Canada
New Esports Franchise Awards 13 Locations on the East Coast in First Month; Targeting Domestic and International Expansion
New esports concept Valhallan awarded 13 franchise locations in its first month of franchising across major markets in North Carolina, South Carolina, and others along the East Coast, with the first openings slated for the fourth quarter of 2022. The aggressive rollout is the beginning of several planned markets as Valhallan targets prospective franchisees in additional states, including Texas, California, Florida, New Jersey, Arizona, Nevada, and Louisiana.
Due to the immediate strong response domestically, Valhallan is fast-tracking the opportunity to the UK, where they are seeking franchisees in all major markets.
“We are taking a front-row seat in the explosive gaming community and the multibillion-dollar esports industry. The Carolinas and broader East Coast are a perfect debut with more states and the UK to follow. Our goal is to be the only partner you need to run a successful esports business,” David Graham, chief executive officer of Valhallan and its parent company FranchiCzar, said.
Esports is one of the fastest-growing industries, with more than 90% of children and 50% of adults spending their free time playing video games. Valhallan will provide unmatched experiences that combine a rigorous esports training program with state-of-the-art esports arenas for young players, who get the opportunity to be part of a team and community while taking their gaming skills to the next level.
Launched by FranchiCzar, a developer of world-class software and services designed to help franchise brands scale their growth, Valhallan goes beyond a darkened room with computers. Their esports training program, “the Legendary Path,” takes players on a nine-level, 18-month customizable journey that develops gaming mastery and life skills like leadership, teamwork, sportsmanship, and community engagement.
“Valhallan is born out of this massive demographic of young people who love video games and the growing demand from parents and players for healthy outlets with great facilities, coaching, training and tournaments. When you look at where young people spend their free time, it’s evident that gaming dominates. The Valhallan franchise uses today’s top games, combined with learning modules, that teach players how to play better and gain valuable life principles,” Graham said.
Powered by WPeMatico
AGCO
TitanPlay Highlights Responsible Gambling Approach in Platform Design
TitanPlay, a regulated iGaming operator in Ontario’s licensed market, announced its commitment to treating responsible gambling not as a compliance checkbox, but as a foundational principle embedded across all aspects of product design, marketing, and operations.
While Ontario’s regulatory framework — established by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and iGaming Ontario (iGO) — sets clear minimum standards for licensed operators, TitanPlay says it views those standards as a starting point for its broader responsible gambling framework.
“For us, responsible gambling is not an afterthought, but the foundation on which TitanPlay is built,” said the Chief Compliance Officer of TitanPlay.
Designing for Player Well-Being from Day One
TitanPlay evaluates every product feature through a player-protection lens at the development stage. The platform offers clear, accessible limit-setting tools for deposits, losses, and time — available at registration and adjustable within prescribed cooling-off periods. Players also benefit from prominent real-time displays of account activity, friction-based interventions such as time reminders and proactive check-ins when play patterns shift, and seamless access to self-exclusion options.
Data-Driven Safeguards
Rather than using behavioral analytics to maximize short-term spending, TitanPlay deploys data to identify potential indicators of risk. When patterns suggest a player may be experiencing harm, trained Responsible Gambling specialists engage proactively in a personalized and supportive way, connecting players with available tools and independent resources such as ConnexOntario. All customer-facing teams undergo ongoing training aligned with AGCO standards.
Marketing with Integrity
TitanPlay applies rigorous internal review processes to all advertising and promotional campaigns, going beyond Ontario’s standards prohibiting targeting of minors, misleading claims, and public advertising of inducements or bonuses. The company prioritizes transparency, age-gating, and responsible messaging to ensure entertainment is never misrepresented as a financial solution.
A Shared Responsibility Across the Organization
Responsible gambling at TitanPlay is owned across product, marketing, compliance, and leadership — influencing roadmap decisions, user interface design, customer communications, and executive strategy.
The post TitanPlay Highlights Responsible Gambling Approach in Platform Design appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Alberta market
Soft2Bet Evaluates Alberta Market Entry to Strengthen its Canadian Footprint
Soft2Bet, a leading iGaming turnkey solutions provider, announced its intention to pursue entry into the Alberta market, pending regulatory approval. This strategic focus leverages Soft2Bet’s operational experience with localized offerings, including its Ontario-facing brand, ToonieBet.
