is reduced with market maturity. But knowing when to do it, and understanding how to preserve your player journey and experiences, will allow operators to apply a “friction-right” approach where they can have the best of both worlds.
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AGCO
AGCO Fines Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto $350,000 for Serious Regulatory Violations Linked to Impromptu After-Party on Gaming Floor

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has issued monetary penalties totaling $350,000 against Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto for multiple violations of provincial gaming standards. The penalties follow an impromptu after-party that was permitted to take place in the pre-dawn hours directly on the casino’s gaming floor.
On September 27, 2024, an electronic dance music event attended by thousands of people was hosted in the theatre adjacent to the casino at Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto. The event was marked by widespread intoxication, disorderly behavior, and numerous criminal and medical incidents – both inside and outside the venue – including alleged assaults, drug overdoses, and acts of public indecency. Although paid duty officers were present, additional police and emergency services were required to manage the situation.
In the midst of this high-risk environment, casino management approved an unscheduled request by the performing artist to host an after-party on the active gaming floor. The artist and more than 400 guests were permitted onto the gaming floor where the artist was allowed to perform amidst operational table games and gaming machines – without any prior risk assessment or planning.
As a result, security personnel were unable to effectively control the casino floor, including witness reports that an attendee was seen climbing onto slot machines. Failure to maintain appropriate control compromises the security, safety, and integrity of the casino floor. Following the conclusion of the event, the operator failed to promptly report these incidents to the AGCO as required.
Based on the findings of its review, the AGCO’s Registrar has issued an Order of Monetary Penalty (OMP) totaling $350,000 against Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto. These penalties address critical failures in their operations, incident reporting, employee training, and the management of disturbances.
A gaming operator served with an OMP has 15 days to appeal the Registrar’s decision to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), an adjudicative tribunal that is part of Tribunals Ontario and independent of the AGCO.
“Casino operators have a fundamental duty to control their gaming environment. Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto’s lapses in this incident compromised the safety of patrons and the security and integrity of the gaming floor,” Dr. Karin Schnarr, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar of AGCO, said.
The post AGCO Fines Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto $350,000 for Serious Regulatory Violations Linked to Impromptu After-Party on Gaming Floor appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Canada
IGT and Atlantic Lottery Sign Eight-Year Video Lottery Central System Technology Agreement

International Game Technology PLC announced that its subsidiary, IGT Canada Solutions ULC (hereinafter “IGT”), signed an eight-year agreement with Atlantic Lottery to supply its IntelligenEVO video lottery central system technology across Atlantic Canada. The agreement includes the option for multiple extensions and positions the Atlantic Lottery to become the first World Lottery Association (WLA)-affiliated lottery operator to deploy IGT’s next-generation central management system in a game-to-system (G2S) distributed market.
“By leveraging IGT’s IntelligenEVO technology, Atlantic Lottery will power its video lottery network with the industry’s best-in-class central system and position itself to maximize future contributions to good causes. As an organization that prioritizes system security and exceptional player experiences, Atlantic Lottery believes that IGT’s IntelliegnEVO solution will help generate high player satisfaction and optimal network performance,” said Michael MacKinnon, Atlantic Lottery VP, Product.
“As a long-time supplier to Atlantic Lottery, IGT looks forward to helping the Lottery achieve its growth and player engagement goals with our leading-edge IntelligenEVO video lottery central system. IGT’s IntelligenEVO is a scalable technology for the WLA market that is backed by decades of experience and operator feedback, and maximizes the benefits of real-time data, cloud-based technologies and in-depth analytics,” said David Flinn, IGT SVP Canada, EMEA and LATAM, Gaming Sales.
With peak system security, network availability and responsible gaming functionalities, IntelligenEVO is a reliable, scalable solution that can meet the needs of today and in the future. The solution will accelerate time-to-market and enables the Atlantic Lottery to benefit from the system’s suite of player-focused functionality. The technology’s G2S and open API design optimizes data collection and delivery and will enable Atlantic Lottery to customize their program for evolving player needs.
The post IGT and Atlantic Lottery Sign Eight-Year Video Lottery Central System Technology Agreement appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
BetRivers
NetGaming Goes Live in Ontario with Rush Street Interactive via BetRivers Platform

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.
The post NetGaming Goes Live in Ontario with Rush Street Interactive via BetRivers Platform appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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