Canada

Statement From The Chair Ontario Lottery And Gaming Corporation

Published

4 years ago

March 9, 2020

“President and CEO to Leave OLG after Five Years”

This is to advise that Stephen Rigby has agreed with the Board of Directors that he will leave the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) after five years at the helm. Stephen will remain at OLG until the Summer when a new CEO is confirmed, working with new leadership to ensure a smooth transition.

The Board of Directors thanks Stephen for his outstanding service as the President and Chief Executive Officer of OLG. During that time, OLG has delivered unprecedented value to the Province. OLG’s returns have grown from $1.7 billion in 2015 to nearly $2.5 billion and are on track to attain over $3.0 billion by 2022-23. This growth reflects a healthy and thriving land-based gaming, lottery and digital business.

In land-based gaming, we implemented one of the largest public-private partnership projects in Canada. Through an open, fair and transparent procurement, four operators have been selected to manage the day-to-day operations of casinos, expend capital, and invest in communities throughout Ontario. Since 2015, four new facilities have opened in Belleville, Peterborough, Chatham, and Sarnia, with construction well underway for new casinos in Pickering and North Bay, as well as the Niagara Falls Entertainment Centre. So far, $600 million has been invested by the private sector in new capital, creating 500 new gaming jobs. By 2023, these investments will grow to $4 billion, creating thousands of new jobs across Ontario.

OLG’s growing returns also reflect a thriving lottery business, with nearly 10,000 points of sale across Ontario lottery retail in support of small business and larger outlets, featuring popular products such as LOTTO MAX. Lottery sales have hit an unprecedented $4 billion under Stephen’s leadership. OLG is now deploying new lottery terminals in each of these locations, marrying state-of-the-art integrity with customer service.

OLG is also making investments in new digital technologies that will transform its online presence, building on PlayOLG which has doubled its customer base in the last 18 months.

While generating more money for the Province to support critical public services, we’ve also served the broader public interest. We invested wisely in our responsible gambling programs which earned global recognition through the World Lottery Association.

At the same time, we’ve put in place historic agreements which fund 1,800 charities province wide, and put horse racing on the path of sustainability, protecting jobs in communities big and small.

As Chair of the Board of Directors, you have my assurance that OLG’s commitment to its business and stakeholder partnerships, and dedication to world-class gaming entertainment is unwavering, today and in the future.

As Chair of the Board, I have launched a process to identify a successor to the outgoing President and CEO. We thank Stephen Rigby for his outstanding tenure which positions OLG for continued success going forward.

Peter M. Deeb
Chair, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation

OLG is a crown agency that develops world-class gaming entertainment for the Province of Ontario. Acting in a socially responsible way, OLG conducts and manages land-based gaming facilities; the sale of province-wide lottery games; PlayOLG Internet gaming; and the delivery of bingo and other electronic gaming products at Charitable Gaming Centres. OLG is also helping to build a more sustainable horse racing industry in Ontario. Since 1975, OLG has provided more than $52 billion to the people and Province of Ontario to support key government priorities like health care; the treatment and prevention of problem gambling; and support for amateur athletes. Each year, proceeds from OLG’s operations also support host communities, Ontario First Nations, lottery retailers and local charities across the province.

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Canada

Play’n GO announces partnership with Canadian operator Loto-Québec

Published

19 hours ago

May 16, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

play’n-go-announces-partnership-with-canadian-operator-loto-quebec

Play’n GO, the world’s leading casino entertainment provider, has today announced a partnership with Canadian operator Loto-Québec, launching the Swedish gaming giant’s games into another Canadian province.

Already active in another Canadian province , this partnership sees Play’n GO’s content available in the province of Québec exclusively with Loto-Québec, a state-owned corporation, where online players now have access to titles such as Tome of Madness.

Magnus Olsson, Chief Commercial Officer, Play’n GO said: “At Play’n GO, we have always been clear in our vision to be active in every regulated market in the world, and this partnership with Loto-Québec is the next step on that journey.

