Canada
SBC Unveiled Finalists for Inaugural Canadian Gaming Summit First Pitch Startup Competition
SBC has revealed the three industry start-up finalists of the inaugural edition of the Canadian Gaming Summit First Pitch competition.
In a remarkable demonstration of innovation and potential, these contenders have emerged from a pool of talent, embodying the promise of reshaping the sports betting and iGaming landscape with their forward-thinking solutions.
The highly successful startup competition for sports betting and iGaming companies has been held with great acclaim at the SBC Summit North America in New Jersey and the prestigious global flagship event, SBC Summit Barcelona.
As SBC takes charge of managing the Canadian Gaming Summit, the First Pitch competition will play a crucial role as part of the Growth and Leadership track on the event’s second full day, scheduled for June 15th.
The three (3) finalists of the SBC Summit North America First Pitch are:
- Flex Fantasy: enables users to synchronize their season-long fantasy lineups and utilize them to compete against individuals across different platforms in diverse game formats for real-money rewards
- Turnover Global: generates virtual sports betting content through sports simulation, which accurately reflects current and past game results. It ensures that the required Return to Player (RTP) percentage
- tolerances are consistently maintained for each bet line, as mandated by compliance labs
- Linemate: aims to revolutionize research insights for novice sports bettors and establish itself as a lifestyle brand catering to these users by addressing the obstacles that hinder consumers from easily embracing and adopting new behavioral patterns
The chosen companies will have the chance to showcase their innovative products to industry leaders and investors. They will also compete for an exclusive prize package valued at over CA$ 70,000, specifically designed to assist in their future development and growth endeavors. The prize package includes:
- A six-month subscription to Eilers & Krejcik Gaming’s Sports & Emerging Verticals, a boutique research firm that specializes in providing comprehensive services to the gaming equipment, sports, and interactive gaming sectors within the global gaming industry. This subscription alone is worth CA$ 33,000.
- An exclusive brand or web design package, valued at CA$ 3,700, from Vegas Kings, the premier iGaming design and development agency that has been trusted by leading brands such as Ladbrokes, Betfred, Spinomenal, BetConstruct, and more.
- A comprehensive promotional package from SBC Media, including six months of advertising on either SBC Americas or Canadian Gaming Business, newsletter advertising, as well as two featured editorials promoting the winning business (valued at CA$ 16,000).
- Two (2) drafted press releases at any time during 2023 with any news/product updates that the winner would like to share with the industry, distributed to all iGaming B2B media and the US via Business Wire (ensuring coverage on Bloomberg, Yahoo! Finance, etc.), a video interview produced and shared by GameOn, and two (2) additional thought leadership articles that would be placed within a media partner of SBC (valued at £2,950.00 or CA$ 4,900)
- A Receptional Prize Pack – Valued at CA$ 13,000 (The Receptional team will collaborate with the winning company to provide a tailored digital marketing package).
The competition will be moderated by Jesse Learmonth, (Host of the Betting Startups Podcast) and judged by Benjie Cherniak (Principal at Avenue H Capital, LLC), Dani Lipkin (Managing Director of Global Innovation Sector TMX Group), Scott Secord (Partner, Cardinal Capital Sports), Emily McIlquham (Investment Analyst, Relay Ventures) and Mohit Kansal (Managing Director, Clarivest) who will work together to decide the winner after all finalists pitch their products.
Canada
St8 expands Octoplay aggregation deal to Ontario and the UK
St8 has extended its content partnership with Octoplay into Ontario and the UK, expanding distribution of Octoplay’s casino games in two regulated markets. The companies announced the move on 2 July, 2026.
Under the expanded agreement, St8 will make Octoplay’s full portfolio available to operators in both jurisdictions through St8’s single API integration.
David Fall, Business Development Manager at St8, said:
“Expanding our partnership with Octoplay into Ontario and the UK is another important milestone as we continue to strengthen our aggregation platform with premium content from leading suppliers.
“Octoplay has built an excellent reputation for developing engaging, high-performing games, and we’re delighted to extend this collaboration into two highly strategic regulated markets. This agreement enables our operator partners to access even more quality content through a single integration while supporting their growth in competitive jurisdictions.”
Ralitsa Georgieva, CEO at Octoplay added:
“We’re pleased to expand our partnership with St8 into Ontario and the UK, making our full portfolio available to even more operators through its aggregation platform. St8 has established itself as a trusted technology partner for regulated markets, and we look forward to building on our successful collaboration together.”
