Canada
Wesley Ward Well-Represented in May 13 Road to Royal Ascot at Gulfstream
Trainer Wesley Ward, who has saddled 12 winners at Royal Ascot during his remarkable career, will be well represented at Gulfstream Park on May 13 when he sends out legendary former-jockey Steve Cauthen’s Holding the Line for a start in the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile and Stonestreet Stables LLC’s Ocean Maid for a run in the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies.
The Royal Palm Juvenile, a five-furlong turf stakes for 2-year-olds, and the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, a five-furlong turf stakes for 2-year-old fillies, will both provide their respective winners with an automatic berth into one of six stakes during the June 20-24 Royal Ascot meeting, as well as a $25,000 equine travel stipend for shipping from the U.S. to England. The FTBOA will also offer a $25,000 bonus, above and beyond purse money won, to a Florida-bred winner in addition to the winner’s share of the purse.
These races represent the first-ever U.S. Automatic Qualifiers for the Royal meeting, building top-class international participation at Royal Ascot, boosting global awareness and deeper fan engagement around important industry innovations like the World Pool.
Holding the Line, an Irish-bred son of Soldier’s Call, is prominent in a field of 10 entered for the inaugural running of the Royal Palm Juvenile. Ocean Mermaid, a daughter of Kingman, will face 11 other fillies entered for the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies. Holding the Line was purchased for $71,070 at the 2022 Tattersalls October yearling sale by Cauthen, ‘The Kid’ who rode Affirmed for a sweep of the 1977 Triple Crown before enjoying a highly successful career riding in Europe.
“He’s a horse purchased over in England. Steve picked him out with the hopes he himself can get back to Royal Ascot. They had him there last year commentating,” Ward said.
Holding the Line is unraced due to the lack of turf opportunities for 2-year-olds at Keeneland this spring. “There was only one race, and every trainer was allowed only one horse in the race if it oversubscribed. That entrant was Fandom,” Ward said.
Ward saddled Stonestreet Stables’ Fandom for a 6 ¾-length triumph on turf April 27 to earn his way to Royal Ascot, and Holding the Line is well prepared for his career debut in the Royal Palm Juvenile. “He’s a beautiful colt. He improved in his workouts at Palm Meadows when he was down in Florida on the grass. He’s bred top and bottom for the turf, so I’m anxious to get him on there,” said Ward by phone from his Keeneland base.
Holding the Line continued his training at Keeneland before shipping to Payson Park, where he breezed three furlongs in 37 seconds Saturday morning. Hall of Famer John Velazquez has been named to ride Holding the Line, who figures to face a stern test in his debut.
Trainer George Weaver entered Dew Sweepers LLC’s Blast Furnace in the Royal Palm Juvenile, as well as unraced No Nay Mets, who was purchased for $335,000 at the OBS April 2-year-olds in training sale. Blast Furnace chased the Ward-trained Fandom at Keeneland in the April; 27 five-furlong maiden special weight race on turf before settling for second, No Nay Mets is a son of No Nay Never, whom Ward saddled for a victory in the 2013 Norfolk at Royal Ascot. Edwin Gonzalez has been named on Blast Furnace, while Luca Panici has the call on Irish-bred No Nay Mets.
Arindel’s revered breed-to-race farm has Reaper, an impressive 5 ¾-length winner over Gulfstream’s main track April 21, entered to make his turf debut in the Royal Palm Juvenile. Emisael Jaramillo was given the call aboard the homebred son of Brethren. Arindel will also be represented by Tiberian Sun, an unraced homebred son of Brethren. Reaper and Tiberian Sun are two of four Florida-bred entrants eligible for the FTBOA bonus. Jacks or Better Farm Inc.’s Northshore Drive, who finished third behind Reaper, and Iron Horse Racing Stable LLC and Harlow Stables LLC’s Mattingly, an unraced son of Bucchero, are also Florida-bred. Xaverius Racing Corp.’s Praiseworthy, Gerald James and Hall Performance LLC’s Shotgun Pro, and EAC Racing Stable LLC’s Zaino, round out the field.
Ward had been waiting patiently for Ocean Mermaid to make her debut before entering the Great Britain-bred filly in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies.
“She’s a turf filly. She was purchased at Tattersalls. Unfortunately, there has been only one turf race in America, that being a colt race. The filly race at Keeneland here was rained off the turf,” Ward said. “Looking for a race with this race in mind from the onset, we sent her down there and had a nice breeze at Payson at my barn there. She’s ready to go.”
Ocean Mermaid breezed on turf at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, before putting in four workouts at Keeneland. She breezed three-furlongs in 37.80 at Payson Park Saturday morning. The daughter of Kingman was bought by Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stables LLC for $252,546 at the Tattersalls October yearling sale.
