Ontario’s open market draws praise from new iGO CEO Joseph Hillier
The former AGCO chief strategy officer, who took the helm of iGaming Ontario in September, spoke at the Global Gaming Expo about the health of the province’s online gambling market.
Joseph Hillier, who became the CEO of iGaming Ontario (iGO) in September, spoke last week on a panel at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas.
David McKee, writing for CDC Gaming, reported on a panel called Proven. Practical. Ontario’s Model in Action chaired by Canadian Gaming Association (CGA) CEO Paul Burns. Hillier was one of the panelists, along with Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) CEO Dr. Karin Schnarr and Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) CEO Sarah McCarthy.
It is believed to be Hillier’s first public comments since coming over to iGO from the AGCO and replacing retired iGO CEO Martha Otton.
McKee reported that Hillier praised the architects of Ontario’s open online gambling market, home to more than 50 operators offering more than 80 gambling sites. In the first 41 months of operation, through August of 2025, total online gambling revenue in Ontario has exceeded $8.6 billion.
“This is one of those few instances where government did get it right,” said Hillier, referring to there being no caps on the number of operators giving consumers maximum choice. “The stats kind of speak for themselves.”
He also mentioned the role of responsible gambling and the RGC in sector sustainability. All operators are required to have a Responsible Gaming Check Accreditation Program that creates RG strategies in consultation with iGO.
“Healthy players means a healthy market,” Hillier said. “The more players are captured in a regulated market, that’s how you have a safe player base.”
As for overseeing operators, Hillier said iGO’s role is to foster a business partnership.
“How do we help each other succeed? If [operators] succeed, ultimately we will succeed as well,” he said, adding that it had to be open and driven by the private sector as much as possible with regulatory guardrails.
“Let private-market forces rule the day… For instance, Betway was a late entrant to Ontario, but ‘is just killing it’.”
Schnarr added, “It’s a model that works really well, [an] outcome-based model” and described the Ontario market as a mix of global giants and small entrepreneurial operators. She said the question for regulators was, “How do we give our operators the space to conduct themselves as grown-ups?”
The panel said the industry is flush with data, with Hillier pointing out that unclear information or too much data could be unhelpful for operators.
We’ll take some issue with that point, especially in light of Hillier saying Betway is “just killing it.” What does that mean, exactly? Is Betway a top operator in Ontario or just doing better than it does elsewhere? Who are the leaders in the market? We just don’t know because iGO doesn’t release that information – and it should as an important indicator of the health of the operators that sustain the market.
Yes, it’s nice that iGO has moved from inadequate quarterly dispatches and is now providing monthly financial reports – long the standard in most jurisdictions. But, some of the information provided isn’t that helpful beyond the revenue figures and, maybe, handle. Even handle has questionable value when you consider nearly 80% of gambling comes online casinos where handle doesn’t really mean the same thing as it does in sports betting.
Also, in a province where people are blessed with an abundance of choice, can have multiple accounts and don’t necessarily use all of them, we’re not sure that revealing the number of active player accounts is a useful measure of market health.
Ontario is unique in that it not only has more operators than anywhere else, those operators – small, large and in between – come from all over the world. What would be helpful is knowing how those operators are doing financially.
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NCAA moves closer to allowing athletes, staff to bet on pro sports
In another indication that this is no longer your granddaddy’s NCAA, last week its DI Administrative Committee voted to adopt a proposal to allow student-athletes and athletic department staff to wager on pro sports.
According to Justin Byers, writing for SBC Americas, the committee in question agreed to the change, but approval is still needed from committees representing Divisions II and III.
Betting on college sports by NCAA athletes and athletic staff would remain banned.
The DI Student-Athlete Advisory Committee said, “We believe this change represents meaningful progress toward a culture that prioritizes education, transparency and support over punishment. By removing unnecessary barriers, we are hopeful that student-athletes and athletics administrators will feel empowered to come forward, seek help and engage in open dialogue without fear.”
