Canada
“We have a lot to offer the market’s local players” – Evoplay CEO sits down to discuss the company’s approach to LatAm
Latin America has continued to open up at a steady rate and is widely seen as a market that is stacked full of potential, but there’s still plenty to be learned about capturing the attention of modern players in the region.
Vladimir Malakchi, CEO at leading game development studio Evoplay, sits down with Gaming Americas to discuss the success that the company has seen this past year and what its growth strategy will be for Latin America and other key regions in 2023 and beyond.
As one of the industry’s leading development studios, Evoplay has had some outstanding success this year, amounting with an award win for Innovation of the Year at the SBC Awards – what was the driving force behind that win?
As a company filled with iGaming enthusiasts, we’ve always been recognised for our prioritisation of innovation, something which sits at the very core of our game development strategy. Based on the research we conduct, we’ve noticed a clear trend emerging – that modern players seek exciting products which deliver unique experiences, especially when speaking about the next-generation of gamblers.
The development of new technologies and their immediate adoption by the wider entertainment industry, means that developers must stay on top of current trends, at Evoplay, we successfully meet this challenge by delivering products that not only meet the ever-changing preferences of modern players, but exceed their increasingly high expectations.
Looking to the LatAm market, what key differentiators is Evoplay bringing to the table, and how are you able to make your games as exciting as they are?
Thanks to the diversity of our product portfolio, we have a lot to offer the market’s local players. Our unique titles are topped up with the latest gamification tools, as well as tried and tested features, mechanics and modes that allow them to stand out, providing players with exclusive gaming experience they won’t find anywhere else.
LatAm is well-known for its passion for football, and we are able to facilitate this phenomenon thanks to our collection of football-inspired products which combine elements from traditional casino and harmonise this with the thrill and unpredictability of sports betting. The package consists of 4 betting-fuelled games: Football Bet, Penalty Shoot-out, Penalty Series and Football Manager.
Having analysed and identified the key factors that make wagering on live sports so attractive to casual bettors, the collection of titles provides the same level of excitement to players but from the comfort of their smartphones, without being limited to any real-life event schedule, ushering in a new era for sports fans and casino enthusiasts.
Do you have anything you would you like to share with your audience ahead of SBC Summit Latinoamerica about how Evoplay is going to make an impact?
We will continue doing what we do best and what we are recognised for in the industry, which is delivering bespoke iGaming content that wins the audience’s attention and earns their respect from the very first click. Evoplay’s varied portfolio and pioneering approach to game creation already sets us apart from our competitors, and we look forward to sharing our insights at the event with industry colleagues and prospective clients.
Evoplay enjoyed a strong year of product development with some exciting additions to its award-winning portfolio. When it comes to the prevalence of mobile over desktop in LatAm, how are you looking to cater to the market’s unique conditions and does that change your game development strategy?
The mobile sector has always been at the forefront of our priorities, as the data shows that LatAm is one of its biggest adopters, with roughly 75% of customers engaging with our products via smartphones. This breaks down to approximately 150 million mobile gamers in the region, which suggests that our mobile-first ideology is totally in tune with the audience there.
In addition to this, our in-house game engine Spinential provides a vital service, accelerating loading speed by up to 10x while saving digital storage space, opening the doors to far more players by allowing them to use our products on a multitude of devices across varying qualities of internet connections.
As we look beyond the upcoming World Cup and into the New Year, could you tell us more about your company’s growth strategy and vision for the LatAm market and other key regions?
As a leading development studio to the industry, we never stop looking to expand our reach and have already announced our plans for European expansion, with Portuguese and Swiss markets at the face of our short-term plans. That said, we are actively working on signing deals with operators in the markets where we have established our presence.
LatAm is most definitely on our radar for the coming months, and we will be ready to discuss this in more detail as we approach the end of the year. In the meantime, our research departments will continue to conduct analysis and collect data that helps us identify the region’s niches and player preferences, so that we can be more prepared for entering the market and fulfilling the requirements of its users.
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Caesars Entertainment Windsor Limited
OLG and Caesars Sign Long-term Operating Agreement for Windsor Casino
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) and Caesars Entertainment Windsor Limited (Caesars) announced that they have entered into a Casino Operating and Services Agreement (COSA) for the Windsor casino.
