Connect with us

Canada

Loto-Québec announces the dates and conditions for the reopening of its gaming establishments, as well as the cost-saving measures affecting its operations and personnel

Published

on

Reading Time: 2 minutes

 

Loto-Québec will gradually reopen its establishments according to the following schedule, with operations adjusted to comply with physical distancing and hygiene standards:

  • Hilton Lac-Leamy: July 13
  • Casino de Charlevoix, Casino de Mont-Tremblant, Québec and Trois-Rivières gaming halls: July 16
  • Casino du Lac Leamy: July 23
  • Casino de Montréal: August 3
  • VLT and Kinzo network: July 7
  • Network bingo: July 3

As establishments reopen, the Corporation’s top priority will be to ensure that operations resume in such a way as to allow employees and customers to stay safe while enjoying a fun environment.

 

Rigorous safety measures, modified opening hours and an online reservation system

Advertisement
European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

When Loto-Québec’s establishments reopen, customers will notice the following important changes to operations and on gaming floors, including:

  • New online reservation system for customers
  • Casino sectors will be limited to a maximum of 250 customers at a time
    • Québec City gaming hall(250 customers)
    • Trois-Rivières gaming hall(250 customers)
    • Casino de Charlevoix(250 customers)
    • Casino de Mont-Tremblant(250 customers)
    • Casino du Lac-Leamy(4 sectors with 250 customers = 1,000)
    • Casino de Montréal(6 sectors with 250 customers = 1,500)
  • Complete disinfection of each establishment every day and cleaning of gaming machines between customers
  • All employees on gaming floors required to wear procedural mask and, when required under CNESST standards, eye protection
  • Customers required to wear a mask or face covering
  • Directional signage people must follow to get from one location to another and two-metre physical distancing signage
  • Reconfiguration of gaming floors:
    • Slot machine activation that ensures physical distancing
    • Reduced number of players at gaming tables and installation of protective panels between the dealer and players
  • Availability of rubber-tipped stylets to avoid touching slot machines
  • No handling of cards or chips by the customer
  • Bars and show halls to remain closed for the time being
  • Snack food service only
  • New opening hours:

     

Casino de Mont-Tremblant and Casino de Charlevoix Casino du Lac-Leamy and Casino de Montréal Québec City and
Trois-Rivières gaming halls
Thursday: 11 a.m. to midnight

Friday: 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.

Saturday: 9 a.m. to 3 a.m.

Sunday: 11 a.m. to midnight

Advertisement
European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)
Every day: 9 a.m. to 4 a.m. Monday to Wednesday:

10 a.m. to midnight

Thursday to Sunday:

9 a.m. to 3 a.m.

 

Advertisement
European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

All information on the reopening and applicable measures is available at https://casinos.lotoquebec.com/en/portal/establishments.

 

Savings measures affecting operations and personnel

Since the COVID-19 crisis has been affecting Loto-Québec’s commercial operations for over three months already and despite the announcement of the upcoming gradual reopening, the Corporation is forced to apply savings measures to its operations and all personnel. The decision was made in order to align staffing needs with the level of activities.

Indeed, casinos, gaming halls, video lottery terminals (VLTs) and Kinzo halls have been closed since March, and in-store lottery sales were suspended for six weeks, all of which resulted in a significant reduction in the Corporation’s activities and revenues. Loto-Québec must therefore revise operations to meet the pace at which commercial activities resume.

Advertisement
European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

In an effort to maintain employment and expertise, the Corporation will implement measures that affect management personnel and employees as well as operating and capital budgets in corporate and business sectors. The measures to be implemented are as follows:

 

  • Significant reduction in operating and capital budgets in all corporate and business sectors for 2020-2021
  • Temporary layoffs in various sectors (particularly 2,250 operations employees in casinos and gaming halls)
  • Cancellation of supernumerary employee contracts
  • Salary freeze and cancellation of all bonuses for management personnel for 2020-2021
  • Hiring freeze
  • Temporary reduction of the work week

Meetings with management personnel, union representatives and employees from all sectors were held yesterday and today to inform them of the decisions, explain the situation and address concerns.

