Canada
Poker Initiative One More For One Drop Helps World Series of Poker Reach $25 Million Raised Since 2012 To Benefit One Drop Foundation’s Critical Water-Mission
Our friends at the World Series of Poker and the entire poker community deserve the longest standing ovation for what they have accomplished with One Drop over the past 10 years. All sectors combined, how many companies do you know have been able to mobilize their stakeholders to raise $25 million for a charity?” Guy Laliberté, founder of the One Drop Foundation.
With the same ambition with which the One Drop Foundation strives to change the game in the water sector, poker initiative One More For One Drop is transforming lives. Held this past weekend in Las Vegas to celebrate 10 years of turning water into action together, the One More for One Drop tournament in Las Vegas raised $632,922, bringing the total amount of funds raised through partnership with the World Series of Poker (WSOP) to $25 million. Since 2012, the WSOP, the poker community and the One Drop Foundation have amassed a history of 17 impactful charitable poker tournaments benefitting One Drop Foundation’s water-mission and transforming the lives of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.
Over the years, the One Drop Foundation and the WSOP have created three charitable poker tournament formats that have been held in Las Vegas, Rozvadov (Czech Republic) and in Monaco. Kicking off in Las Vegas in 2012, Guy Laliberté, founder of the One Drop Foundation, envisioned a game-changing poker tournament called, The Big One for One Drop, that made history on several fronts – including the first $1 million buy-in event and the biggest first prize ever awarded totaling $18,346,673. This tournament has generated nearly $16 million in contributions for One Drop Foundation’s mission through its four editions that were held biennially from 2012 to 2018. In addition to The Big One for One Drop, there have been eight editions of another rendition poker tournament titled, The Little One for One Drop, a $1,000 buy- in charitable poker event with a $111 optional contribution, and five editions of yet another charitable poker tournament titled, The High Roller for One Drop, a $111,111 buy-in. More than 20,000 poker players have contributed since the beginning of the One Drop-WSOP partnership in 2012, either by playing one or more tournaments or making donations at cash-out.
The recent One More for One Drop tournament held this past weekend in Las Vegas enabled the One Drop Foundation to pass the extraordinary mark of $25,000,000 raised through their poker initiatives for One Drop Foundation’s crucial mission of ensuring sustainable access to safe water for communities facing extreme barriers.
“Our friends at the World Series of Poker and the entire poker community deserve the longest standing ovation for what they have accomplished with One Drop over the past 10 years. All sectors combined, how many companies do you know have been able to mobilize their stakeholders to raise $25 million for a charity? This is not only a true example of generosity, it is also a leadership testimonial in the purest form. Thank you, my friends, for caring so much for the cause of safe water for all and for giving the best of yourselves to put a lasting dent into poverty with us,” said Guy Laliberté, founder of the One Drop Foundation.
“I will remember forever when Guy presented to me his idea for a $1 million buy-in charitable tournament that would soon be known as The Big One for One Drop. You have to remember that in 2012, super high roller tournaments rarely exceeded $100,000. Adding a zero was not the typical increment. Guy was so passionate about the idea and about the impact this tournament would have on access to water in the world that we decided to join forces immediately. I was far from imagining that 10 years later we would have raised over $25 million for the One Drop Foundation and have impacted so many lives. The entire poker community should be very proud of this achievement” said Ty Stewart, Executive Director of WSOP.
The One Drop Foundation was established in 2007 by Cirque du Soleil and Lune Rouge founder Guy Laliberté as an international foundation dedicated to ensuring sustainable access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene locally and globally. In the midst of a global pandemic, the One Drop Foundation and its partners kept making a difference and soon, their actions will have changed the lives of more than 2.3 million people around the world with 26 projects in 14 countries.
The funds raised during One More for One Drop will directly support One Drop Foundation’s safe water access initiatives both locally and around the world.
Powered by WPeMatico
Hot on the heels of its most attended conference in history, the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) is excited to announce that its 2025 conference will take place in Toronto, Canada, from October 20 to 23, 2025.
The event will be held in partnership with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) at the Westin Harbour Castle, offering stunning waterfront views and a premier, downtown Toronto location.
‘Fresh off the success of our Rome conference, we’re thrilled to continue the momentum with next year’s event in Toronto,’ said Ben Haden, IAGR President.
‘The IAGR 2025 conference promises to be another unparalleled opportunity for our global community to come together, collaborate and shape the future of gaming regulation. We’re looking forward to working with AGCO to bring it all together.’
AGCO CEO and Registrar Dr. Karin Schnarr, added, ‘We’re excited to welcome IAGR and its members to Toronto. This partnership provides a great opportunity to share Ontario’s innovative regulatory practices and foster meaningful discussions that drive positive change in the industry.’
Stay tuned for registration details early next year.
Bombee Global Entertainment Ltd
ESE Entertainment Completes Acquisition of Gaming Production Company, Bombee Americas
ESE Entertainment Inc., a gaming company that provides a range of services to leading video game developers and publishers, has announced that it has acquired Bombee Global Entertainment Ltd. (Bombee Americas), the North American arm of Bombee Event Production AB, (Bombee), a global production company specialized in live production, special effects, broadcast, and event management for the gaming sector.
Bombee has successfully collaborated with ESE to bring its premier event production services and world class customer service to North America and beyond. The North American arm of Bombee, Bombee Americas, will continue to grow and scale in this new organizational structure under ESE, while maintaining its entire team and global support.