The post St8 expands Octoplay aggregation deal to Ontario and the UK appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Canada
St8 extends Octoplay partnership into Ontario and the UK
Casino games aggregator and full-service technology provider St8 has expanded its partnership with Octoplay into Ontario and the UK, further strengthening its premium content offering across two of the industry’s most important regulated markets.
Through the extended agreement, St8 will make Octoplay’s full portfolio of casino games available to operators in both jurisdictions, providing partners with seamless access to the supplier’s high-quality content through its single API integration.
The expansion builds on the successful relationship between the two companies and reflects St8’s continued commitment to providing operators with access to leading game providers across regulated markets. By broadening the availability of Octoplay’s portfolio, St8 further enhances the depth and diversity of content available to its operator network.
Octoplay has quickly established itself as one of the industry’s most innovative and fastest growing game studios, recognised for delivering engaging titles that combine premium gameplay with strong player appeal which are now available across 17 jurisdictions. The supplier’s focus on quality and performance aligns closely with St8’s mission to simplify content aggregation while helping operators deliver exceptional gaming experiences.
The latest agreement reinforces St8’s strategy of expanding its premium content portfolio while helping operators simplify integration, accelerate market entry and deliver engaging gaming experiences across multiple regulated jurisdictions.
David Fall, Business Development Manager at St8, said: “Expanding our partnership with Octoplay into Ontario and the UK is another important milestone as we continue to strengthen our aggregation platform with premium content from leading suppliers.
“Octoplay has built an excellent reputation for developing engaging, high-performing games, and we’re delighted to extend this collaboration into two highly strategic regulated markets. This agreement enables our operator partners to access even more quality content through a single integration while supporting their growth in competitive jurisdictions.”
Ralitsa Georgieva, CEO at Octoplay added: “We’re pleased to expand our partnership with St8 into Ontario and the UK, making our full portfolio available to even more operators through its aggregation platform. St8 has established itself as a trusted technology partner for regulated markets, and we look forward to building on our successful collaboration together.”
The post St8 extends Octoplay partnership into Ontario and the UK appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
AGCO
AGCO Fines Great Canadian Entertainment $120,000 for Using Unauthorised Gaming System Software at Four Casinos
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has ordered monetary penalties totalling $120,000 against Great Canadian Entertainment (GCE) for using unauthorided gaming system software at multiple Ontario casino sites, a serious compliance failure that bypassed requirements designed to protect the integrity of casino gaming.
Gaming equipment and systems are central to casino operations. They process payments and wagers, support slot-game play and help maintain controls that protect the integrity, safety and security of the gaming environment. When these systems are used or operated without required testing, monitoring and approval, it weakens safeguards designed to detect and prevent unlawful conduct, including money laundering, and can undermine public confidence in Ontario’s regulated casino sector.
The AGCO reviewed 40 instances in which revoked or unapproved bill validator software had been installed across four casino sites between February 20 and March 15, 2025. Bill validators are components within gaming machines that accept and process cash and help support anti-money laundering controls.
The AGCO’s Standards for Gaming require gaming equipment and software to be tested and approved before being deployed in casinos. Bill validators verify the authenticity and value of cash inserted into electronic gaming machines and are an important safeguard. That is why these systems must undergo rigorous testing and approval to confirm they operate as intended, perform critical functions reliably and are authorised before being introduced into a live casino environment.
Casino operators are responsible for ensuring that changes to gaming systems are properly reviewed, tested and authorised before implementation. Using unapproved software in a live casino environment is a serious compliance failure.
A casino operator served with an Order of Monetary Penalty has the right to appeal the Registrar’s action within 15 days to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), an adjudicative body that is part of Tribunals Ontario and independent of the AGCO.
“The AGCO requires casino operators to protect the integrity of their gaming systems by making sure they are independently tested, approved and operating as intended. When unauthorised software is used in a live casino environment, it bypasses critical safeguards that are meant to uphold the integrity of gaming and the public’s confidence in the system. The AGCO will continue to hold all casino operators accountable for meeting Ontario’s high standards of gaming system integrity,” said Dr. Karin Schnarr, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer at AGCO.
The post AGCO Fines Great Canadian Entertainment $120,000 for Using Unauthorised Gaming System Software at Four Casinos appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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