Under the new, close to 20-year agreement, Caesars continues day-to-day operations of the Windsor casino, ensuring its exciting brand of gaming entertainment remains part of the Windsor skyline.
“This is a great day for OLG, our partners at Caesars and the City of Windsor. The agreement we’ve signed will see our partnership with Caesars continue for many years to come. It’s a partnership that has benefitted the community and local economy in countless ways and we’re thrilled to continue our contribution together,” said OLG’s President and CEO, Duncan Hannay.
The Windsor casino is the final gaming site in Ontario to transition to OLG’s Land-based Gaming modernization model.
In May 2025, Stan Cho, Ontario’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming and OLG announced that Caesars had been selected as the operator through a competitive procurement process, with the expected transition to the new agreement with Caesars in early 2026.
“We are proud to continue bringing the iconic Caesars brand to life here in Windsor. For more than three decades, this Resort has been a cornerstone of the region’s tourism economy, and for the past 18 years it has proudly carried the Caesars name. We look forward to building on that legacy by delivering the world‑class hospitality, entertainment, and service our guests expect from Caesars,” said Anthony Carano, President and Chief Operating Officer of Caesars Entertainment.
Under the new agreement, OLG will continue to make Municipality Contribution Agreement (MCA) payments to the City of Windsor. Since 1994, OLG has provided more than $138 million in MCA payments to the city as a gaming host community. Additionally, Caesars must maintain current casino employment levels for a period of no less than 18 months. Unionized employees will be governed by the terms of their collective agreement.
Through its Land-based Gaming modernization, OLG has been transferring day-to-day operations of casinos to private sector service providers who are investing in Ontario communities. To date, OLG’s land-based gaming service providers have invested more than $2.9 billion in communities across the province, which both encourages local economic growth and helps OLG increase its contribution to the Province of Ontario.
OLG promotes safer gambling and empowers players to make informed decisions at every step of their play. PlaySmart provides tools and information that help players stay in control and enjoy games on their terms.
The post OLG and Caesars Sign Long-term Operating Agreement for Windsor Casino appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Bragg Gaming Group
Bragg Strengthens Executive Team for Enhanced Content Strategy, North American Growth, and AI-First Transformation
Bragg Gaming Group has announced the appointment of Morten Tonnesen as its new Chief Operating Officer and the promotion of Garrick Morris to the position of Executive Vice President of Global Content, US and Canada.
These immediate management changes emphasize Bragg’s strategic focus on aggressively scaling and expanding the high-margin content business globally, especially throughout the US and Canada. This global content business demonstrated significant growth, increasing by 76% in Q4-2025 compared to Q4-2024 and achieving 69% growth for the full year 2025 compared to 2024. This growth is supported by the acceleration of the “Bragg AI Brain” initiative and the company’s future presence in key emerging markets, such as Historical and Live Racing and Prediction markets. The organizational realignment represents the necessary final steps following the structural cost changes announced in January 2026.
Matevž Mazij, CEO of Bragg Gaming Group, said: “I’m thrilled to welcome Morten to Bragg and congratulate Garrick on his promotion. Both leaders are highly qualified, bringing extensive iGaming expertise that will be vital as we embark on our next chapter: becoming a global B2B leader in Content, Engagement, and Infrastructure and what we believe will be iGaming’s ‘AI-First’ company. Our cutting-edge tech stack has moved beyond the investment phase and is now a proven cash generator engineered for horizontal scaling.
“We believe their contributions will strengthen our ability to deliver operational leverage, meet our goals to streamline internal processes, enhance overall efficiency across our organization, and advance us further along the path toward EBITDA growth and net profitability. Importantly, with Morten streamlining operations and Garrick focused on U.S. and Global content expansion, we also believe that we are uniquely positioned to provide the robust iGaming ecosystems required by leading players in the evolving Historical and Live Racing and Prediction markets. We believe Bragg will stand out as the sole B2B provider operating at the convergence of iGaming, Sports, and Predictions.”
As Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Tonnesen’s mandate includes driving operational leverage and implementing Bragg’s ambitious artificial intelligence (AI) transformation. The goal of this transformation is to establish Bragg as an AI-First company by 2027. This transition is supported by specific 2027 objectives: ensuring AI-Enhanced Products are standard in over 90% of new launches and integrating AI into more than three-quarters of Bragg’s operational workflows.