Konrad Wasiela, CEO of ESE, said: “Today marks the next stage of ESE—a 2.0 version of our company. With the acquisition of Bombee Americas, we are not only solidifying our presence in North America but also paving the way for growth and innovation in the gaming industry. This is a major step, positioning us to deliver even greater value to our partners and elevate the gaming experience for our clients globally. We’re thrilled about the opportunities ahead and the exceptional talent joining our team.”
Transaction Terms
The Acquisition was completed by way of a share purchase agreement (the SPA) among the Company, Bombee Americas, and the shareholders of Bombee Americas (the Vendors). Pursuant to the SPA, ESE acquired all of the outstanding shares of Bombee Americas in exchange for: (i) $750,000 in cash paid on closing, (ii) $375,000 in cash to be paid six (6) months following closing, subject to customary adjustments based on the working capital of Bombee Americas on closing, (iii) $375,000 in cash to be paid twelve (12) months following closing, and (iv) 30,000,000 common shares of ESE (the Consideration Shares), issued at a deemed issue price of $0.10 per share.
In connection with the Acquisition, the founders of Bombee Americas have signed three-year service agreements and will continue to run the business following the closing, along with the rest of the personnel of Bombee Americas who will remain in place, ensuring a smooth transition of operations. As part of the Acquisition, the Company has acquired the liabilities of Bombee Americas, mainly consisting of customary current obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business for Bombee Americas, which are not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s operations or financial position.
No finder’s fees were paid or payable in conjunction with the Acquisition.
The Acquisition was an arm’s length transaction within the meaning of the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the Exchange) and constituted an “Expedited Acquisition” in accordance with Exchange Policy 5.3 – Acquisitions and Dispositions of Non-Cash Assets. The Acquisition remains subject to the final approval of the Exchange.
Canada
Suspected Digital Fraud Coming from Canada Up Nearly 11% Since H1 2023, Reveals New TransUnion Analysis
In the first half (H1) of 2024, Canada saw a significant increase in suspected Digital Fraud attempts, with nearly 5.74% of all attempted digital transactions where the consumer was located in Canada involving suspected Digital Fraud, revealed a new TransUnion® (NYSE: TRU) analysis. This is nearly an 11% year-over-year (YoY) rate increase from H1 2023, and TransUnion also documented an 11% increase in the volume of suspected Digital Fraud from Canada during this period, despite a less than a one percent (0.7%) YoY increase in the volume of transactions.
According to a recent TransUnion survey,1 more than half (54%) of Canadians said they were recently targeted by email, phone call or text message fraud attempts. Phishing was the most common scheme type (45%), followed by smishing (42%) and vishing (39%).
The increasing use of digital transactions, combined with rising suspected Digital Fraud attempts are also impacting businesses as they potentially face revenue losses and increased operational costs due to fraud. According to a TransUnion business survey for the H2 2024 Update to the State of Omnichannel Fraud report, 200 Canadian business leaders said their companies lost approximately 6% of equivalent revenue – representing $78 billion – over the past year due to fraud. The most prominent causes of fraud loss cited by them were:
- Scam/Authorized fraud (31%): Dishonest scheme intended to trick a person into giving up something of value (e.g., account access, money, information)
- Account takeover (19%): Unauthorized individuals taking over someone’s online account (e.g., bank, social media, email) without their permission
- Synthetic identity fraud (18%): Use of a combination of personal information to fabricate a person or entity to commit a dishonest act for financial or personal gain
TransUnion also found that suspected Digital Fraud attempts – where the consumer was transacting in Canada and targeted businesses globally – increased on average by 10.5% YoY in H1 2024 compared to H1 2023 and impacted all industries.
Top Three Industries Globally with Highest Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts Coming from Canada in H1 2024
- Gambling (online sports betting, poker, etc.) – 9.6%
- Retail – 9.2%
- Government – 7.7%
Top Three Industries Globally with Highest YoY Increase (H1 2024 vs H1 2023) in the Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts Coming from Canada
- Logistics – 172.9%
- Gambling – 79.3%
- Video gaming – 67.8%
“Protecting customers and their businesses from fraud is essential to enabling safe and tailored consumer experiences. These findings reveal that despite the good-faith efforts that are being undertaken by companies to identify and prevent fraud to date, fraudsters continue to evolve and it’s vital that fraud prevention methods keep up with the changing times,” said Patrick Boudreau, head of identity management and fraud solutions at TransUnion Canada.
“Businesses that aren’t already doing so should ensure that they are taking advantage of fraud prevention technologies such as identity verification, IP intelligence, device reputation and synthetic identity detection as critical components of their fraud prevention programs,” he added.
-
Australia7 days agoALLIANCE PARTNERS TABCORP AND 1/ST CONTENT COMPLETE DEAL WITH THE JOCKEY CLUB OF TURKIYE TO DELIVER TURKISH RACING TO AUSTRALIA VIA SKY RACING
-
Asia7 days ago
GG.BET is inviting BLAST Premier: World Final attendees to the GG.BOOTH to take part in some fun activities
-
Australia6 days ago
Australia’s BetStop Receives International Regulatory Award
-
Brazilian Ministry of Finance6 days ago
Brazilian Ministry of Finance and IBIA sign sports betting integrity agreement
-
Brazil6 days ago
Delasport Ready for Brazil Expansion
-
Brazil6 days ago
ProntoPaga Transforms its Operating Model in Brazil to Ensure Risk-Free Transactions
-
Canada6 days ago
IAGR announces Toronto as host city for 2025 conference
-
Bonita-Fort Myers Corporation6 days agoSeminole Tribe of Florida and West Flagler Parties Announce End of Legal Challenges and Beginning of Partnership to Offer and Promote Jai Alai on the Hard Rock Bet App
