Canada
THE ESPORTS AWARDS UNVEIL THE FIRST WAVE OF FINALISTS
The Esports Awards announces a return to a live event on November 20th with Dr Disrespect, G2 Esports and Hector ‘HECZ’ Rodriguez among the first wave of the finalists in the community award categories
Voting for the community categories is open now at www.esportsawards.com/vote
The Esports Awards, the most prestigious night in the esports calendar, is pleased to present the first set of finalists for this year’s awards with Team Liquid, PUBG MOBILE, Sjokz and Valkyrae all being named. The Esports Awards is also happy to share that it will officially be returning for a physical award ceremony at the Esports Stadium Arlington, Texas on Saturday 20th November.
The first set of finalists were announced in the Esports Awards’ second Spotlight Show of the year which was hosted by Thom ‘F.’ Badinger with co-hosts Soe Gschwind and Mitch ‘Uber’ Leslie. The show was packed full of exciting content and interviews including Nyvi Estephan interview with Brazilian Free Fire player Bruno ‘Nobru’ Goes and FDot talking to streamer sensation and Twitch record-breaker, Ludwig.
The full list of community awards finalists are:
Esports Apparel of The Year
- 100 Thieves
- Team Liquid
- G2 Esports
- Cloud9
- FaZe Clan
- Ateyo
- Fnatic
- Spacestation Gaming
- Fallen Store
- Team Vitality
Esports Content Creator of The Year
- HECZ
- LS
- Ashley Kang
- Thorin
- Macie Jay
- UpUpDownDown
- BananaSlamJamma (BSJ)
- Musty
- Sunless Khan
- iFerg
- Coconut Brah
- NadeKing
Esports Mobile Game of The Year Presented by Verizon
- PUBG Mobile
- Free Fire
- Brawl Stars
- Clash Royale
- LoL Wild Rift
- CoD Mobile
- Arena of Valor
- Mobile Legends
Esports Personality of the Year
- HECZ
- Ocelote
- Sjokz
- Nobru
- Nadeshot
- FalleN
- Interro
- Perkz
- Goldenboy
- Baiano
- JohnnyBoi_i
Streamer of The Year
- Valkyrae
- XQC
- MortaL
- Ludwig
- Nickmercs
- TheGrefg
- LOUD Coringa
- Summit1G
- Dr Disrespect
- Ibai
- Shroud
- CouRage
“I am really excited for us to share the first set of finalists for this year’s awards which I am delighted will be returning to a live event format at the Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas. We look forward to safely crowning this year’s winners and celebrating 12 months of resilience, growth and innovation. Get ready to witness the biggest night in esports celebration.” said Michael Ashford, Managing Director, Esports Awards
Throughout the year the Esports Awards will be bringing you Spotlight Shows packed with the best content and interviews hosted by the biggest faces from the esports industry. The Esports Awards 2021 key campaign dates are:
- June: Finalists for the Industry Awards
- July: Finalists for Creative Awards
- September: Finalists for the Pro & On-Air Talent Awards
- October: The Go-Home Show building up to the main event
- End of Year: The Esports Awards 2021 Ceremony
The Esports Awards is excited to welcome Matrix Keyboards back as a partner for the 2021 awards. Matrix Keyboards will be sponsoring both Esports PC Player and PC Rookie of the Year awards. Cementing its commitment to supporting mobile esports, Verizon will also be back as the sponsor for Esports Mobile Player of the Year & Esports Mobile Game of the Year. Other sponsors for the Esports Awards 2021 include Koyo Store, Sizzle Creative, Touch of Ginger, SCUF, Arlington CVB and SecretLab.
Nominations for all other categories are still open over at www.esportsawards.com/nominate. The Industry Awards nominations will close in June, Creative Awards nominations close in July and Pro & On-Air Talent Awards nominations conclude in September.
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Canada
FanDuel Announces New Partnership with Toronto Tempo
FanDuel has announced a new partnership with the Toronto Tempo, becoming its first official iGaming partner.
This multi-year agreement brings together two brands committed to expanding women’s sports in Canada. Through this collaboration, FanDuel positions itself as the best Sportsbook and Casino for fans to engage with Canada’s women’s team, bringing them closer to the action and women’s basketball than ever before.
“Partnering with the Toronto Tempo in their inaugural season is an exciting opportunity for FanDuel customers and basketball fans. As a company that shares the same passion for community and empowering women’s sports, we are proud to support a new franchise that will celebrate fans and elevate women’s professional sports in Canada,” said Tom Burdakin, Vice President of Marketing at FanDuel.
“One word to describe this partnership is transformative. Welcoming FanDuel marks a significant milestone for our organization as we continue to build Canada’s first WNBA team and deepen fan engagement,” said Lisa Ferkul, Chief Revenue Officer at Toronto Tempo.
FanDuel has had a front row seat to the growth of women’s sports in recent years as a proud official partner of the WNBA. Through this partnership and FanDuel’s best in class WNBA offering, fans can engage in more ways than any other platform from tip-off to buzzer.
As the first Sportsbook and Casino partner, FanDuel and the Toronto Tempo will bring exclusive fan initiatives to FanDuel’s customers, as well as in-arena visibility and digital activations to connect fans with the excitement of the WNBA both on and off the court.