Committee chair Josh Whitman, the athletic director at the University of Illinois, said, “This change allows the NCAA, the conferences and the member schools to focus on protecting the integrity of college games while, at the same time, encouraging healthy habits for student-athletes who choose to engage in betting activities on professional sports.”
Yes, prohibition can be difficult to enforce. Yes, enhanced education for all student-athletes and staff is essential. But, this sounds like the NCAA is simply throwing up its hands, as it also did on allowing “amateur” athletes to be paid athletes through NIL rules.
Let’s hope that allowing athletes of legal age to gamble on some things, but not others, isn’t a dangerous slippery slope.
New federal bill not enough for fight against money laundering
There’s movement by the federal government for a passing of a buck new bill that includes cracking down on money laundering.
Public safety minister Gary Anandasangaree introduced last week Bill C-12, the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act. The new bill aims to:
Strengthen Canada’s anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing regime, including through stronger anti-money laundering penalties;
Enhance supervisory collaboration and support high standards of regulatory compliance by adding the Director of the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) to the Financial Institutions Supervisory Committee (FISC) and enabling FINTRAC to exchange supervisory information on federally regulated financial institutions with FISC.
A news release from the Ministry of Public Safety also mentioned the feds having already invested more than $379 million to “strengthen the effectiveness of Canada’s Anti-Money Laundering/Anti-Terrorist Financing Regime”.
The AML laws and the enforcement of them in our home and native land has sucked up a lot of oxygen in the Canadian gaming industry during 2025. The Canadian Gaming Association has been advocating for changes to the laws that reflect the modern-day gambling landscape. CGA president/CEO Paul Burns, appearing on a recent episode of the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Bede Gaming, called the current act “woefully outdated”.
“Sports betting is not included, horse racing is not included,” Burns said. “Reporting mechanisms fail to recognize the evolution and modernization of our industry. The gaming industry’s commitment to money laundering in the last five to seven years has been outstanding. We’re there saying ‘hey, we can make this better’.
“We’re trying to help the government do things better. The (recent) fines (against the CNE Casino, BCLC and Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority) indicate they don’t understand our sector.”
Derek Ramm, the global head of advisory services for Kinectify who joined the company in 2024 after serving as the Director, Anti-Money Laundering for the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, has been a loud voice for bringing the rules and regulations in alignment with today’s gambling industry. Ramm, who talked about the need for change on an episode of the GNCS back in June, provided his thoughts on Bill C-12 in a LinkedIn post, including:
Today, the Canadian government introduced Bill C-12, replacing Bill C-2 and dropping its proposed ban on large cash transactions. That’s a welcome change, since the earlier version would have criminalized any business accepting $10,000 or more in cash, despite little evidence that such bans deter crime.
Instead of blanket prohibitions, we should be asking better questions.
It’s also worth noting that getting the new bill across the finish line on Parliament Hill will not be an easy task.
We’ll keep our loyal readers posted.
People on the Move
Harald Neumann resigns as CEO of Ainsworth Game Technology and will be replaced on an interim basis by COO Ryan Comstock.
Former Relax Gaming and Pariplay senior executive Enrico Bradamante is appointed Chief Executive Officer of EGT Digital.
Former Aristocrat and IGT executive Chris Boni is named Chief of Staff at Xpoint.
Robert Christensen, formerly of Choctaw Casinos & Resorts, is the new Vice President, Product Solutions at Aristocrat Interactive.
Altenar appoints Nikos Zygouris as Head of Sportsbook Product and Alfred Bashllari and Sportsbook Product Consultant.
PR/marketing agency Square in the Air launch a creative decision that will be led by Chief Client Officer Hugh Johnson and Chief Creative Officer Nick Withersby.
Andrew Champagne, formerly of Raketech and Catena Media, joins Better Collective as Senior Content Manager and Editor.
Longtime golf and tennis executive Andre Silva is the ATP Tour’s new Chief Tour Officer.
Jeff Price departs the PGA of America to join Heisman Trophy Trust as its first Chief Executive Officer.
