Canada
New York’s Tom Thibodeau wins 2020-21 NBA Coach of the Year Award
New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau is the recipient of the Red Auerbach Trophy as the 2020-21 NBA Coach of the Year, the NBA (www.NBA.com) announced yesterday.
This is the second NBA Coach of the Year Award for Thibodeau, who earned the honor in the 2010-11 season with the Chicago Bulls in his first season as an NBA head coach. Now honored in his first season as the Knicks’ head coach, Thibodeau has become the first person to be named NBA Coach of the Year in his first season as head coach with two different franchises. (Cotton Fitzsimmons won the award in his first season as the Kansas City Kings’ head coach, 1978-79, and again in the first season of his second tenure as the Phoenix Suns’ head coach, 1988-89).
Thibodeau received 43 first-place votes and earned 351 total points to edge Phoenix head coach Monty Williams, who finished in second place with 340 points (45 first-place votes). The 11-point difference between the first- and second-place finishers marks the smallest margin since the current NBA Coach of the Year voting format was introduced in the 2002-03 season.
Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder finished in third place with 161 points (10 first-place votes). Coaches were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters.
With Thibodeau as head coach, New York finished tied for the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference (41-31) and made the NBA Playoffs for the first time since the 2012-13 season. The Knicks won 16 of their final 20 games to complete a turnaround from last season’s overall record of 21-45.
Thibodeau led New York to an 11-4 record in April for its winningest month since March 2014 (11-5). He was selected as the NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for May after guiding the Knicks to a 6-3 record in the final month of the regular season.
The Knicks showed dramatic improvement on defense with Thibodeau at the helm, leading the NBA in points allowed (104.7) and opponents’ field goal percentage (44.0) and ranking fourth in defensive rating (107.8). Last season, New York finished 17th or lower in all three categories.
Under Thibodeau, Julius Randle was named an NBA All-Star for the first time and won the 2020-21 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award. In addition, Derrick Rose was a finalist for the 2020-21 Kia NBA Sixth Man Award, 2021 NBA Rising Stars selection RJ Barrett ranked as the fourth-leading scorer among second-year NBA players (17.6 ppg), and rookie Immanuel Quickley averaged 11.4 points after being selected by New York with the 25th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Thibodeau is the 10th head coach to win the NBA Coach of the Year Award more than once and the eighth to do it with multiple franchises. In addition, he is the third head coach to be selected as NBA Coach of the Year with the Knicks, joining Red Holzman (1969-70) and Pat Riley (1992-93).
New York hired Thibodeau as its head coach on July 30, 2020. He has a career regular-season record of 393-277 (.587) in nine seasons as an NBA head coach, guiding teams to the playoffs seven times. Before joining the Knicks, he served as head coach of the Bulls for five seasons (2010-15) and the Minnesota Timberwolves over three seasons (2016-19).
The NBA Coach of the Year Award trophy is named in honor of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Red Auerbach. The legendary head coach guided the Celtics to nine NBA championships, including eight in a row from 1959-66.
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Canada
St8 launches in Ontario through partnership with Tonybet
Casino games aggregator and full-service technology provider, St8 has officially gone live in Ontario’s regulated market through a new partnership with international brand Tonybet.
Through the partnership, Tonybet gains access to St8’s casino games aggregation platform, offering a wide range of premium titles from leading providers through a single API, alongside bonusing and promotional tools, compliance and licensing solutions, advanced reporting and data capabilities.
Built as a single scalable platform, St8’s products are designed to help operators launch and grow across regulated markets with fast, flexible technology solutions while maintaining full compliance.
The agreement marks a further step in St8’s global growth strategy as the company continues to expand its presence across regulated jurisdictions.
Vladimir Negine, CEO at St8, said: “Going live in Ontario is an important milestone for St8 and reflects our continued commitment to growth in regulated markets. Since receiving our Ontario licence, we have focused on building strong local partnerships and delivering a platform that combines scalability, speed and compliance.
“As a respected international brand, Tonybet shares our commitment to building reliable solutions for regulated markets, and we look forward to working closely together as we continue to expand our presence in regulated jurisdictions worldwide.”
Kiryl Liudvikevich, Head of Product at Tonybet, added: “As we expand our presence in Ontario, it is important for us to work with technology partners that support continued growth while meeting the highest regulatory standards.
“St8’s platform gives us the flexibility to integrate a wide range of content and tools through a single connection, helping us scale smoothly while maintaining a strong focus on player experience.”
St8 continues to lead the way as a partner of choice for regulated markets. In addition to its Ontario licence, the company holds licences in key regulated jurisdictions like the United Kingdom, Sweden and Romania, among others.
The post St8 launches in Ontario through partnership with Tonybet appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Canada
Rivalry Corp. Announces Significant Reduction in Operations and Evaluation of Strategic Alternatives
Rivalry Corp. announced that its Board of Directors has approved a significant reduction in operating activity as the Company evaluates strategic alternatives in respect of its assets and operations.
The Company is engaged in discussions with third parties regarding potential transactions. However, in light of recent performance volatility, the Board has determined to materially reduce the scale of operations while assessing whether a strategic transaction or other alternative can be advanced.
Effective immediately, the Company is implementing substantial cost reductions, including a significant workforce reduction and reduced operating expenditures. The Company has paused player activity on its platform and is facilitating player withdrawals in the ordinary course.
The Company is assessing a range of potential alternatives, which may include asset-level transactions, corporate transactions, restructuring initiatives or other strategic outcomes.
Given the Company’s reduced operating scale and the ongoing evaluation process, there can be no assurance that any strategic alternative will be completed or that operations will continue in their current form.
The post Rivalry Corp. Announces Significant Reduction in Operations and Evaluation of Strategic Alternatives appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Alex Malchenko
Evoplay Strengthens Canadian Presence with BetMGM Partnership
Evoplay is celebrating another milestone in its regulated-market journey with a new launch in Ontario, teaming up with BetMGM to bring its games to one of Canada’s most dynamic and competitive jurisdictions.
The rollout introduces 18 Evoplay titles to BetMGM Casino in Ontario, carefully selected to deliver long-term engagement and appeal to a wide range of player preferences. The first wave includes proven performers such as:
• Hot Triple Sevens
• Hot Volcano
• Gold of Sirens Bonus Buy
• Inner Fire Bonus Buy.
These are games that have already demonstrated strong results across multiple regulated markets.
This launch marks another confident step in Evoplay’s Canadian expansion, reinforcing the company’s commitment to aligning its content with local market requirements, player expectations, and regulatory standards.
Alex Malchenko, Head of Sales at Evoplay, said: Ontario continues to set a high standard for regulated online casinos, making it a market where the right partnerships truly matter. Collaborating with BetMGM allows us to expand our reach with a portfolio that has already performed strongly across multiple areas and territories.
Oliver Bartlett, VP of Gaming at BetMGM, said: “Partnering with Evoplay adds a strong selection of proven, high-performing titles to our growing portfolio in Ontario.”
The post Evoplay Strengthens Canadian Presence with BetMGM Partnership appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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