Canada
Global Esports Tour Los Angeles Crowns Champion
Team Kraken battled to victory at the Grand Final of the Global Esports Tour’s first Hearthstone® event, in the game’s first LAN event in two years
Yesterday saw Team Kraken take first place in the initial stop of the Global Esports Federation and FACEIT’s new worldwide esports invitational – the Global Esports Tour. The winning team, led by Jeffrey “TrumpSC” Shih with Jerome “Monsanto” Faucher and Mihai “languagehacker” Dragalin, dominated during the two-day event, beating David “Killinallday” Acosta’s Team Gryphon in the final with a solid performance played on Hearthstone® Classic Mode.
Team Kraken bags the champion’s trophy in the first Global Esports Tour Los Angeles. From left: Mihai “languagehacker” Dragalin, Jerome “Monsanto” Faucher, Jeffrey “TrumpSC” Shih, Dr. Melita N. Moore, GEF Board Member and Chair of Health & Wellness Commission, Paul J. Foster, CEO of GEF, and Christopher ‘MonteCristo’ Mykles.
Team Kraken began the tournament with a shaky start, dropping their first match to Team Gryphon with a 4-1 loss. However, moving down to the lower bracket they began to find their groove, winning their following two matches against Frank “Fr0zen” Zhang’s Team Mammoth 4-3 and Alexandra “Alliestrasza” MacPherson’s Team Phoenix 4-0.
In the Final against Team Gryphon, Team Kraken stormed forward in the first four games, gaining a 3- 1 lead against the tournament favourites. Team Gryphon’s Jeffrey “Tarei” Liu pulled back a victory in Game 5, before Mihai “languagehacker” Dragalin closed the show with a victory against Tarei in Game 6.
The GEF team caught up with Team Kraken after the Grand Final and spoke to the winners. “Thank you GEF. This was a lit tournament. We really love what you are doing for esports. The cities chosen are the hot spots in the world for esports,” said Jeffrey “TrumpSC” Shih, captain of the winning team.
Mihai “languagehacker” Dragalin added, “It’s really cool, honestly. This entire tour that you’ve set up is really incredible. For the first edition to be Hearthstone®, and for us to be a part of it, it’s incredible. We didn’t really expect to win it all, and that’s just speaks for how cool this event is.”
Four teams of North America’s best players were invited to compete in this best of seven, double elimination conquest form, for a US$50,000 prize. Made up of three plyers each, the teams entered with six decks, all from a unique class. Team captains TrumpSC, Fr0zen, Alliestrasza, and Killinallday led their respective squads:
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Team Kraken Jeffrey “TrumpSC” Shih Jerome “Monsanto” Faucher Mihai “Languagehacker” Dragalin |
Team Phoenix Alexandra “Alliestrasza” MacPherson John “Dekkster” Kotrich Andrew “TidesofTime” Biessener |
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Team Mammoth Frank “Fr0zen” Zhang David “Justsaiyan” Shan George “hyped” Maganzini |
Team Gryphon David ‘Killinallday” Acosta Jeffrey “Tarei” Liu Mark “Ant” Trevino |
Pro gamer and game designer turned broadcaster, Brian Kibler, strategy game expert Nathan ‘Admirable’ Zamora, and Cloud9 player Cong “StrifeCro” Shu, provided their expert commentary and analysis during the event.
The GET is the GEF’s Pro-Team tournament staged in key global cities throughout the year. GET 2021 offers a total prize pool of US$500,000. The tournament showcases skills and talent from different game genres from around the world with Hearthstone®, PUBG MOBILE, and CS:GO the chosen games. FACEIT has joined the GET as the GEF’s Strategic Partner, Esports Services and was also the tournament organiser for this Hearthstone® stop.
In October, the GET heads to Riyadh (October 24-26, 2021) with PUBG MOBILE, and on to Dubai (November 26-27, 2021) with CS:GO.
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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.
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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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