Canada
Nerd Street Gamers Closes $11.5M Additional Funding Led By Venture Capital Giant Founders Fund
Nerd Street Gamers, the national esports infrastructure company, announced that it has raised $11.5 million in additional funding led by San Francisco-based venture capital firm Founders Fund, captained by Brian Singerman, bringing the company’s total funding to approximately $25 million.
Nerd Street experienced explosive growth thanks to its digital platform, even with Localhosts, the company’s esports and gaming centers, closed for the majority of the past year due to the pandemic. The platform, which offers affordable competitive experiences like tournaments, camps and coaching, grew its membership by more than 218% since 2019. Meanwhile, Nerd Street’s Twitch Channel, where the company live-broadcasts its tournaments, grew over 4,066% in minutes watched and grew from 13K followers to over 120K this past year.
With an eye towards a post-pandemic future where gamers will need affordable access to high-quality equipment more than ever, Nerd Street continued opening new Localhosts in Austin, Philadelphia and St. Louis in 2020. Over the course of the next year, Nerd Street is planning to open 20,000+ square foot regional Localhost facilities in Philadelphia and Los Angeles, and is rolling out several Localhosts in collaboration with teen and tween-focused retailer Five Below.
“Nerd Street being added to Founders Fund’s portfolio of industry-pioneering organizations is one of our greatest honors to date,” said John Fazio, founder and CEO of Nerd Street Gamers. “Within minutes of meeting Brian, it was clear that he was profoundly aligned with our vision and mission. Backing us during the uncertainty of a global pandemic is a testament to Brian’s bold foresight and an incredible validation for our entire team.”
As a partner at Founders Fund, Brian Singerman seeks out companies that will provide value to investors and humankind alike. Nerd Street was an attractive investment for Brian as he has a background as a gamer and immediately saw Nerd Street’s long-term vision to help the industry offer gamers the same opportunities that traditional sports provide athletes.
“I was impressed with John from our first meeting and knew I wanted to help advance his vision of building a robust infrastructure to support gamers of all ages and skill levels,” said Singerman. “As a gamer myself, I’ve watched the massive growth of esports over the years. Esports are surpassing traditional sports in number of players and audience size, especially among younger demographics, and Nerd Street is in a perfect position to capitalize on that shift.”
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Canada
High Roller Technologies Signs Letter of Intent with Kindbridge Behavioral Health to Support Responsible Gambling in Ontario
High Roller Technologies Inc., operator of the award-winning, premium online casino brands High Roller and Fruta, announced it has entered into a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI) with Kindbridge Behavioral Health (Kindbridge) to support its commitment to responsible gambling in Ontario, subject to licensing and regulatory approval.
Through the planned partnership with Kindbridge, High Roller intends to offer eligible Ontario players who choose to self-exclude a confidential pathway to support that helps individuals understand their options and take next steps at their own pace. The experience begins with education and a guided triage process, followed by the option to connect with no-cost peer support and, when appropriate, licensed Canadian clinicians. Using a stepped-care approach, individuals can start where they feel ready and access additional support over time, based on their needs and goals.
“We believe entertainment should always be enjoyed responsibly. Partnering with Kindbridge reinforces our commitment to player wellbeing by ensuring that anyone who may be experiencing challenges with their gambling activity has access to meaningful, professional support. This collaboration reflects our responsibility not only as an operator, but as a trusted brand that puts people first,” said Seth Young, Chief Executive Officer at High Roller.
Kindbridge works with gaming operators across North America to deliver early-intervention programs designed to identify, assess, and support at-risk individuals, including integration with self-exclusion and responsible gaming workflows.
“Building strong, accessible pathways to support is an essential part of effective responsible gambling programs.nOperators are uniquely positioned to assist individuals who may be experiencing distress by helping connect them to appropriate care. We’re proud to work with High Roller to expand access to specialized clinicians and evidence-based resources, supporting healthier outcomes for players and more effective responsible gambling frameworks,” said Daniel Umfleet, Founder & CEO of Kindbridge Behavioral Health.