Greg Kwizak returns to Madison Square Garden Corp., this time as a Creative Consultant and Strategic Advisor for Event Presentation and Production with both the New York Rangers and New York Knicks.
The NHL promotes Andrew Kavanagh to Senior Director, Partnership Marketing.
Danielle Bain is TSN’s new Winnipeg bureau reporter, replace John Lu who retired in July after a 25-year run with the network.
Among the people impacted by layoffs at iHeart Media is Sean Brace, the Program Director for Fox Sports Radio and The Gambler.
Josh Handler comes on board FanDuel Sports Network as an Account Executive.
Classified (Jobs) Information
Atlantic Lottery is on a seek-and-employ mission for a Vice President, Products & Growth.
Hard Rock Digital has an opportunity in Hollywood, Fla., for a Director - Retail Sportsbook.
BetMGM is in the market for a Manager, Marketing Compliance.
Fanatics communications boss Kevin Hennessy is hiring a PR & Communications Lead.
LeoVegas Group has an opening in Denver for an HR Business Partner.
Pinnacle is looking for a Senior Systems Engineer to work in Toronto.
Hard Rock Digital has an opportunity in the UK for a Manager - Sportsbook Research & Development.
Betsson Group is seeking a Senior Product Owner – Mobile Apps.
Estonia-based ESR Talent has an opening for a Vice President, Marketing.
Playson has a remote opportunity in Europe for a Head of People & Culture.
FairPlay Exchange is hiring a Sportsbook Trading Assistant.
Canadian Football League HQ requires a Director, Global Partnerships.
The Carolina Hurricanes are looking for a Chief Operating Officer.
Wanted at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre: a Director of Marketing and Communications, and a Director of Business Development.
The NBA has an opportunity for an International Strategy & Operations Analyst.
The NHL front office is looking for a Counsel – Technology, Data & AI.
MLS is hiring a Communications Director.
ESPN has room at its Bristol, Conn., HQ for a Social Media Specialist and is also on the lookout for a Director, Media Planning.
The Western Hockey League wants to hire a Manager, Broadcast & Digital Products.
The City of Toronto is seeking a Licensing Assurance & Compliance Officer.
TwinSpires is in hiring mode for a Marketing Operations Manager.
Reading and Reflection
1. The NCAA is moving towards allowing student-athletes to wager on professional sports.
2. The International Betting Integrity Association is putting into motion Mission 2030 as a doubling down of its mandate.
3. Andrew Bucholtz scribbled down his thoughts on the partnership between EA Sports and The Athletic.
4. Further to Dave Briggs’s coverage of the Pew Research poll in last week’s newsletter, Alex Weldon did a deepish dive into the demographics around the same survey into gambling.
5. There’s a gambling sidebar to the story of an apparent conspiracy against the president of the New York Jets within the NFL team’s front office.
6. A little M&A news last week with Sony Corporation acquiring STATSports Group.
7. Fantini Advisors head honcho Frank Fantini crafted an op-ed for Global Gaming Business Magazine on the uncertain winds blowing through the gaming industry these days.
8. GamesBeat editorial director Dean Takahashi spoke with Talking Points about his vision for the independent media company. It includes a Women Driving the Future series.
9. At the Play The Game conference in Tampere, Finland, Anca-Maria Ghergel called for female-specific problem gambling awareness.
10. A U.S. federal lawsuit in Michigan is claiming the gambling self-exclusion programs of states violate constitutional rights.
11. We asked Kelly Brooks a similar question during her appearance on the latest Gaming News Canada Show presented by Bede Gaming. Sue Schneider did the op-ed thing for SBC Americas.com on startups and culture.
12. According to the Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms Research, the opening weekend of the Premier League season included some breaches of gambling industry rules being ignored. Sonya Lindeberg of NEXT.io has the details.
Rolling Stone’s piece on the modern-day sports betting landscape was, sigh, a little light on accuracy, wrote Jeff Edelstein for InGame.
Scott Longley has the deets in Earnings+More on a merger of the mega sort this week. Hey, and when you deliver a headline such as this one, you’re getting double the amount of love.
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