Betty Gaming gives back to northern Ontario community in a big way
The Ontario-licensed operator last month delivered its first funding commitment to the Kirkland Lake Bingo Hall Association.
When Betty Gaming announced its acquisition of Kirkland Lake Bingo Hall in early March, company CEO Chavdar Dimitrov made clear that the business deal went beyond being getting their foot in the door of regulated iBingo.
“We’re excited to be innovating in a regulated space in a way that lets our growth translate into meaningful charitable funding for local communities,” Dimitrov said in a news release.
It took very little time for Dimitrov’s words to be parlayed into action.
On May 20th, the Betty CEO announced a donation of a little more than $2 million to the Kirkland Lake and Area Bingo Association. Dimitrov, joined by iGaming Ontario president and CEO Joseph Hillier, presented the first charitable donation cheque to Wanda Laferriere and Michael Rawley from the bingo hall.
The association has provided much-appreciated financial support over the years to a number of organizations including a local church to help pay heating and hydro costs, and Christmas hampers; the purchase of a snowmobile to assist the Kirkland Lake Cross Country Ski Runners group in grooming trails; and contributing to paying for building updates and replacing pagers for the local volunteer fire brigade.
“This is just the beginning,” Dimitrov said that evening, referring to Betty’s commitment to provide more funding to the community through its ownership of the community bingo hall. Betty’s investment in charities in Kirkland Lake connects the gaming company with Ontario’s regulated charitable gaming program. Under that provincial framework, revenue generated by all of Betty’s iGaming operations – and not only iBingo – contributes to charitable funding. In the case of the Betty/Kirkland Lake Bingo Hall relationship, that funding will be steered towards community organizations across health, youth, service and recreational sectors.
At the time of the announcement of the acquisition, Betty co-founder and Group CEO Justin Park, posted on LinkedIn about the multi-faceted business and philanthropic decision.
“Bingo is the perfect complement to our slot business,” wrote Park. “We initially viewed land-based bingo purely as a market-access exercise to launch iBingo in Ontario. What we stumbled upon, however, is a groovy opportunity to innovate within the retail space. Our vision is to leverage Betty’s community-driven brand, modern design and technology to reimagine what real-money retail looks and feels like.
“I’m incredibly proud of the impact we’ll have on the Kirkland Lake community and of the team for proving that you can do well by doing good.”
When acquiring the 28-year-old Kirkland Lake Bingo Hall, Betty made it clear the hall’s employees weren’t going anywhere, and it would invest in upgrading the venue’s technology and facilities. There was also a commitment made to continue working with local suppliers and service providers.
“This is a long-term investment in the Kirkland Lake community, Dimitrov said. “It’s about keeping a community institution open, supporting local charities, and making sure bingo remains relevant and accessible for the next generation of players.”