Canada

BettingUSA report: education key to unlocking US sports betting market

Published

5 years ago

May 12, 2021

Operators, suppliers and regulators share their thoughts on where the industry is at three years after PASPA was repealed

BettingUSA.com has produced a special report looking at how the industry can maximise the full potential of legal sports betting in the USA.

The nline and mobile sports betting comparison site has spoken to operators, suppliers and regulators to determine the key challenges the industry has faced in the early days.

These industry leaders have also provided their thoughts on how they can be overcome and what lessons can be learned from the progress made in the three years since PASPA was repealed.

Ultimately, these experts and BettingUSA.com believe education, technology and responsible gambling will be the key to the USA becoming the largest legal sports betting market in the world.

Here are some key insights from the report:

“Education is a big obstacle in every state you launch. And it really plays itself out because sports betting is not a national opportunity; it’s very much state-by-state. It’s an entirely new process and each time you need to make tweaks to appeal to the consumer. It’s always going to rear its head, too.” – Patrick Eichner, PointsBet

“As the competition is moving at lightning pace, we are doubling down on product this year, with a significant investment into growing our UX, product and development teams as we grow from a single state operator to a national, multi-state one.” – Daniel Graetzer, Carousel Group

“American sports are perfect for in-play betting, and this combined with the reams of data that is available means that players will quickly come to expect these markets and odds, so long as the enabling legislation in each state allows for them to be offered remotely.” – Simon Nobel, Champion Sports

“The market for sports betting is significant and in high demand. It would be foolish to think that we shouldn’t be as serious about sports betting as we are with casino gaming. Just like casinos, sportsbooks must be tightly regulated to ensure that there is integrity in the system.” – Douglas Harbach, Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board

The report also provides insight into the role that media companies will play in the sports betting space and how affiliates are helping to educate players about legal online sports betting.

The full report can be found here.

Mike Murphy, Founder of BettingUSA.com, said: “We created this report to gauge where the legal sports betting industry is at three years after PASPA was first repealed.

“While tremendous progress has been made to date, it is clear the sector is not without its teething issues especially when it comes to technology, regulation, safe gaming and education.

“From the experts we have spoken to, it seems these challenges can be overcome and if we are able to do so, the US will undoubtedly become the largest legal betting market in the world.

“This report provides tremendous insight from those at the cutting edge of the industry and their thoughts will undoubtedly shape the direction we take over the next three years.”

Canada

St8 expands Octoplay aggregation deal to Ontario and the UK

Published

2 days ago

July 2, 2026

Wladimir P.

st8-expands-octoplay-aggregation-deal-to-ontario-and-the-uk

St8 has extended its content partnership with Octoplay into Ontario and the UK, expanding distribution of Octoplay’s casino games in two regulated markets. The companies announced the move on 2 July, 2026.

Under the expanded agreement, St8 will make Octoplay’s full portfolio available to operators in both jurisdictions through St8’s single API integration.

David Fall, Business Development Manager at St8, said:

“Expanding our partnership with Octoplay into Ontario and the UK is another important milestone as we continue to strengthen our aggregation platform with premium content from leading suppliers.

“Octoplay has built an excellent reputation for developing engaging, high-performing games, and we’re delighted to extend this collaboration into two highly strategic regulated markets. This agreement enables our operator partners to access even more quality content through a single integration while supporting their growth in competitive jurisdictions.”

Ralitsa Georgieva, CEO at Octoplay added:

“We’re pleased to expand our partnership with St8 into Ontario and the UK, making our full portfolio available to even more operators through its aggregation platform. St8 has established itself as a trusted technology partner for regulated markets, and we look forward to building on our successful collaboration together.”

The post St8 expands Octoplay aggregation deal to Ontario and the UK appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Canada

St8 extends Octoplay partnership into Ontario and the UK

Published

2 days ago

July 2, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

st8-extends-octoplay-partnership-into-ontario-and-the-uk

Casino games aggregator and full-service technology provider St8 has expanded its partnership with Octoplay into Ontario and the UK, further strengthening its premium content offering across two of the industry’s most important regulated markets.

