Canada
Conscious Gaming Selects Leading Data Encryption Specialist IXUP to Bolster Responsible Gaming Exclusion and Sports Integrity Capabilities
Conscious Gaming and GeoComply Solutions Inc. are pleased to announce that, after a successful technical due diligence process, it has agreed to a Pilot Collaboration Agreement (the Agreement) with IXUP Limited, that will leverage IXUP’s secure database collaboration technologies in the US online gaming and sports wagering markets (the Collaboration) to support sports integrity and deliver self-exclusion capabilities across platforms and jurisdictions throughout the US.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- IXUP has entered into a Pilot Collaboration Agreement with Conscious Gaming and GeoComply Solutions Inc. to jointly develop a technology solution to address next generation needs for Responsible Gaming and Sports Integrity Solutions
- Conscious Gaming is a Nevada-based non-profit organisation founded by GeoComply that leverages technology to create a safe and responsible online gaming environment
- GeoComply, based in Canada, is the global market leader in geolocation security, the leading specialist in fraud prevention and cyber security to U.S. based sports betting operators, and services nearly 100% of the U.S. iGaming market
- Consistent with Conscious Gaming’s mission, GeoComply will strengthen its existing innovative “PlayPause” product by incorporating IXUP’s secure data collaboration technologies
- “PlayPause” was initially designed and developed by GeoComply for the fast-growing U.S. digital sports betting markets for use by major sporting leagues, sports betting operators and regulators
- Key shared objective of the Collaboration is to help facilitate safe and responsible gambling for industry stakeholders, and strengthen betting integrity, by providing leading edge exclusion and self-exclusion tools
- Discussions are underway with major U.S. sports leagues, sports betting operators and regulators for participation in pilot program activities
- Rapidly growing sports betting market in the U.S., together with applications globally, offer a significant total addressable market opportunity
Details of the Collaboration
The Collaboration will provide market-leading encryption-based security and scalability to GeoComply’s “PlayPause” Multi-State Self-Exclusion product, by incorporating IXUP’s secure data collaboration technology and associated capabilities. This will ensure players, coaches, support staff, their families, and related entities (Impermissible Bettors) as well as individuals that would like to take a break or exclude themselves from gambling or wagering are excluded from participating in online betting, gaming and wagering activities, with both IXUP and GeoComply bringing essential elements to the update of “PlayPause”.
Under the terms of the Agreement, IXUP will be responsible for contributing its world-leading secure data collaboration technology, as well as developing, operating and maintaining the jointly developed product. GeoComply will contribute its existing “PlayPause” product and will be responsible for assisting with all regulatory matters, as well as overseeing all sales and marketing efforts with its existing extensive customer base with the major U.S. online betting operators.
GeoComply has successfully deployed the solution in Pennsylvania via a partnership with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and is engaging with additional gaming regulatory agencies as well as major U.S. sporting leagues regarding the provision of this exclusion product in a fully operational Proof of Concept (POC) trial focused on restricting impermissible bettors.
Marcus Gracey, CEO of IXUP, commented, “For some time now we have been assessing opportunities for our secure data collaboration technologies within the lucrative U.S. sports data and sports wagering and gaming markets, which are experiencing once in a generation growth rates due to more states introducing legal online gaming. This Collaboration with GeoComply and Conscious Gaming is an ideal opportunity to showcase the application of our technology within this highly regulated market, where the handling of sensitive data is paramount, with serious consequences for non-compliance. The collaboration will involve the secure interaction of databases containing sensitive personal information supplied by the teams and leagues themselves, which will then form the basis of excluding Impermissible Bettors from making bets with sports betting operators.
We commend GeoComply for its corporate social responsibility vision being expressed through Conscious Gaming, which is committed to leveraging technical solutions to advance responsible gaming. We’re pleased to leverage
our technology to address this and other issues.
We are proud to be working with GeoComply to deliver this world leading and essential product solution and I am confident in our ability to execute, given the team we have brought together during the last 12 months, which includes our strategic advisors Matt Davey and Ian Penrose who are domain experts when it comes to sports betting technologies and associated international markets. This opportunity is also directly aligned with our strategy to leverage our core technology into the growing sports data and wagering markets and to use our technology for social good, where there are suitable opportunities to do so.”
Anna Sainsbury founder of GeoComply and Conscious Gaming, commented, “With the significant growth of sports betting in the U.S. market, it is imperative that stakeholders proactively mitigate problem gambling and effectively manage Impermissible Bettors. Whether a player has self-excluded or if they are prohibited from betting due to regulatory restrictions, a technology solution will be available that gives operators the confidence that they are compliant. IXUP’s unique secure data collaboration technology will be key to bolstering PlayPause, and we are extremely excited to be working with them to deliver this Proof of Concept and ultimately make this product available across the broader North American sports betting and iGaming landscape in coming years”.
