Canada

Success for Efforts to Bring Mobile Sports Betting and Resort Casinos to Texas

Published

3 years ago

April 5, 2023

The campaigns to bring resort casinos and mobile sports betting to the southern American state of Texas have been given significant boosts via news that a trio of associated legislative efforts have made it beyond the committee stage.

The Texas House of Representatives’ 13-member State Affairs Committee recently voted to advance House Joint Resolution (HJR) 155 and its enabling House Bill (HB) 2843 to the floor of the Texas State Capitol for a full vote. The successful passage of these proposals from Republican legislators Charlie Geren and John Kuempel respectively could see casino gaming brought to a limited number of destination resorts across ‘The Lone Star State’ including two for the area around the city of Dallas.

These two measures are now destined to be put to a vote before the 150 members of the Texas House of Representatives in hopes of being able to organize and hold a referendum on an associated constitutional amendment for as soon as November 7. Should residents of the giant state subsequently support this plebiscite and Texas would be permitted to license as many as eight Las Vegas-style resort casinos featuring high-class entertainment complexes, restaurants and gaming floors in addition to four or five-star hotels, convention facilities and retail elements.

Adding to this and the members of the State Affairs Committee have similarly approved a proposal from local Republican legislator Jeff Leach that is seeking permission to bring mobile sports betting to Texas. This measure is now destined to go for a vote before the full Texas House of Representatives and calls for individual operators to pay a 10% betting revenues tax after stumping up a $500,000 licensing fee.

The pro-casino Texas Destination Resort Alliance lobby group applauded the former moves and explained that millions of Texans currently travel to casinos in neighboring states such as Louisiana and Oklahoma where they annually spend an estimated $5 billion. The group’s spokesperson, Matt Hirsch, furthermore asserted that bringing such gambling-friendly facilities to cities such as Dallas, Houston and San Antonio would engender massive economic growth, create thousands of jobs and allow the jurisdiction to collect billions of dollars in tax that could be used to support a range of public safety, infrastructure and education programs.

“The efforts to bring destination resorts to Texas made significant progress with today’s vote,” Hirsch said. “Texans have made it clear that they want destination resorts in Texas and we are now one step closer to ultimately allowing them to decide on this issue. Our members thank and applaud the State Affairs Committee members for advancing Representative Geren’s and Representative Kuempel’s legislation.”

Ben Scobie-Trumper Head of Sales at mkodo

GGPoker selects GeoLocs geolocation service for regulated Ontario market

Published

28 minutes ago

June 3, 2026

Wladimir P.

ggpoker-selects-geolocs-geolocation-service-for-regulated-ontario-market

mkodo’s GeoLocs will handle in-platform location checks for GGPoker players in Ontario, removing the need for a separate verification app.

GGPoker has selected GeoLocs by mkodo as its geolocation service provider for the operator’s regulated Ontario offering.

Under the partnership, GeoLocs will provide in-platform location verification for GGPoker players across Ontario, with the aim of supporting regulatory compliance without requiring an additional app download or separate approval process.

“Our priority is to ensure players have a seamless experience on GGPoker whilst staying fully compliant with regulations. We chose GeoLocs because of their proven expertise, industry and regulatory knowledge and the fact that players don’t need to verify location through a separate app or download.” – Sarne Lightman, Managing Director of GGPoker.

“The partnership with GGPoker is very exciting. We’re proud to support a globally recognised operator in delivering a seamless, compliant player experience in Ontario. With Alberta opening in July, the partnership with GGPoker in Ontario further reinforces GeoLocs’ expansion across the Canadian gaming market.” – Ben Scobie-Trumper, Head of Sales at mkodo.

GeoLocs is a geolocation product built by mkodo for regulated markets, supporting web and mobile location checks for gaming, sports betting, poker and lottery operators, according to the company.