“She was purchased to go to Royal Ascot. That was the whole reason for the purchase, as Barbara does each and every year. Bloodstock agent Ben McElroy goes over every year and picks out a few horses that look like Royal Ascot candidates,” Ward said. Velazquez has the call on Ocean Mermaid.
Dew Sweepers LLC’s Crimson Advocate goes into the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies off a promising debut at Keeneland April 26. The George Weaver-trained daughter of Nyquist raced wide and in traffic before finishing third in a five-furlong maiden special weight race on dirt. Edwin Gonzalez has the call on Crimson Advocate.
Christian Cruz’s She Has Class is the long entrant to have visited the winner’s circle. The Javier Gonzalez-trained daughter of Khozan closed from off the pace to capture her debut in a 4 ½-furlong maiden special weight race on Gulfstream’s main track April 10. She Has Class is one of four Florida-bred fillies eligible for the FTBOA bonus.
Gary Barber and D. J. Stable LLC’s The Myth, an unraced daughter of The Factor trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse; Robin Kaiser’s Bucchera, an unraced daughter of Bucchero trained by Laura Cazares; and Cornejo Racing LLC’s Girvin Girl, an unraced daughter of Girvin trained by Carlos David; are the other Florida-bred entrants.
D. J. Stables LLC is also represented in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies by Fumblerooski, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Liam’s Map trained by Joe Orseno. Double D. Racing’s Turf Rocket, a daughter of More Than Ready, is scheduled to debut for trainer Jeremiah O’Dwyer, who enjoyed international success this season after saddling Sibelius for a victory in the Dubai Golden Shaheen. Arindel’s Kiss, Jeffrey Crooks’ My Sweetheart Dani and Starry Night Racing’s Scootaloo round out the field.
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BCLC’s new “What’s played here stays here” campaign is issuing an important reminder to British Columbians who choose to gamble – specifically that all net profit its operations generate stays in B.C. to help fund critical services like education, health care and community programs.
The campaign also reinforces that all other gambling websites operating in B.C. are illegal and take away funds from critical community programs and services.
“Across B.C. and Canada, we’ve seen incredible groundswell around the importance of buying and supporting local, and that’s no different for British Columbians who choose gambling for their entertainment. We want our B.C. players to know they can find a world-class gambling experience in their own backyard, whether it’s at one of our 33 casinos, 3,400 lottery retailers, or online at PlayNow.com, and that the proceeds from their play with BCLC make a positive impact at home in their community,” Pat Davis, President and CEO of BCLC, said.
Along with illegal online gambling websites, BCLC also competes with Washington State and Las Vegas casinos, all of which aggressively market to B.C. residents.
“BCLC continues to raise awareness that these gambling options do not support B.C.’s economy and take away funds from vital provincial and community-based programs and services. In a time when British Columbians are standing united, we want to reinforce that playing together with BCLC helps make B.C. even better,” Pat Davis added.
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Canada
Online casino with a Nordic twist enters yet another market as it continues to deploy its ambitious international expansion plans
Winlandia.com, the online casino brand with a distinctly Nordic feel, has made its debut in Canada as it continues to expand its reach into international markets.
Winlandia is celebrating ten years of Nordic excellence and is now available for Canadian players, with its website available in both English and French.
Canadian players will get a real sense of Finnish Sisu when they sign up to Winlandia for the first time with a generous welcome bonus that is up for grabs.
When it comes to depositing, Winlandia has a well-stocked cashier including Visa, Mastercard, MuchBetter, Paysafecard, Payz, AstroPay and of course, Interac.
Players can expect instant deposits and fast withdrawals, so they get their winnings without delay.
The cool Nordic vibes extend to the online casino lobby where players can explore a vast portfolio of more than 9,000 slot, table, instant win, bingo, Slingo, arcade and live dealer titles.
Just some of the providers available include Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Microgaming, Red Tiger, Play’n GO, Blueprint Gaming, IGT, Scientific Games, Nolimit City and Evolution Gaming.
Winlandia players will be able to benefit from its Personalization Platform that was implemented at the beginning of last year. This means players will get individual game recommendations based on real-time data, a bit like Netflix but for casino games, not movies.
Canadian players can also enjoy some of the most generous promotions in the market, including Daily Picks which sees free spins and other bonuses added to their account each day.
They can also take part in thrilling slot tournaments and go head-to-head with other players and where if they place high on the leaderboard, there are big prizes to be won.
Winlandia is powered by SkillOnNet and has quickly emerged as a top online casino brand in competitive markets such as Finland, Denmark and the UK.
The team behind the site is confident that Canadian players will be drawn to its comprehensive offering and unique Nordic flavour.
Winlandia has extended its collaboration with its premium affiliate partner, Gambling.com, as their exclusive launch partner for the Canadian market. Via their site assets like Gambling.com/ca, players will get an exclusive offer of 100% up to $5,000 + 150 Free spins on Big Bass Bonanza.