Strategic Market Potential & Compliance
Alberta (Canada) represents one of the most significant growth opportunities in the North American iGaming landscape. With Canada’s youngest adult population and the highest GDPs per capita in the country, the province is well poised for a successful transition to an open, competitive market. Industry projections by Citizens JMP Securities suggest that Alberta’s regulated iGaming market could exceed $700 million in annual revenue at maturity.
Soft2Bet is closely monitoring the development of Alberta’s regulatory framework under the iGaming Alberta Act, which establishes the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) as the oversight body alongside the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) as the regulator. Reflecting its commitment to the highest standards of integrity, Soft2Bet is preparing for the province’s specific technical requirements.
The planned entry into Alberta aligns with the company’s strategic plans for 2026 to drive sustainable growth, and enter several new regulated territories.
“Innovation is paramount at Soft2Bet, and our goal is to develop exciting products that meet our customers where they are most comfortable. As we evaluate our entry into Alberta, pending regulatory approval, we are committed to delivering localized, engaging experiences that reflect the unique preferences and culture of each market,” said David Yatom Hay, General Counsel, Soft2Bet.
Excellence in Canadian Localization
Soft2Bet aims to leverage its experience in Ontario to enhance the gaming experience for users in Alberta, Canada, with innovative, compliant products. A core component of the company’s regional strategy involves taking localization further by adapting its brands to local culture, regulatory standards, and player preferences.
To support its hyper-local focus, Soft2Bet targets comprehensive native-language support across its priority regions, ensuring its services are deeply integrated into the local culture of each active regulated market.
The post Soft2Bet Evaluates Alberta Market Entry to Strengthen its Canadian Footprint appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
23 Broadway
23 Broadway secures $3m seed funding to launch AI-powered user acquisition financing platform
23 Broadway has secured $3 million in Seed funding to accelerate the next phase of its growth and launch a fully integrated AI-powered user acquisition financing platform.
The funding round was co-led by Betty and Will Ventures, with participation from 359 Capital, CEAS Investments, and Dave Bartman.
23 Broadway was integral in catapulting Betty to an 18% market share in Ontario through its world-class performance marketing team and proprietary AI system called Atlas.
Atlas determines the optimal cost of acquiring a customer and their predicted long-term value.
With this new funding, 23 Broadway will add non-dilutive capital to fund user acquisition to run alongside its existing performance marketing and technology capabilities into a single integrated solution.
Jordan Tuch, CEO of 23 Broadway, said: “23 Broadway is reimagining user acquisition financing by not only providing capital but deploying it through proprietary technology and performance marketing expertise. We’ve created a model that empowers businesses to scale faster without needing to build complex technology or marketing infrastructure themselves. The ability to use AI and execute bids based on a customer’s predicted lifetime value means we can deploy capital far more efficiently. That combination of predictive intelligence and funding creates a powerful growth engine for our partners.”
The underlying thesis is that platforms combining in-house technology and performance marketing expertise can offer a truly differentiated and durable user acquisition financing solution.
Growth-stage businesses benefit from access to dedicated capital for customer acquisition without equity dilution, while also being able to implement advanced marketing execution across platforms such as Google Ads and other major advertising ecosystems.
Funding will be allocated to develop Atlas further and enhance 23 Broadway’s predictive modelling capabilities. Another focus will be building new AI-driven models to help gaming companies strengthen retention marketing strategies. A final part will be to onboard additional partners seeking scalable user acquisition financing solutions.
The post 23 Broadway secures $3m seed funding to launch AI-powered user acquisition financing platform appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
-
Africa7 days agoEGT Digital Announces New Partnership with Sunbet
-
Cod of Thunder Dream Drop7 days agoPrime Casino Rolls Out Exclusive Slot Developed by Relax Gaming
-
Canada6 days agoSoft2Bet Evaluates Alberta Market Entry to Strengthen its Canadian Footprint
-
CULT.7 days agoPragmatic Play Earns a Spot in Cult’s Inner Circle
-
ANJL6 days agoBrazil betting market adjusts to regulation as football sponsorship boom slows
-
AiGC6 days agoSoft2Bet Eyes Alberta iGaming Market Expansion in Canada
-
Edvardas Sadovskis CPO at ICONIC216 days agoPatrick’s Lucky Fortune by ICONIC21 Rolls Out to Power Operator Growth and Seasonal Offers
-
Games Global6 days agoGames Global and Stormcraft Studios dive into aquatic adventure with Mermaid’s Millions Cashingo™