Seth Young, who currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of High Roller, is a current shareholder, member of the Board of Advisors, and former member of the Board of Directors at Kindbridge.
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Brightstar Lottery PLC
Brightstar Lottery Delivers Industry-Leading Sales Force Automation Solution to Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation
Brightstar Lottery PLC announced that it has deployed its Sales Wizard salesforce automation tool to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG). Brightstar’s powerful, cloud-based Sales Wizard easily integrates with OLG’s central system and equips sales representatives with actionable insights and compelling data to identify lottery retail opportunities and make every retail visit more effective.
“Brightstar’s Sales Wizard is enabling OLG’s sales force with digital access to actionable data while unlocking operational efficiencies so that our sales representatives can make the best use of every retail visit. Sales Wizard is highly configurable so OLG can leverage this product in a variety of ways to meet our evolving business needs,” said Vanessa Theoret, OLG Sr. Director Retail Sales & Account Management.
“OLG joins 24 other lotteries in using Brightstar’s Sales Wizard to help responsibly grow sales. Sales Wizard was designed to be a flexible, convenient tool for lottery sales representatives to work strategically with retailers, providing data, reports, and insights to understand sales trends and optimize as needed,” said Scott Gunn, Brightstar Chief Operating Officer North America Lottery.
Sales Wizard is the industry-leading sales force automation tool that provides sales teams with timely, relevant information and is available in user-friendly mobile apps for greater efficiency in the field. Currently supporting more than 148,000 retailers globally, Sales Wizard provides data and insights on sales, instant ticket inventory, instant ticket facings, point-of-sale equipment and signage, and much more.
Brightstar serves nearly 90 lottery customers and their players on six continents.
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Canada
ComeOn Launches New Marketing Campaign in Ontario
ComeOn Group has launched its new marketing campaign in Ontario. The campaign underscores ComeOn Group’s long-term commitment to sustainable expansion – powered by ComeOn’s proprietary technology and a clear focus on delivering standout, personalized entertainment experiences at scale.
Since entering Ontario in 2022 with its licensed online casino offering, ComeOn Group has steadily built its presence in one of North America’s most competitive regulated markets. In late 2024, the Group reached a major strategic milestone with the launch of its full proprietary sportsbook in the province, expanding its product portfolio and strengthening its position as a full-suite iGaming operator.
The addition of sportsbook enables ComeOn to offer both casino and sports betting within a unified entertainment ecosystem. This expansion aligns with the Group’s broader global strategy to accelerate sportsbook growth, leveraging its in-house platform, trading capabilities, and risk management expertise to scale efficiently across regulated jurisdictions.
To support this next phase of growth in Ontario, ComeOn Group has shifted to an independent media planning model, activating a bold, high-frequency presence across Linear TV, Connected TV (CTV), and Digital channels. This approach reflects the Group’s product-led philosophy- pairing increased brand visibility with a seamless, personalized player journey powered by a robust, in-house technology stack built for performance and scale.
At the centre of the campaign is a series of premium television commercials starring Jeremy Piven, a long-standing ComeOn brand ambassador. Piven’s high-energy presence and authentic connection to sports reinforce the brand’s entertainment-first positioning, bringing ComeOn’s sportsbook experience to life across TV and digital. Produced by ComeOn Group’s internal creative hub, the campaign provides a cohesive creative platform that clearly differentiates the brand in a crowded market.
Efi Peleg, Chief Commercial Officer at ComeOn Group, said: “Ontario is a critical and highly competitive market for us. By shifting to independent media planning and activating a true 360-degree marketing mix, we’re not just increasing awareness – we’re demonstrating the strength of our proprietary platform and our ability to deliver a superior, personalised player experience. Our headline campaign, led by Jeremy Piven, brings our entertainment-first proposition to life and reflects our broader strategy of driving sustainable growth in key regulated markets through differentiated products and data-driven execution.”
The post ComeOn Launches New Marketing Campaign in Ontario appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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