The post FanDuel Announces New Partnership with Toronto Tempo appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Canada
Canadian Lottery Coalition Names Molly Cormier as Executive Director
The Canadian Lottery Coalition (CLC) announced the appointment of Molly Cormier as Executive Director.
Cormier joins the Coalition from Atlantic Lottery (AL), bringing extensive experience in public relations, marketing, and policy engagement within Canada’s regulated gaming sector. She has worked closely with governments and regulators on responsible gambling and consumer protection, and previously served with the Government of New Brunswick. Her background as a journalist further informs her work at the intersection of regulation, public policy and public accountability. Cormier will lead the CLC’s work with governments, regulators, and industry stakeholders as Canada responds to the rapid growth of online gambling and the policy challenges that have come with it.
Since online single‑event sports betting was legalized in Canada in August 2021 – and accelerated by Ontario’s launch of an open iGaming model in April 2022 – Canadians from coast to coast have experienced a sharp increase in gambling advertising, particularly across live sports, in local sports and entertainment venues, and on digital media. That rapid shift, combined with the continued spread of illegal and unregulated online gambling websites targeting Canadians with misleading advertising and accepting real‑money wagers, is the policy challenge that led provincial lottery corporations to form the Canadian Lottery Coalition in 2021. Established decades ago by their respective provincial governments, these lottery corporations have social purpose at the core of their mandates; prioritizing the prevention of gambling-related harms while generating revenues that fund essential public services and community priorities.
“Molly brings the experience, leadership and judgment the Coalition needs as governments and regulators confront growing challenges around gambling advertising and consumer protection. She understands the urgency of supporting player health, especially in the face of clear gaps in federal law and enforcement,” said Dallas McCready, President and CEO of AL and a member of the CLC Executive Board.
The Canadian Lottery Coalition is a pan-Canadian alliance of provincial lottery corporations – AL, Loto-Québec, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries, and British Columbia Lottery Corporation – that hold the authority to manage and operate gambling in their respective provinces. The Coalition’s mandate is to collaborate in order to advance a gambling market in Canada where player health is prioritized and protected by strong, enforceable laws; legal gambling is clearly distinguishable from illegal and unregulated offerings; and provincially regulated lotteries continue to deliver social and economic benefit to communities across the country.
“I am pleased to join the Coalition at a time when the need for clear, coordinated national policy to protect player health, especially among young Canadians, has never been greater. My priorities will be to address gaps in federal legislation and regulation related to the promotion and advertising of online gambling, particularly sports betting; respond to the continued proliferation of illegal online gambling websites in Canada; and strengthen collaboration with governments, regulators and industry stakeholders. Canadians should be able to clearly distinguish between legal, accountable gambling options and offshore sites that operate outside Canadian and provincial laws and public safeguards,” said Cormier.
The Coalition will continue to advocate for policy approaches that put responsible gambling, consumer protection and regulatory integrity first. That includes support for Bill S-211, National Framework on Sports Betting Advertising Act, currently making its way through Parliament. The new bill is a meaningful first step that seeks to establish a national framework for sports betting advertising and would help create clearer national guardrails for the promotion and advertising of online gambling throughout Canada.
The Coalition also sees the 2025 Manitoba court decision against Bodog as an important step forward in its mandate. The Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba found that Bodog had no lawful authority to offer or advertise online gambling products and services in Manitoba, a significant win for consumer protection, enforcement and the integrity of Canada’s provincially regulated system. The reasoning of the Court’s decision in Manitoba would apply in every Coalition jurisdiction.
The post Canadian Lottery Coalition Names Molly Cormier as Executive Director appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Bede Gaming
PointsBet Canada rolls out Bede Gaming aggregation and bonusing platform
PointsBet Canada has launched a new iCasino aggregation and bonusing platform supplied by Bede Gaming, rolling the solution into its live player environment in Ontario.
The operator said it selected Bede following a competitive process to add external content aggregation and player engagement capabilities for the regulated Canadian iGaming market. PointsBet Canada runs pointsbet.ca on a proprietary platform originally developed by its Australian-based parent company.
Bede’s open-API aggregation platform gives PointsBet Canada access to a broader casino catalogue, with the supplier naming Games Global, Pragmatic Play, Play’n GO and Light & Wonder among the available content providers.
PointsBet Canada said the platform will support its casino strategy through promotion management and campaign tooling, including “advanced campaign workflows, and automated player lifecycle segmentation.” Bede also said it will provide “a reliable infrastructure with 99.99% uptime, and 24/7 monitoring from its Network Operations Centre.”
“Our strategy emphasizes delivering outstanding digital content that creates exceptional player engagement,” said Scott Vanderwel, Chief Executive Officer of PointsBet Canada. “I’m excited by the innovative tools we now have available with Bede. This partnership positions us strongly in Ontario and prepares us for future growth across additional Canadian markets.”
Bede said the deal is multi-year and includes a roadmap for potential future provincial launches, “including Alberta, as new regulated markets emerge in Canada.”
The post PointsBet Canada rolls out Bede Gaming aggregation and bonusing platform appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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