Powered by WPeMatico

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Canada

Bragg Gaming Group Enteres into New Financing Agreement with Bank of Montreal

Published

on

bragg-gaming-group-enteres-into-new-financing-agreement-with-bank-of-montreal
Reading Time: 3 minutes

 

Bragg Gaming Group, a leading global B2B iGaming content and technology provider, announced it has entered into a new financing agreement with the Bank of Montreal (BMO), a leading North American financial institution, pursuant to which BMO has made available to the Company certain credit facilities in a maximum aggregate amount of up to US$6.0 million to support its ongoing working capital and general corporate requirements (the BMO Facilities).

In connection with the closing of the BMO Facilities, Bragg has successfully repaid in full the outstanding promissory note with entities controlled by Doug Fallon (the Prior Note Indebtedness). The new BMO Facilities replace the Prior Note Indebtedness, signalling a significant step in the Company’s financial strategy to partner with a major commercial bank to support its growth.

“We are very pleased to establish this new relationship with the Bank of Montreal, a recognized leader in financial services. This new credit facility strengthens our balance sheet and provides us with a flexible capital structure to execute our strategic plan. The ability to secure financing from a major North American bank underscores the confidence in our business and our long-term growth prospects. We look forward to a long and successful partnership with BMO,” said Robbie Bressler, CFO of Bragg Gaming Group.

Advertisement
European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

The BMO Facilities are secured by, amongst other things, a first-ranking security interest over all of the assets of the Company and certain of its key operating subsidiaries, and are uncommitted and are repayable upon the earlier of (i) demand by BMO, (ii) the occurrence of certain insolvency events, and (iii) on the one-year anniversary of the closing date, unless a one-year extension is granted at BMO’s discretion.

The agreement includes customary legal and financial covenants, including a requirement for the Company to maintain a Total Funded Debt to EBITDA ratio not exceeding 2.50:1.00, and a Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of not less than 1.25:1.00. These financial covenants are to be tested on a consolidated basis at the end of each fiscal quarter.

The Company currently expects to draw on the BMO Facilities in Canadian dollars, which would result in estimated borrowing costs of 6.9%–7.9% for Prime-based loans or 5.9%–6.9% for CORRA-based loans, depending on the period of the draw and the Company’s leverage ratio. Standby fees on the unused portion of the revolving facility will range from 0.75% to 1.75% per annum, depending on leverage.

Management believes that based on the terms of the BMO Facilities, the Company’s borrowing costs on an annualized basis will be less than half of its Prior Note Debt.

Matevž Mazij, CEO of Bragg Gaming Group, said: “Securing this BMO facility represents a critical milestone in our strategic plan to strengthen Bragg’s financial foundation and accelerate value creation for our shareholders. With our cybersecurity incident contained and our borrowing costs cut by more than half, we are laser-focused on executing our strategic shift toward higher-quality earnings. The Company is prioritizing margin and cash generation over lower-margin revenue, and synergies realized post-quarter end to become a leaner operation. We’ve already realized EUR 2 million in annualized synergies and are on track to achieve our 20% Adjusted EBITDA margin target for the second half of 2025.

Advertisement
European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

“Our recent leadership additions in AI and innovation, combined with our expanding partnerships with operators like Fanatics and Hard Rock Digital, position us to pursue highly accretive growth opportunities methodically. The Company remains focused on growing the business in a sustainable and margin-accretive manner, with strong momentum in the proprietary content and technology pipeline positioning Bragg for long-term profitable growth.

“We understand the importance of delivering results for our shareholders, and our board and management team are fully aligned and committed to executing the strategic initiatives that will drive value. With improved financial flexibility, a strengthened operational foundation, and clear milestones ahead, we believe we have the right strategy and team in place to unlock Bragg’s full potential. We remain committed to maximizing shareholder value as we build sustainable, profitable growth and ensure our strong operational performance translates into appropriate market valuation.”

Cyber Breach Update

The Company has also provided an update on its previously announced cybersecurity incident initially detected on August 16, 2025.

Immediately following detection, Bragg took appropriate steps to mitigate any potential impact of the breach. With the assistance of independent cybersecurity experts, the Company has followed industry best practices and considers that the incident is now resolved.

Advertisement
European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

There continues to be no indication that any personal information was affected and the breach has had no impact on the ability of the Company to continue its operations. Bragg has also provided assurances to its customers regarding the security of its game titles. The Company has experienced no negative impact on its revenue or profitability and does not expect that the cost of responding to the incident will have a material financial impact on the Company.