“Our past success in Canada gives us confidence that players in Québec will enjoy the best Play’n GO content, and we look forward to many years of success with Loto-Québec in the province.”

Stéphane Martel, Head of Product and Innovation at Loto-Québec added: “As the sole iGaming operator in Québec, we pride ourselves on offering titles that truly add value to our platform, lotoquebec.com. We are happy to bring Play’n GO games to our players.”

Canada

Court Decision Upholds iGaming Ontario’s Model

Published

2 days ago

May 15, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

court-decision-upholds-igaming-ontario’s-model

iGaming Ontario has welcomed the decision of the Ontario Superior Court, which found that iGaming Ontario’s model is consistent with the Criminal Code and that iGaming Ontario is conducting and managing igaming in the province.

“We have always been confident in our model and are pleased that the court has ruled in our favour, and that Ontarians can continue to play with confidence in our regulated igaming market,” said Martha Otton, Executive Director of iGaming Ontario.

“Ontario’s model meets the requirements and contributes to the public good by protecting players, their data and their funds, while helping to fund priority public services in Ontario, and bringing well-paid, high-tech jobs and economic development to Ontario,” Otton added.

In dismissing the application brought forward by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK), the Superior Court found that iGaming Ontario is the “operating mind” behind Ontario’s competitive igaming market in accordance with the conduct and manage requirements of the Criminal Code.

iGaming Ontario will continue to conduct and manage igaming as it has since the launch of the regulated market on April 4, 2022.

Bragg Gaming Group

Bragg Gaming Appoints Renowned iGaming Executive Neill Whyte as Chief Commercial Officer

Published

7 days ago

May 10, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

bragg-gaming-appoints-renowned-igaming-executive-neill-whyte-as-chief-commercial-officer

Bragg Gaming Group, a global iGaming technology and content provider, announced that Neill Whyte has been appointed as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), effective 1st May 2024, establishing a new global commercial structure at the Company and bolstering its leadership team.

Whyte brings over 18 years of experience in the iGaming sector, most recently in the role of Chief Commercial Officer at Digital Gaming Corporation’s (DGC), B2B iGaming Division. After joining DGC in early 2020, he was responsible for the commercially successful launch and growth of its content distribution business in the US.

Prior to joining DGC, Whyte held multiple positions in the gaming industry including as Head of Business Development at Isle of Man-based iGaming specialist Apricot Investments, as Board Member at Swedish iGaming product and Lottery content distributor Genera Networks, and in various senior roles over eleven years at leading iGaming content supplier Microgaming, including as Head of Product Channels.

In his new role with Bragg, Whyte will be tasked with leading the Company’s global commercial teams to drive growth across all of the Company’s product verticals which include proprietary online casino content from its Atomic Slot Lab, Indigo Magic and Wild Streak Gaming studios, exclusive content from content partners, HUB a leading casino content aggregation platform, Fuze player engagement, as well as its award-winning player account management (PAM) platform and turnkey solutions.

Matevž Mazij, Chief Executive Officer at Bragg, said: “I am very pleased to be announcing today the appointment of Neill Whyte as Chief Commercial Officer at Bragg. His iGaming product and market knowledge, together with his record in driving growth from developing successful and mutually beneficial commercial partnerships are exceptional.

“As we leverage our broad content and product portfolio to grow in existing and new markets, including in the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe, Neill’s unique combination of knowledge, skills and experience in this sector are a perfect fit for our ambitions at Bragg.”

Neill Whyte, Chief Commercial Officer at Bragg, said: “It’s an honor to join Matevž and the wider teams at Bragg already in place across North America, Europe and in India. I have been impressed with the depth and quality of the content, product and technology offerings at Bragg, and its ability to rapidly adapt, certify and deploy this content and technology in newly regulated markets is a distinct advantage.

“We also have a huge opportunity to grow our footprint with our existing customers in markets in which we are already established. Our content and product roadmaps are second to none, and I’m planning to get on the road in the coming weeks and months to meet the team and our customers and to start building for the next stage of mutual growth. I can’t wait to get going.”