Background to the PlayPause Opportunity and GeoComply
Consistent with the objectives of IXUP’s Collaboration Agreement with Tekkorp and Matt Davey, which included the identification of opportunities for IXUP technology within the growing U.S. digital gaming and wagering markets, Tekkorp introduced IXUP to GeoComply, to consider the potential application of IXUP technologies to the challenges associated with problem gambling and responsible gaming. After discussions and a successful period of technical due diligence, the parties have agreed to enter into the Pilot Collaboration Agreement.
GeoComply, based in Canada, is an organization with a focus on fraud prevention and cybersecurity solutions that detect fraud and help verify a customer’s true digital identity.
GeoComply’s location-based fraud detection and geolocation compliance tools have been utilised in various U.S. markets to ensure online customers are who they say they are, prior to approval of a transaction. GeoComply’s technology solutions have relevance in an online commerce setting, where it is essential that the risk of customers transacting is minimised due to the high incidence of fraud that can occur in a setting where there is no physical customer verification step.
GeoComply has nearly a 100% market share in the U.S. market within the gaming and wagering sector and has also created a non-profit, Conscious Gaming, which has been established to focus on leveraging technology and innovation to propel social responsibility initiatives including responsible gaming and consumer protection.
In the U.S. (and globally), operators are required to restrict Impermissible Bettors, from placing bets on the outcome of sporting events that involve their team. Traditional efforts to stamp out this integrity concern have focused, to a large degree, on the honesty of the Impermissible Bettors, who are asked to declare a list of all online betting accounts to which they are associated.
GeoComply saw the potential to develop a revolutionary new solution focused on creating a more streamlined and transparent process for consumers to take a break from their play as well as enabling effective restrictions on Impermissible Bettors. To make this solution more robust and less open to manipulation, GeoComply recognized the importance of utilising a database of Impermissible Bettors sourced from the sporting teams and/or leagues themselves..
The use of databases of Impermissible Bettors, supplied by the sporting teams, introduces significant data security risks and concerns related to the sharing of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) data, which led GeoComply to IXUP, which is a global specialist in the sharing and analysis of secure (encrypted) datasets.
The Product
The final IXUP enhanced “PlayPause” product is intended to be deployed as a distributed, fully encrypted, and highly secure cloud platform to enable Impermissible Betters to be registered and queried in a privacy preserving manner. The platform will use a blend of military grade encryption techniques (including homomorphic encryption) to ensure data is protected and controlled by data owners at all times, yet still enable the data to be searched to identify an Impermissible Bettor. The scalability of the cloud platform will ensure the solution can support the growing size of the sports betting market and the significant amount of data that will need to be queried in real time as a result.
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Bragg Gaming Group, a leading global B2B iGaming content and technology provider, announced it has entered into a new financing agreement with the Bank of Montreal (BMO), a leading North American financial institution, pursuant to which BMO has made available to the Company certain credit facilities in a maximum aggregate amount of up to US$6.0 million to support its ongoing working capital and general corporate requirements (the BMO Facilities).
In connection with the closing of the BMO Facilities, Bragg has successfully repaid in full the outstanding promissory note with entities controlled by Doug Fallon (the Prior Note Indebtedness). The new BMO Facilities replace the Prior Note Indebtedness, signalling a significant step in the Company’s financial strategy to partner with a major commercial bank to support its growth.
“We are very pleased to establish this new relationship with the Bank of Montreal, a recognized leader in financial services. This new credit facility strengthens our balance sheet and provides us with a flexible capital structure to execute our strategic plan. The ability to secure financing from a major North American bank underscores the confidence in our business and our long-term growth prospects. We look forward to a long and successful partnership with BMO,” said Robbie Bressler, CFO of Bragg Gaming Group.
The BMO Facilities are secured by, amongst other things, a first-ranking security interest over all of the assets of the Company and certain of its key operating subsidiaries, and are uncommitted and are repayable upon the earlier of (i) demand by BMO, (ii) the occurrence of certain insolvency events, and (iii) on the one-year anniversary of the closing date, unless a one-year extension is granted at BMO’s discretion.
The agreement includes customary legal and financial covenants, including a requirement for the Company to maintain a Total Funded Debt to EBITDA ratio not exceeding 2.50:1.00, and a Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of not less than 1.25:1.00. These financial covenants are to be tested on a consolidated basis at the end of each fiscal quarter.
The Company currently expects to draw on the BMO Facilities in Canadian dollars, which would result in estimated borrowing costs of 6.9%–7.9% for Prime-based loans or 5.9%–6.9% for CORRA-based loans, depending on the period of the draw and the Company’s leverage ratio. Standby fees on the unused portion of the revolving facility will range from 0.75% to 1.75% per annum, depending on leverage.
