Alberta Minister Dale Nally goes to London
The provincial government's person responsible for a new online gambling policy joined a Canadian roundtable at ICE this week. We put the Wilson on the tee for Sunday's Super Bowl. And more.
In this issue
Minister Nally goes to London
Teeing up Super Bowl LVIII
ICE, ICE baby
Paysafe issues play/pay report
Join us on Gaming News Canada Show
Minister Nally goes to London
Our highly regarded readers may remember the GNC dispatch early last November on the drive for a regulated gambling industry in Alberta being stuck in neutral. In that same newsletter, we ran a quote from a spokesperson from the office of Dale Nally - the Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction - that no timelines had been created for “finalizing and implementing Alberta’s new online gaming strategy”.
Perhaps that’s changing.
The good minister joined a Canadian roundtable Tuesday with Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey (who was busy posting on the LinkedIn), iGaming Ontario executive director Martha Otton, Canadian Gaming Association head honcho Paul Burns and others at the ICE conference in London. We’re told Nally said to the gathering around a table in an ExCel Centre conference room “if you like Ontario, you will like Alberta. You won’t come for the weather but you will stay for the low taxes”. The minister also mentioned an open and competitive market is in the works for the province that Connor McDavid calls home.
Nally’s trip across the ocean was reported last week in Nation Talk with a quote from the minister:
“Industry leaders and policymakers from around the world will be in one place during this conference. As we get rolling on developing a provincial iGaming policy, this will be a huge opportunity to gather ideas and knowledge from people who have already been down this path.”
We’re told the minister met with “five or six” operators during his time at ICE. Your inquisitive correspondent reached out to the minister’s office for comment on his road trip and was emailed this statement from Nally last night:
“Alberta can be a leading hub for iGaming, with a strong emphasis on openness and a free market. We have low corporate taxes, streamlined regulations and high disposable incomes. These conditions will allow us to establish ourselves as a premier destination for the iGaming industry.”
For now, no word on when the province will be open for regulated gambling business, but an indication of where things are headed is most likely to come when the Danielle Smith government presents its latest budget.
Teeing up Super Bowl LVIII, gambling biz style
In case you just walked out of a cryonics chamber a la Austin Powers and the first thing you do is open the GNC newsletter, you might raise a Spockian eyebrow in learning Super Bowl LVIII will be played for the first time ever - and, oh yeah, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are a thing.
Here in the true north, strong and free, folks who want to see the beeg game along with Usher’s halftime show can do so on CTV, TSN and RDS (pour nos amis francophones). FanDuel and Expedia are sponsoring the marathon TV broadcast Sunday, and FD will be featured during the pregame show with Rob Gronkowski’s “Kick of Destiny 2”.
As we mentioned in Tuesday’s chronicles, and to the relief of the anti-betting ads denizens, the NFL has restrictions on the number of wagering commercials that can air on the broadcast (as it has all season). Tekeyah Singh previewed FanDuel’s Super Bowl novelty bets earlier this week.
South of the border, the American Gaming Association announced Tuesday that a record 68 million Americans are expected to wager an unprecedented $23.1 billion (U.S.) on the Chiefs-Niners tilt at Allegiant Stadium, and will do so on various platforms:
Here in Canada, it’s pretty much a chip shot - given the rise in online sports betting across our home and native land - that operators in Ontario’s regulated market, OLG and its fellow provincial lottery and gaming corporations will also see record engagement/revenue.
Also of note in the lead-up to Sunday’s game:
During his state-of-the-shield address Monday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said 25 club or league employees have been fired for violating the league’s gambling policy.
KC Chief head coach Andy Reid told reporters that the rules of engagement around gambling for players and staff this week were made crystal clear by the league’s security department.
Patrick Everson of Vegas Insider, who really knows his schtuff when it comes to wagering, has a good read on Super Bowl prop bets the sharp bettors are making.
Speaking of props, OLG comms guru Tony Bitonti passed along that almost half of novelty bets placed on ProLine+ last year were on the coin toss and 52 per cent of PL players got it right in taking the over on both the length of The Star Spangled Banner, and the number of songs during Rihanna’s halftime show. This year, of course there are novelty bets for Swifties.
Alas, novelty bets on the game won’t be allowed in Massachusetts’ legal sports betting market.
And yep, Taylor Swift mania is a thing, at least according to the world of Google.
U.S. legal firm Ifrah Law posted on its blog the AGA’s expected record numbers reflect the success and benefits of legal sports wagering.
An NFL bettor has a serious, serious decision to make on a $680,000 parlay.
A fun read from Covers gambling industry beat writer Geoff Zochodne on the link between Super Bowl coin toss and . . . . science.
A company put out a news release this week reminding people to pick up their Super Bowl winnings. Really?
Finally, ICYMI, the latest Gaming News Canada Show podcast included an informative/entertaining conversation with Phill Gray and Kris Abbott about the evolution of betting on the Super Bowl, and what tickles their respective fancies for the latest NFL title tilt.
