Canada
XB Net pens multi-year global distribution deal with Hawthorne Race Course in Chicago
XB Net, the leading provider of premium content for North American horse racing, has agreed to a new distribution deal and a multi-year contract renewal option with Hawthorne Race Course in Chicago, Illinois.
The agreement heralds another milestone partnership in XB Net’s progressive portfolio of content rights, data, odds and signals around one of the United States’ most historic racetracks, particularly as it embarks on a $400 million redevelopment to add sports betting, casino-style gaming and other entertainment amenities to the new Hawthorne Casino & Race Course.
Accordingly, Hawthorne Race Course forms part of a wider network of over 60 North American tracks whose steady stream of rapid-cycling content is proven to increase digital dwell-time for XB Net’s clients and their customers. Moreover, the deal helps to immediately leverage the 50 thoroughbred race-days that comprise Hawthorne’s traditional fall/winter meetings and will build momentum for further fan engagement in 2022 when Hawthorne is the only race track in the Chicago area, which is the third-largest media market in the US.
Elsewhere, Hawthorne’s CDT time zone naturally clocks on for core UK and European racing audiences, generating increased fan engagement at peak leisure times. Its daily schedule of compelling coverage, which neatly complements Europe’s domestic racing action, provides operators with a trustworthy source of rapid-settling betting content from 18:00 CET. This engaging action, which also features regular Harness racing meetings, is proven to retain eyeballs and promote betting activity during competitive digital-entertainment cycles, driving new revenue streams for a wide range of international clients.
XB Net’s definitive end-to-end solution, corralling wide-ranging content that covers approximately 75% of all U.S. racing, opens the door to many of the world’s best-quality courses and most prestigious horse races. Other notable highlights include the Pegasus World Cup, two legs of this summer’s recent Triple Crown (comprising the Preakness and Belmont Stakes) and the season’s flagship finale at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar (5-6 November).
John Walsh, Assistant General Manager at Hawthorne Race Course, said: “This close collaboration with XB Net will expand the international reach and appeal of Illinois thoroughbred racing. The distribution of our content to both mature and emerging markets requires strong partnerships that will showcase the very exciting future of Hawthorne and racing at Chicago’s hometown track.”
Simon Fraser, Senior Vice President of International at XB Net, added: “Securing this long-term partnership with Hawthorne emphasizes XB Net’s dedication to racing and our broader status as the leading international provider of North American racing. This deal is another strong endorsement of our business model and the collective power of our multi-faceted betting services.
“As ever, betting increases the entertainment value from the consumer perspective. However, with XB Net’s fair allocation of capital to where the entertainment value is, we’re seeing the whole Illinois ecosystem improve, returning the value to racing stakeholders, the owners and the racetracks themselves. It’s great to see during a very challenging economic period.
“Our underlying resolve is to support Hawthorne Race Course’s efforts to distribute its horse racing content and wagering on a global scale, now encompassing both fixed-odds (in approved markets) and pari-mutuel betting opportunities. We’re confident these milestone developments can further benefit horse racing’s consumer economy, both at home and abroad.”
XB Net remains the pacesetter for live North American horse racing content, providing rights, betting data, live broadcast and video streaming on behalf of its growing global portfolio of partners. Harnessing low-latency feeds from more than 2,500 meetings, showcasing over 25,000 races per year, North American racing is helping global operators seamlessly adapt to a demanding schedule for live sports.
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Bragg Gaming Group
Bragg Strengthens Executive Team for Enhanced Content Strategy, North American Growth, and AI-First Transformation
Bragg Gaming Group has announced the appointment of Morten Tonnesen as its new Chief Operating Officer and the promotion of Garrick Morris to the position of Executive Vice President of Global Content, US and Canada.
These immediate management changes emphasize Bragg’s strategic focus on aggressively scaling and expanding the high-margin content business globally, especially throughout the US and Canada. This global content business demonstrated significant growth, increasing by 76% in Q4-2025 compared to Q4-2024 and achieving 69% growth for the full year 2025 compared to 2024. This growth is supported by the acceleration of the “Bragg AI Brain” initiative and the company’s future presence in key emerging markets, such as Historical and Live Racing and Prediction markets. The organizational realignment represents the necessary final steps following the structural cost changes announced in January 2026.
Matevž Mazij, CEO of Bragg Gaming Group, said: “I’m thrilled to welcome Morten to Bragg and congratulate Garrick on his promotion. Both leaders are highly qualified, bringing extensive iGaming expertise that will be vital as we embark on our next chapter: becoming a global B2B leader in Content, Engagement, and Infrastructure and what we believe will be iGaming’s ‘AI-First’ company. Our cutting-edge tech stack has moved beyond the investment phase and is now a proven cash generator engineered for horizontal scaling.
“We believe their contributions will strengthen our ability to deliver operational leverage, meet our goals to streamline internal processes, enhance overall efficiency across our organization, and advance us further along the path toward EBITDA growth and net profitability. Importantly, with Morten streamlining operations and Garrick focused on U.S. and Global content expansion, we also believe that we are uniquely positioned to provide the robust iGaming ecosystems required by leading players in the evolving Historical and Live Racing and Prediction markets. We believe Bragg will stand out as the sole B2B provider operating at the convergence of iGaming, Sports, and Predictions.”
As Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Tonnesen’s mandate includes driving operational leverage and implementing Bragg’s ambitious artificial intelligence (AI) transformation. The goal of this transformation is to establish Bragg as an AI-First company by 2027. This transition is supported by specific 2027 objectives: ensuring AI-Enhanced Products are standard in over 90% of new launches and integrating AI into more than three-quarters of Bragg’s operational workflows.
Mr. Tonnesen brings over 17 years of progressive leadership experience in the iGaming, sports betting and technology sectors. He is recognized for his expertise in scaling complex businesses, driving cost efficiencies and operational excellence, and successfully executing high-impact initiatives to expand into new markets and achieve profitable growth. Before joining Bragg, Mr. Tonnesen served as Chief Growth Officer at Xtremepush, a leading provider of AI-powered CRM and loyalty marketing. Prior to his role at Xtremepush, which he joined in 2024, he was Chief Commercial Officer at Shape Games, an award-winning digital B2B platform and service provider for the iGaming industry, which was subsequently sold to Kambi. Earlier in his career, he co-founded and successfully exited the sports betting operator BetWarrior, now a major player in LatAm. He also spent six years in various roles at PokerStars. Mr. Tonnesen holds a Bachelor of Science in General Economics and a Master of Science in Strategy, Management, and Organisation from Copenhagen Business School.
Mr. Tonnesen said: “It has been captivating to watch the scale, scope and speed with which Bragg is already building the Bragg AI Brain and, thereby, transforming itself into an AI-first company. With Bragg navigating a combination of increasingly complex regulatory compliance requirements and recent tax headwinds in the Netherlands and other regions, exciting new emerging market opportunities in the U.S. and elsewhere, and potential consolidation in the overall global iGaming and Prediction markets, my near-term focus will be squarely on helping steer the Bragg AI Brain toward protecting the Company’s cash runway and driving its EBITDA growth.”
Mr. Morris first joined Bragg as Senior Vice President Commercial for the U.S. & Canada in 2024. In an iGaming management career spanning more than 15 years, before joining Bragg, he served as Chief Operating Officer at Digital Gaming Corporation, Operations Manager at Microgaming, and IT Platforms Manager at Derivco. Mr. Morris has a Bachelor of Economics from Stellenbosch University.
Mr. Morris said: “Since I first joined Bragg in May 2024, we have significantly expanded our U.S. content footprint through the launch of our newest games, Remote Gaming Server technology, and Player Account Management platform. I look forward to working with the team to help further accelerate growth, including via our planned strategic entrance into the Historical and Live Racing, and Prediction markets segments, with the aim of enhancing value for our shareholders.”
The post Bragg Strengthens Executive Team for Enhanced Content Strategy, North American Growth, and AI-First Transformation appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Canada
Wazdan’s North American Growth Accelerates Following FanDuel Alliance
Wazdan, the player-centric developer, has further strengthened its notable North American presence by forming a partnership with FanDuel, a top iGaming company in the area.
The deal represents a crucial milestone in Wazdan’s continuous global growth, as FanDuel introduces two feature-packed games at the same time in Ontario and Michigan, enabled by Light & Wonder’s aggregation platform.
In Ontario, gamers can experience Mighty Fish: Blue Marlin and 36 Coins, two games that highlight Wazdan’s distinctive blend of familiar themes and performance-focused mechanics. In Michigan, 12 Bells and Hot Slot: 777 Crown will offer players captivating gameplay designs centered on clarity, rhythm, and extensive features.
After the initial launch, FanDuel’s famous iGaming platform, FanDuel Casino, will have its collection expanded by a wide array of new slot games, each meticulously selected to include various Wazdan features that enhance player engagement like Cash Infinity
, Hold the Jackpot, and Sticky to Infinity
, all aimed at increasing entertainment and providing tangible growth for operators.
The newest expansion capitalizes on Wazdan’s progress in North America, succeeding in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and previous entries into West Virginia.
Radka Bacheva, Head of Sales at Wazdan, said: “Partnering with FanDuel represents a major milestone in Wazdan’s North American growth strategy and underlines the strong demand for our engagement-driven portfolio across regulated markets.
“FanDuel’s reach and reputation make them an ideal partner, and launching simultaneously in Ontario and Michigan is a powerful way to introduce our games to new audiences. We are confident that our feature-rich titles and proven mechanics will resonate strongly with players and deliver tangible value for FanDuel as we continue to scale our presence across the region.”
The post Wazdan’s North American Growth Accelerates Following FanDuel Alliance appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Canada
PointsBet Canada to Contest Proposed 5-Day Suspension by AGCO
PointsBet Canada confirmed it will request a hearing before the independent Licence Appeal Tribunal to contest the Notice of Proposed Order issued by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) on February 12, 2026, proposing a five-day suspension of its operator registration.
PointsBet claims that the proposed sanction overemphasized an isolated incident that was a result of human error, not a systemic issue. The company also said that it did not intentionally withhold information from gaming regulators, and it immediately sent the necessary information once it was discovered.
The operator, which launched in Ontario in April 2022, also said that it cooperated fully with the AGCO’s investigation.
“We have a strong compliance record in Ontario and remain fully committed to the highest standards of integrity and player protection. We look forward to presenting our case at the Tribunal,” said Scott Vanderwel, PointsBet Canada Chief Executive Officer.
The post PointsBet Canada to Contest Proposed 5-Day Suspension by AGCO appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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