Through the extended agreement, St8 will make Octoplay’s full portfolio of casino games available to operators in both jurisdictions, providing partners with seamless access to the supplier’s high-quality content through its single API integration.

The expansion builds on the successful relationship between the two companies and reflects St8’s continued commitment to providing operators with access to leading game providers across regulated markets. By broadening the availability of Octoplay’s portfolio, St8 further enhances the depth and diversity of content available to its operator network.

Octoplay has quickly established itself as one of the industry’s most innovative and fastest growing game studios, recognised for delivering engaging titles that combine premium gameplay with strong player appeal which are now available across 17 jurisdictions. The supplier’s focus on quality and performance aligns closely with St8’s mission to simplify content aggregation while helping operators deliver exceptional gaming experiences.

The latest agreement reinforces St8’s strategy of expanding its premium content portfolio while helping operators simplify integration, accelerate market entry and deliver engaging gaming experiences across multiple regulated jurisdictions.

David Fall, Business Development Manager at St8, said: “Expanding our partnership with Octoplay into Ontario and the UK is another important milestone as we continue to strengthen our aggregation platform with premium content from leading suppliers.

Ralitsa Georgieva, CEO at Octoplay added: “We’re pleased to expand our partnership with St8 into Ontario and the UK, making our full portfolio available to even more operators through its aggregation platform. St8 has established itself as a trusted technology partner for regulated markets, and we look forward to building on our successful collaboration together.”

The post St8 extends Octoplay partnership into Ontario and the UK appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

AGCO

AGCO Fines Great Canadian Entertainment $120,000 for Using Unauthorised Gaming System Software at Four Casinos

Published

2 days ago

July 2, 2026

Wladimir P.

agco-fines-great-canadian-entertainment-$120,000-for-using-unauthorised-gaming-system-software-at-four-casinos

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has ordered monetary penalties totalling $120,000 against Great Canadian Entertainment (GCE) for using unauthorided gaming system software at multiple Ontario casino sites, a serious compliance failure that bypassed requirements designed to protect the integrity of casino gaming.

Gaming equipment and systems are central to casino operations. They process payments and wagers, support slot-game play and help maintain controls that protect the integrity, safety and security of the gaming environment. When these systems are used or operated without required testing, monitoring and approval, it weakens safeguards designed to detect and prevent unlawful conduct, including money laundering, and can undermine public confidence in Ontario’s regulated casino sector.

The AGCO reviewed 40 instances in which revoked or unapproved bill validator software had been installed across four casino sites between February 20 and March 15, 2025. Bill validators are components within gaming machines that accept and process cash and help support anti-money laundering controls.

The AGCO’s Standards for Gaming require gaming equipment and software to be tested and approved before being deployed in casinos. Bill validators verify the authenticity and value of cash inserted into electronic gaming machines and are an important safeguard. That is why these systems must undergo rigorous testing and approval to confirm they operate as intended, perform critical functions reliably and are authorised before being introduced into a live casino environment.

Casino operators are responsible for ensuring that changes to gaming systems are properly reviewed, tested and authorised before implementation. Using unapproved software in a live casino environment is a serious compliance failure.

A casino operator served with an Order of Monetary Penalty has the right to appeal the Registrar’s action within 15 days to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), an adjudicative body that is part of Tribunals Ontario and independent of the AGCO.

“The AGCO requires casino operators to protect the integrity of their gaming systems by making sure they are independently tested, approved and operating as intended. When unauthorised software is used in a live casino environment, it bypasses critical safeguards that are meant to uphold the integrity of gaming and the public’s confidence in the system. The AGCO will continue to hold all casino operators accountable for meeting Ontario’s high standards of gaming system integrity,” said Dr. Karin Schnarr, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer at AGCO.

The post AGCO Fines Great Canadian Entertainment $120,000 for Using Unauthorised Gaming System Software at Four Casinos appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.