Management believes that based on the terms of the BMO Facilities, the Company’s borrowing costs on an annualized basis will be less than half of its Prior Note Debt.
Matevž Mazij, CEO of Bragg Gaming Group, said: “Securing this BMO facility represents a critical milestone in our strategic plan to strengthen Bragg’s financial foundation and accelerate value creation for our shareholders. With our cybersecurity incident contained and our borrowing costs cut by more than half, we are laser-focused on executing our strategic shift toward higher-quality earnings. The Company is prioritizing margin and cash generation over lower-margin revenue, and synergies realized post-quarter end to become a leaner operation. We’ve already realized EUR 2 million in annualized synergies and are on track to achieve our 20% Adjusted EBITDA margin target for the second half of 2025.
“Our recent leadership additions in AI and innovation, combined with our expanding partnerships with operators like Fanatics and Hard Rock Digital, position us to pursue highly accretive growth opportunities methodically. The Company remains focused on growing the business in a sustainable and margin-accretive manner, with strong momentum in the proprietary content and technology pipeline positioning Bragg for long-term profitable growth.
“We understand the importance of delivering results for our shareholders, and our board and management team are fully aligned and committed to executing the strategic initiatives that will drive value. With improved financial flexibility, a strengthened operational foundation, and clear milestones ahead, we believe we have the right strategy and team in place to unlock Bragg’s full potential. We remain committed to maximizing shareholder value as we build sustainable, profitable growth and ensure our strong operational performance translates into appropriate market valuation.”
Cyber Breach Update
The Company has also provided an update on its previously announced cybersecurity incident initially detected on August 16, 2025.
Immediately following detection, Bragg took appropriate steps to mitigate any potential impact of the breach. With the assistance of independent cybersecurity experts, the Company has followed industry best practices and considers that the incident is now resolved.
There continues to be no indication that any personal information was affected and the breach has had no impact on the ability of the Company to continue its operations. Bragg has also provided assurances to its customers regarding the security of its game titles. The Company has experienced no negative impact on its revenue or profitability and does not expect that the cost of responding to the incident will have a material financial impact on the Company.
The Company has already applied knowledge gathered from the investigation of the event to enhance its cyber security defenses.
The post Bragg Gaming Group Enteres into New Financing Agreement with Bank of Montreal appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Independent slots studio Thunderkick has agreed a deal with Ontario-based operator Betty to supply the rapidly growing online casino with a diverse collection of globally popular titles.
Betty, an official partner of sporting franchises Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors, has risen to prominence since its 2022 establishment, when it was built following the consultation of 300 casino players to create the optimal iGaming environment.
Distinguishing itself from North American competitors by catering specifically to slot enthusiasts rather than sports bettors, the operator has curated a portfolio of 2,800 games, hand-picked to deliver customers maximum entertainment value.
Thunderkick’s content is the latest to be integrated into Betty’s online casino, and the agreement will see a selection of its most popular titles, including The Wildos 2, Midas Golden Touch 3, and Esqueleto Explosivo 3, made available to a greater number of Ontarian players.
Thunderkick marked its debut in the Canadian province in Q2 of 2024, and has since partnered with a network of leading operators to improve its market position. The collaboration with Betty will further amplify its visibility in a key jurisdiction as the provider looks to reinforce its reputation as a global slot developer.
Svante Sahlström, CCO at Thunderkick, said: “It’s our mission at Thunderkick to go deeper, not wider, in 2025. That means forging meaningful, lasting relationships in target markets as opposed to securing as many commercial deals as possible.
“Since entering Ontario over 12 months ago, we have worked tirelessly to enhance our presence in the province, and working with leading brands such as Betty allows us to bring our unique games to a deeper pool of Canadian players.”
Paraskeva Smirnova, Casino Operations Manager at Betty, added: “Betty’s USP has always been our drive to build a slot portfolio with the very best titles from the industry’s most creative suppliers.
“Thunderkick’s passion for slot development is there for all to see, and the introduction of its games to our casino further elevates the consumer experience.”
The post Thunderkick commits to growth in Ontario with Betty partnership appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
BCLC is pleased to announce the return of the New Horizons in Safer Gambling Conference, taking place November 2–4, 2026, at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver.
This global event brings leading voices in research, policy and industry together to explore innovative approaches to safer gambling. Attendees can expect two days of forward-thinking dialogue, evidence-based insights and collaborative solutions to help shape the future of player health.
Sponsorship Opportunities Now Available
New to the 2026 conference, BCLC is excited to offer sponsorship opportunities to organizations that share BCLC’s passion for safer gambling. Benefits of sponsoring New Horizons 2026 include industry visibility, leadership recognition and meaningful engagement with a global audience. To learn more about sponsorship, please e-mail [email protected].
Registration and program details will be released later this fall.
The post Save the Date: BCLC’s New Horizons in Safer Gambling Conference Returns November 2026 appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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