The post GGPoker selects GeoLocs geolocation service for regulated Ontario market appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Business Development

Xsolla expands Atlantic Canada event push with Game Invest East and XP Game Connect

Published

28 minutes ago

June 3, 2026

Wladimir P.

xsolla-expands-atlantic-canada-event-push-with-game-invest-east-and-xp-game-connect

Xsolla will take part in two Atlantic Canada industry events—Game Invest East and XP Game Connect Atlantic—running June 3-5, 2026, as it increases its presence in the region’s game development ecosystem.

The company said it will join discussions with developers, publishers, investors, and other stakeholders focused on game development, investment, and innovation. At Game Invest East, held in partnership with Scaffold, Xsolla will participate in a panel titled “If You Can Make It Here.” Xsolla’s Manny Hachey, Senior Director of Developer Success, will appear alongside Kate Edwards, CEO and Principal Consultant of Geogrify, and Amir Satvat, Business Development Director at Tencent Games, founder of Always Supporting the Games Community (ASGC), and a 2026 GamesBeat Visionary Award honoree.

Xsolla’s Halifax stop comes on June 5 at XP Game Connect Atlantic. John Nguyen, Regional Vice President, Canada at Xsolla, and Ted DiNola, Developer Evangelist at Xsolla, will host a workshop titled “Full Picture to Fast Lane: Xsolla Ecosystem Overview & Live SDK 3 Integration.”

Nguyen will also host a panel, “What Does the Future of Game Development Look Like in Atlantic Canada?”, joined by Ryan Filsinger from Iron Fox; Shawn Woods, CEO at Alpha Dog and VP of Interactive Society of Nova Scotia; George Greer, Founder of Besszong; and Jade Yhap, President of Interactive NB.

“Atlantic Canada continues to emerge as an exciting hub for game development talent and innovation,” said John Nguyen, Regional Vice President, Canada, at Xsolla. “Xsolla is proud to support these events and contribute to conversations that help empower developers, build ecosystems, strengthen industry connections, and accelerate growth across the region.”

The post Xsolla expands Atlantic Canada event push with Game Invest East and XP Game Connect appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Canada

SkillOnNet Goes Live with Ready Play Gaming Across Ontario, Mexico and Canada

Published

2 hours ago

June 3, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

skillonnet-goes-live-with-ready-play-gaming-across-ontario,-mexico-and-canada

Ready Play Gaming now live on SkillOnNet network with more jurisdictions to follow

Global entertainment brand SkillOnNet has successfully launched Ready Play Gaming’s slot portfolio across Canada, Ontario, and Mexico, with additional international markets scheduled to follow later this year.

Players at SkillOnNet’s portfolio of cutting-edge iGaming sites, such as PlayOJO, PlayUZU, Slingo, Mega Casino and LuckyNiki, can now enjoy Ready Play Gaming’s premium quality online slot games, which are designed to deliver immersive entertainment through engaging gameplay, longer-session appeal and community driven fun.

These include the company’s signature Reel Jackpots series, with games like Reel Bingo and Reel Triple – “soft slot” experiences crafted for the bingo generation.

Operating under the brand promise, “Ready Play Gaming. Immerse yourself!” the studio combines creative game design, engaging mechanics and striking visuals to create content tailored for modern casino audiences.

SkillOnNet is a multiple award-winning market leader in some of the most competitive gaming markets worldwide. The company operates numerous iGaming sites, each catering to unique player preferences and regional market demands.

Jani Kontturi at SkillOnNet said: “We are proud to welcome Ready Play Gaming as we continue to strengthen our global content offering with innovative and high-performing studio partners. In a crowded market, they’ve focused on building games with personality and strong entertainment value, and we believe that’s exactly the kind of content today’s players respond to.

Christoph Härtel, COO at Ready Play Gaming said: “Partnering with SkillOnNet is a major milestone for Ready Play Gaming as we continue to expand our international footprint. SkillOnNet’s strong presence in regulated markets and extensive operator network make them an ideal partner to help bring our games to even more players globally.”

The post SkillOnNet Goes Live with Ready Play Gaming Across Ontario, Mexico and Canada appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.