Canada
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh and BetRivers.com Ink Exclusive Deal With NHL’s Penguins to Build Sportsbook-style Lounge at PPG Paints Arena
Pittsburgh’s sports scene is about to become even more exciting for NHL fans. Rivers Casino, Pittsburgh’s market-leading casino, and BetRivers.com, operated by Pennsylvania’s leading online gaming company Rush Street Interactive (RSI), have secured an exclusive multi-year agreement to become the “Official Casino and Official Sportsbook of the Pittsburgh Penguins,” five-time Stanley Cup Champions. The deal includes a branded, hi-tech BetRivers Sportsbook-Style Lounge in PPG Paints Arena.
The announcement was made today by David Morehouse, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Penguins; Bill Keena, general manager of Rivers Casino Pittsburgh; and Mattias Stetz, chief operating officer of Rush Street Interactive (RSI), the operator of BetRivers.com.
The lounge will feature two rows of luxury seating where sports fans will now be able to watch the Penguins games live, while betting via the BetRivers Pennsylvania app on their personal mobile devices. The new space will be created by removing several rows at the top of section 120 in the lower bowl.
The released renderings* show the look and feel of the sportsbook-style lounge, which will have the same vibe as the popular sportsbook at Rivers Casino, and is created by the same designer, DMAC Architecture of Chicago. Along with the luxury rows of seating, the fun space will feature a bar with seating and club chairs, as well as multiple live-action screens. The new sports bar and lounge at PPG Paints Arena is designed to bring the elevated game-day experience of BetRivers, the market-leading sportsbook and casino, into the arena where the action is actually happening live on the ice.
“This is an exciting extension of our longstanding relationship with Rivers,” said David Morehouse, president and CEO of the Penguins. “The BetRivers Lounge is one of a number of projects we are undertaking at PPG Paints Arena to provide an enhanced and safe fan experience in a post-COVID environment.”
“Rivers Casino Pittsburgh’s proud partnership with the Penguins dates back to our grand opening. Besides ongoing promotions, we partnered with the Lemieux Foundation when table games debuted in 2010, and last year, when we launched the expanded BetRivers Sportsbook, Iceburgh was right by my side,” said Bill Keena, general manager of Rivers Casino Pittsburgh. “The new BetRivers Lounge at PPG Paints Arena takes this longstanding relationship to a whole new level—literally.”
“Pittsburgh is a hockey town and the Penguins have a rich history of success, winning the Stanley Cup on five occasions, most recently with their back-to-back Cups in 2016 and 2017,” said Mattias Stetz, chief operating officer of Rush Street Interactive (RSI), the operator of BetRivers.com. “As two organizations that share a commitment to excellence in providing sports fans with unparalleled experiences, BetRivers.com is proud to be the exclusive sportsbook of this winning franchise and the pride of Pittsburgh.”
The agreement also forges an exclusive marketing partnership that includes Rivers Casino and BetRivers branding and advertising inside the arena.
Rush Street Interactive was the first online gaming company to launch online sports wagering in Pennsylvania. It also operates online sportsbooks in Illinois, New Jersey, Indiana and Colorado.
SOURCE Rush Street Interactive
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Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO)
Soft2Bet strengthens integrity monitoring with IBIA membership in Ontario
Soft2Bet, a leading casino and sportsbook platform provider, has joined the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) and activated its membership in Ontario, Canada, following its licensing in the Canadian province.
Soft2bet obtained its Certificate of Registration from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) at the end of March, where the company’s Ontario-focused brand Tooniebet.com will now feed into IBIA’s world-leading sports betting integrity monitoring platform before worldwide implementation in the coming months.
IBIA includes over 50 of the world’s leading sports betting and gaming companies, who operate over 125 sports betting brands. Soft2Bet’s decision to join the association further strengthens its own internal betting integrity protocols and IBIA’s position as the world’s leading sports betting integrity monitoring body.
David Yatom Hay, General Counsel at Soft2Bet, commented: “Soft2Bet is delighted to be joining the IBIA as we strengthen our own betting integrity monitoring processes and play our part in furthering the IBIA’s long-standing work on this key issue. Ontario is a world class iGaming jurisdiction; it will be the first market where we will implement our IBIA membership and we look forward to deploying the monitoring infrastructure worldwide in all the other markets in which we operate.”
Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “Soft2Bet is a very welcome addition to IBIA, further strengthening our position in the Ontario market. The operator’s decision to join IBIA demonstrates its desire to utilise the best integrity protection available for its sportsbook product. The association is delighted to be able to integrate Tooniebet within our integrity monitoring system and looks forward to working closely with Soft2Bet to maintain the high integrity of its sportsbook.”