Mr. Tonnesen brings over 17 years of progressive leadership experience in the iGaming, sports betting and technology sectors. He is recognized for his expertise in scaling complex businesses, driving cost efficiencies and operational excellence, and successfully executing high-impact initiatives to expand into new markets and achieve profitable growth. Before joining Bragg, Mr. Tonnesen served as Chief Growth Officer at Xtremepush, a leading provider of AI-powered CRM and loyalty marketing. Prior to his role at Xtremepush, which he joined in 2024, he was Chief Commercial Officer at Shape Games, an award-winning digital B2B platform and service provider for the iGaming industry, which was subsequently sold to Kambi. Earlier in his career, he co-founded and successfully exited the sports betting operator BetWarrior, now a major player in LatAm. He also spent six years in various roles at PokerStars. Mr. Tonnesen holds a Bachelor of Science in General Economics and a Master of Science in Strategy, Management, and Organisation from Copenhagen Business School.
Mr. Tonnesen said: “It has been captivating to watch the scale, scope and speed with which Bragg is already building the Bragg AI Brain and, thereby, transforming itself into an AI-first company. With Bragg navigating a combination of increasingly complex regulatory compliance requirements and recent tax headwinds in the Netherlands and other regions, exciting new emerging market opportunities in the U.S. and elsewhere, and potential consolidation in the overall global iGaming and Prediction markets, my near-term focus will be squarely on helping steer the Bragg AI Brain toward protecting the Company’s cash runway and driving its EBITDA growth.”
Mr. Morris first joined Bragg as Senior Vice President Commercial for the U.S. & Canada in 2024. In an iGaming management career spanning more than 15 years, before joining Bragg, he served as Chief Operating Officer at Digital Gaming Corporation, Operations Manager at Microgaming, and IT Platforms Manager at Derivco. Mr. Morris has a Bachelor of Economics from Stellenbosch University.
Mr. Morris said: “Since I first joined Bragg in May 2024, we have significantly expanded our U.S. content footprint through the launch of our newest games, Remote Gaming Server technology, and Player Account Management platform. I look forward to working with the team to help further accelerate growth, including via our planned strategic entrance into the Historical and Live Racing, and Prediction markets segments, with the aim of enhancing value for our shareholders.”
The post Bragg Strengthens Executive Team for Enhanced Content Strategy, North American Growth, and AI-First Transformation appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Canada
Wazdan’s North American Growth Accelerates Following FanDuel Alliance
Wazdan, the player-centric developer, has further strengthened its notable North American presence by forming a partnership with FanDuel, a top iGaming company in the area.
The deal represents a crucial milestone in Wazdan’s continuous global growth, as FanDuel introduces two feature-packed games at the same time in Ontario and Michigan, enabled by Light & Wonder’s aggregation platform.
In Ontario, gamers can experience Mighty Fish: Blue Marlin and 36 Coins, two games that highlight Wazdan’s distinctive blend of familiar themes and performance-focused mechanics. In Michigan, 12 Bells and Hot Slot: 777 Crown will offer players captivating gameplay designs centered on clarity, rhythm, and extensive features.
After the initial launch, FanDuel’s famous iGaming platform, FanDuel Casino, will have its collection expanded by a wide array of new slot games, each meticulously selected to include various Wazdan features that enhance player engagement like Cash Infinity
, Hold the Jackpot, and Sticky to Infinity
, all aimed at increasing entertainment and providing tangible growth for operators.
The newest expansion capitalizes on Wazdan’s progress in North America, succeeding in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and previous entries into West Virginia.
Radka Bacheva, Head of Sales at Wazdan, said: “Partnering with FanDuel represents a major milestone in Wazdan’s North American growth strategy and underlines the strong demand for our engagement-driven portfolio across regulated markets.
“FanDuel’s reach and reputation make them an ideal partner, and launching simultaneously in Ontario and Michigan is a powerful way to introduce our games to new audiences. We are confident that our feature-rich titles and proven mechanics will resonate strongly with players and deliver tangible value for FanDuel as we continue to scale our presence across the region.”
The post Wazdan’s North American Growth Accelerates Following FanDuel Alliance appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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