Christoffer Grönlund, Head of Acquisitions & PR at Winlandia, said: “Players in Canada can now enjoy an authentic Nordic online casino experience that includes thousands of casino games from the biggest providers offered alongside generous bonuses and promotions.
“Despite being an international brand, localisation is very important to us and that’s why we implemented the payment method Interac to our cashier and ensure we have the most popular game providers for the Canadian market in our game lobby.
“Canada is a big market and one that we are incredibly excited to enter this market together with our Premium Affiliate Partner Gambling.com/ca. We truly believe that their high volume of quality traffic of players will enjoy what we have to offer at Winlandia.”
Gary Connelly, Senior Key Account Manager at Gambling.com Group, added: “I’m excited to welcome Winlandia Casino as they prepare for their Canadian launch.
“With 10 years of Nordic excellence and trust, a standout design, and an impressive portfolio of over 9,000+ games, Winlandia is well-positioned for success in this market. Following strong results in the UK, I look forward to a successful partnership in Canada, where their fresh player base offers great conversion potential.”
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Canada
GiG Launches Fourth Partner into Ontario as PowerPlay Enhances Its Gaming Experience with GiG’s Formidable Combination of Proprietary Platform, Sportsbook and AI technology
Gaming Innovation Group (GiG Software Plc) has announced a major new partnership with PowerPlay Online Casino & Sportsbook, with the brand now live having migrated to a premium technology supplier to propel growth in the regulated Canadian province of Ontario. The launch marks the fourth brand now active in the region powered by GiG’s cutting-edge iGaming technology, and further positioning GiG as a provider of choice for operators in regulated online markets in Canada, with Alberta next due in line once legislation passes.
GiG has established itself as one of the premier technology providers in Ontario, and PowerPlay will look to leverage a proven and powerful combination of GiG’s proprietary technology. The launch includes GiG’s award winning iGaming platform alongside a suite of next generation solutions, its feature packed Sportsbook, SportX, revolutionary rules based engine, LogicX and GiG’s innovative CMS.
PowerPlay has built a strong Canadian legacy, and its dedication to reliability and customer satisfaction has cemented its position as a trusted operator, ensuring players enjoy a world-class, secure, and seamless gaming experience. Now, with the migration to GiG’s cutting-edge technology, PowerPlay is poised to enhance its offerings even further.
With a growing emphasis on cutting-edge artificial intelligence and automation, PowerPlay can also now call on the full power of dynamic AI tools DataX and LogicX, with the incorporation of advanced machine learning models into their toolkit, enhancing decision-making processes and rule building helping to deliver significant increases in player acquisition and customer retention. Innovative sportsbook SportX will boost PowerPlay’s offering by providing advanced bet-builder capabilities, dynamic odds, and a comprehensive suite of localised features, including horse racing and virtual sports betting.
The launch carries significance as further evidence of GiG’s accelerated delivery cadence, as the fourth publicly announced partner launch this year. GiG has implemented a suite of strategic improvements over the past year, and is set to further escalate launches throughout 2025, reinforcing its commitment to seamless execution and growth.
GiG’s has been one of the forerunners of regulated market expansion in iGaming for over 10 years, facilitating smooth market entries in complex regulated environments not only in North America, but across key markets in Europe, Latin America and now the Philippines in Asia, strengthening its position as a reliable and strategic technology partner for operators globally.
Having regulated in April 2022, online gaming in Ontario has enjoyed significant growth under the guidance of the AGCO (Alcohol & Gambling Commission). As of the second quarter of the 2024-25 fiscal year , Ontario’s online gambling market reached CA$738 million in Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR), reflecting a 1.7% quarter-over-quarter growth and a 35.4% year-over-year increase, according to data supplied by the regulator.
James Coxon, Chief Operating Officer at GiG, commented: “GiG’s expertise in delivering market-leading technology is once again proving instrumental in helping partners like PowerPlay navigate the complexities of regulated markets. The successful launch into Ontario highlights our ability to facilitate seamless market entry while ensuring stability and scalability for long-term growth. Our continued focus on delivering brilliant basics, from secure platform infrastructure to optimised user experiences, is key to enabling partners to maximise their potential. We’re proud to be playing a role in PowerPlay’s success and the ongoing evolution of both the Ontarian market and the wider future of iGaming in Canada, reinforcing our reputation as a trusted partner in the regulated space.”
Dean Serrao, Chief Executive Officer at PowerPlay, commented: “The successful migration to GiG’s technology platform is a milestone for PowerPlay as we continue to grow in Ontario. This partnership allows us to offer an enhanced and seamless experience for our players, while leveraging GiG’s flexible and scalable solutions to expand our presence in the market. We are excited for what’s ahead and confident this move will help us strengthen our position as a leading brand in the province.”
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