IBIA is a not-for-profit body that has no competing conflicts with the delivery of commercial services to other sectors and is run by operators and for operators to protect regulated sports betting markets from match-fixing. IBIA’s global monitoring network is a highly effective anti-corruption tool, detecting and reporting suspicious activity in regulated betting markets.
Through the IBIA monitoring network it is possible to track transactional activities linked to individual customer accounts. IBIA members generate more than $300bn in annual betting turnover (handle), accounting for approximately 50% of the global commercial regulated land-based and online sports betting sector, and in excess of 50% for online alone.
IBIA recently released a report on the Availability of Sports Betting Products which highlighted Ontario as a leading regulated gambling jurisdiction, with an expected onshore channelisation for sports betting of 92% in 2024 forecast to rise to 97% in2028. IBIA currently represents over 60% of the private sports betting operators licensed in the province. All online sportsbetting operators licensed in Ontario are required to be part of a betting integrity monitoring body.
IBIA’s Q1 2024 report detailed 56 alerts during the quarter. IBIA alerts contributed to the investigations and subsequent successful sanctioning of 21 clubs, players and officials in 2023, an increase on the 15 sanctioned in 2022.
British Columbia Lottery Corporation
SCCG Management Signs Contract with British Columbia Lottery Corporation
SCCG Management has signed a contract with the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC), the B.C. Crown corporation which conducts and manages commercial gambling in the province, including lotteries, casinos, and online gaming. This partnership aims to undertake a comprehensive assessment and strategic enhancement of BCLC’s diverse operations.
The work between SCCG and BCLC will involve a thorough review of technological infrastructures, strategic market positioning, and the integration of various gaming modalities. SCCG’s extensive expertise will be pivotal in harmonizing BCLC’s online and physical gaming experiences.
Stephen Crystal, Founder and CEO of SCCG Management, said: “Our collaboration with BCLC represents a remarkable opportunity to push the boundaries of innovation within the gaming industry. We are committed to deploying our resources and expertise to enhance BCLC’s operational efficiencies and customer engagement strategies. It’s an honor to partner with an organization that has a robust impact on the community through its support of public initiatives.”
AGCO
AGCO Requires Ontario Gaming Operators to Stop Offering WBA Bets Due to Integrity Concerns
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has mandated all Ontario-registered sportsbook operators to halt offering and accepting wagers on World Boxing Association (WBA) events immediately. This measure is being taken to protect the Ontario betting public following concerns that WBA-sanctioned boxing matches are not adequately being safeguarded against match-fixing and insider betting.
Since December 2023, the AGCO has been conducting a comprehensive review of suspicious wagering activity on a WBA-sanctioned title fight between Yoenis Tellez and Livan Navarro that was held in Orlando, Florida. Suspicious betting patterns on the bout lasting over 5.5 rounds were reported to the AGCO by two registered independent integrity monitors and detected in Ontario by a registered igaming operator. Media reports also alleged that Tellez’s Manager placed $110,000 on the match lasting longer than 5.5 rounds at a Florida casino. The bout ended with Tellez knocking out Navarro in the 10th round.
Following an intensive review that included outreach to the WBA, Ontario-registered gaming operators, independent integrity monitors, and regulators in other jurisdictions, the AGCO has concluded that bets related to WBA events do not currently meet the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming.
The AGCO requires all Ontario-registered gaming operators to ensure the sport betting products they offer are on events that are effectively supervised by a sport governing body. At a minimum, the sport governing body must have and enforce codes of conduct that prohibit betting by insiders.
Registered gaming operators were unable to demonstrate to the AGCO that the WBA prohibits betting from insiders, which could include an athlete’s coaches, managers, handlers, athletic trainers, medical professionals, or others with access to non-public information. Further, registered gaming operators were unable to demonstrate that the WBA took any action to investigate or enforce the allegations of potential match-fixing and insider wagering.
The AGCO has indicated to registered operators that in order for WBA betting products to be reinstated in Ontario, operators must demonstrate that the WBA effectively supervises its events, thus bringing them into compliance with the Registrar’s Standards. In December 2022, the AGCO required gaming operators to stop offering bets on UFC events for similar issues related to insider betting safeguards. Within a month, UFC amended its policies and implemented new protocols that allowed the AGCO to reinstate betting on UFC events in the province.
“Ontarians who wish to bet on sporting events need to be confident that those events are fairly run, and that clear integrity safeguards are in place and enforced by an effective sport governing body. Knowing the popularity of boxing in Ontario, we look forward to reinstating betting on WBA events once appropriate safeguards against possible match-fixing and insider betting have been confirmed,” Dr. Karin Schnarr, Registrar and CEO of AGCO, said.
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