ICE, ICE, baby
We’ll endeavour to have more from a busy week at the ICE gathering in London for next Tuesday’s newsletter. For now, however:
The executive director of the UK Gambling Commission said operators on that side of the pond can learn from what’s happening in North America.
And the commission’s chief executive discussed the challenges and opportunities for the gambling industry in the UK.
Jake Pollard tinkled the keyboard for CDC Gaming Reports after sitting in some of the conference’s World Regulatory Briefing panels.
Another panel discussion included a questioning of the decision in some jurisdictions to ban social media influencers from being used in advertising.
An advisory services firm unveiled that illegal gambling revenue around the world last year totalled more than $700 billion.
Xtremepush raised the curtain on its new AI solution.
The conference’s Consumer Protection Zone raised almost $52,000 (U.S.) for the International Centre for Responsible Gambling and Betblocker.
And this:
Paysafe releases report on play and pay
Before the puck dropped on ICE, online payments company Paysafe released a report on the role of payments in the continued growth of online gambling in the U.S., Canada, UK, France, Germany and Italy.
For our loyal perusers, we present a Spark’s notes-like summary of the 49-page report. From the executive summary:
Debit cards and digital wallets’ broad popularity is partly the result of certain markets’ credit card restrictions – from the ban in the U.K. and Massachusetts to annual deposit limits in New York. With no such restrictions, credit cards are the favorite way for players in France to start their sports-betting experience and are almost as popular in Canada’s Ontario as debit cards.
Payment localization is also key for sports-betting operators, with established local payment methods (LPMs) available in Canada and the U.S. But the broader takeaway for operators is a payments choice. This means integrating the complete range of preferred payment methods into an online sportsbook’s cashier – from LPMs and APMs to traditional card payments.
Payment localization is also key for sports-betting operators, with established local payment methods (LPMs) available in Canada and the U.S. But the broader takeaway for operators is payments choice. This means integrating the complete range of preferred payment methods into an online sportsbook’s cashier – from LPMs and APMs to traditional card payments.
Payments are crucial to operators’ goal of starting new customer relationships via player acquisition. Streamlined payouts continue to trump all other factors (brand trust, odds, promotions, user experience, and sponsorships/brand ambassadors) when players choose where to wager, especially in Germany, Italy, and across North America. With rapid deposits and payment method availability also high in player priorities when selecting a book, the value for operators of optimizing their payment stack is clear, especially given the high ROI of payments.
Paysafe reached out to 3,000 “active or prospective sports bettors” in six major U.S. markets, Canada and four European countries to put together data for the report, including:
And:
Super Bowl chat with a block on ICE for GNCS
Providing Phill Gray paid for the roaming charges in England this week, the long-time sports trader is scheduled to join us from ICE for the latest Gaming News Canada Show this afternoon (1 ET) on LinkedIn Audio. We’re also endeavouring to add another voice or two from the annual rendezvous of the sports betting and gaming community.
And, of course, we’ll look at the biggest stories not including Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce in advance of Sunday’s Super Bowl with a helping hand from Alannah Della Vedova of FanDuel.
Classified (Jobs) Information
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario is on the lookout for an iGaming Compliance Assurance Specialist (sport and event betting stream).
BV Group is seeking a Head of Emerging Markets and also has an opening for an Anti-Money Laundering Analyst. And, oh yeah, it’s looking for a QA Engineer to work remotely for its European operations.
Betway Group is hiring at its London location a Head of International Communications & Events.
Among the current job opportunities at FairPlay Sports Media are a U.S. Product and Product Marketing Specialist, and a Content Executive.
Wanted by PrizePicks: a Director of Communications.
Fallsview Casino Resort has openings for an HR Advisor, and is also seeking a Compensation Specialist.
There’s a remote job opening at Rivalry for a Senior Marketing Manager, Canada.
TheScore has an opportunity for a Marketing Designer, and also for a Senior Program Manager.
Rush Street Interactive has a position available for a CRM Specialist.
Wanted by Hard Rock Digital: a Senior Director of CRM and Sportsbook Promotions. HRD also has an opportunity for a Workforce Real-Time Analyst. And, oh, it also has a need for a Payments and Fraud Strategy Manager. And, by the by, there’s an opening for a Sportsbook Trading Manager in Leeds, England.
Montreal-based PearFiction Studios is seeking a Senior Game Mathematician (Slot Games).
Covers has an opening in Toronto for a Sports Betting Content Editor.
Glitnor Group is looking for a Head of Customer Support to join its Malta operations.
Ubisoft is searching for an Esports Communication & Community Engagement Manager for its offices in Saint-Mande, France.
Wanted by Everi Holdings at its Moses Lake, Wa., location: a Field Service Technician - Casino Gaming/ATMs.
Canadian Women & Sport is searching for a Manager, Finance & Operations.
The National Hockey League is on the hunt for a Senior Manager, Club Business Affairs.
FIFA is hiring a Manager, Safeguarding and Diversity for World Cup 2026.
Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, owners of the Philadelphia 76ers, are seeking a Senior Manager, Corporate Partnerships Activation.
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