The Company has already applied knowledge gathered from the investigation of the event to enhance its cyber security defenses.

The post Bragg Gaming Group Enteres into New Financing Agreement with Bank of Montreal appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Continue Reading

Betty

Thunderkick commits to growth in Ontario with Betty partnership

Published

on

thunderkick-commits-to-growth-in-ontario-with-betty-partnership

 

Independent slots studio Thunderkick has agreed a deal with Ontario-based operator Betty to supply the rapidly growing online casino with a diverse collection of globally popular titles.

Betty, an official partner of sporting franchises Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors, has risen to prominence since its 2022 establishment, when it was built following the consultation of 300 casino players to create the optimal iGaming environment.

Distinguishing itself from North American competitors by catering specifically to slot enthusiasts rather than sports bettors, the operator has curated a portfolio of 2,800 games, hand-picked to deliver customers maximum entertainment value.

Thunderkick’s content is the latest to be integrated into Betty’s online casino, and the agreement will see a selection of its most popular titles, including The Wildos 2, Midas Golden Touch 3, and Esqueleto Explosivo 3, made available to a greater number of Ontarian players.

Advertisement
European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

Thunderkick marked its debut in the Canadian province in Q2 of 2024, and has since partnered with a network of leading operators to improve its market position. The collaboration with Betty will further amplify its visibility in a key jurisdiction as the provider looks to reinforce its reputation as a global slot developer.

Svante Sahlström, CCO at Thunderkick, said: “It’s our mission at Thunderkick to go deeper, not wider, in 2025. That means forging meaningful, lasting relationships in target markets as opposed to securing as many commercial deals as possible.

“Since entering Ontario over 12 months ago, we have worked tirelessly to enhance our presence in the province, and working with leading brands such as Betty allows us to bring our unique games to a deeper pool of Canadian players.”

Paraskeva Smirnova, Casino Operations Manager at Betty, added: “Betty’s USP has always been our drive to build a slot portfolio with the very best titles from the industry’s most creative suppliers.

“Thunderkick’s passion for slot development is there for all to see, and the introduction of its games to our casino further elevates the consumer experience.”

Advertisement
European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

The post Thunderkick commits to growth in Ontario with Betty partnership appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

Continue Reading

BCLC

Save the Date: BCLC’s New Horizons in Safer Gambling Conference Returns November 2026

Published

on

save-the-date:-bclc’s-new-horizons-in-safer-gambling-conference-returns-november-2026

 

BCLC is pleased to announce the return of the New Horizons in Safer Gambling Conference, taking place November 2–4, 2026, at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver.

This global event brings leading voices in research, policy and industry together to explore innovative approaches to safer gambling. Attendees can expect two days of forward-thinking dialogue, evidence-based insights and collaborative solutions to help shape the future of player health.

Sponsorship Opportunities Now Available

New to the 2026 conference, BCLC is excited to offer sponsorship opportunities to organizations that share BCLC’s passion for safer gambling. Benefits of sponsoring New Horizons 2026 include industry visibility, leadership recognition and meaningful engagement with a global audience. To learn more about sponsorship, please e-mail [email protected].

Advertisement
European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

Registration and program details will be released later this fall.

The post Save the Date: BCLC’s New Horizons in Safer Gambling Conference Returns November 2026 appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

Continue Reading

Trending

Get it on Google Play

Fresh slot games releases by the top brands of the industry. We provide you with the latest news straight from the entertainment industries.

The platform also hosts industry-relevant webinars, and provides detailed reports, making it a one-stop resource for anyone seeking information about operators, suppliers, regulators, and professional services in the European gaming market. The portal's primary goal is to keep its extensive reader base updated on the latest happenings, trends, and developments within the gaming and gambling sector, with an emphasis on the European market while also covering pertinent global news. It's an indispensable resource for gaming professionals, operators, and enthusiasts alike.

Contact us: [email protected]

Editorial / PR Submissions: [email protected]

Copyright © 2015 - 2024 - Recent Slot Releases is part of HIPTHER Agency. Registered in Romania under Proshirt SRL, Company number: 2134306, EU VAT ID: RO21343605. Office address: Blvd. 1 Decembrie 1918 nr.5, Targu Mures, Romania