Thoughts and layers on online poker liquidity, the Alberta market, and prediction markets in Canada
Gaming News Canada spoke with industry expert Dustin Gouker last week in Arizona for our final newsletter of 2025. Also, Ontario Premier Doug Ford wants Niagara Falls to be the 'Vegas of the North'.
Gambling industry expert Dustin Gouker, the man behind the popular The Closing Line and Event Horizon newsletters, was on a panel about prediction markets last week at the Global Symposium on Racing in Tucson, AZ. Afterward, Gaming News Canada caught up to him for an exclusive interview about some issues germane to the Canadian gambling market.
Asked whether U.S. states might, one day soon, be able to bet into an Ontario pool for online poker now that an Ontario court has ruled that international pool liquidity is legal, Gouker said it’s tricky.
As it stands, six of the states that offer legal online poker — Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New Jersey, West Virginia and Delaware — can only offer pool liquidity between them via a Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA). But adding Ontario to the MSIGA would be complicated due to different federal and provincial laws.
Still, as Gouker pointed out, New Jersey has been trying to establish international pool liquidity for poker for a long time. Also, as Gaming News Canada noted in its Nov. 19 newsletter, global common pool wagering was established in horse racing some 20 years ago. So, it’s not impossible that we could one day see a legal, global online poker pool based in Ontario before too long.
“People have thought about this, and some people still endeavour to grow poker,” Gouker said. “It’s not impossible to imagine [global liquidity].
“I feel like it’s possible. As things become more and more online, that’s one of the things about [the explosion of] prediction markets [in the U.S.]. People are realizing the rules are fungible right now and that’s why you seeing all these other verticals grow. If we can take regulated gaming and expand it and find creative ways to expand the things people are paying taxes for, you should do that. So, is there a way to thread the needle that poker liquidity is shared in Ontario and Canada? I think people should try that.
“Daily fantasy is probably trickier [to establish legal global liquidity] because then you’re into sports rules. I’ve never heard anybody even suggest that. I think poker, yes. DFS, I’d be less bullish on that. Also, the DFS industry has gone away from the pools. DraftKings and FanDuel are still kind of big for that business, but their other business, the pick’em business, is way better, and that doesn’t really require shared liquidity. It is a peer-to-peer game, but the shared liquidity of DFS is kind of passe now, I’d say.”
Asked for his best advice for Alberta, which is slated to launch an open online gambling market sometime in 2026, Gouker said, “I wouldn’t reinvent the wheel. There is a lot of regulated online gambling... Take the best parts of what exists… We know a lot of things work. Take the best parts of the states that have legalized international markets and do that. I know that maybe that’s hard to aggregate, but this is not new. Regulated online casino and gaming is not new… Use the wisdom of the people that have come before.
“The other part is, don’t try to bludgeon your licencees. There are regulators in the world who take an adversarial stance with their operator licencees, instead of, ‘What can we do to work with you and help you?’... A lot of regulators see it as a partnership, but also sometimes it’s very adversarial. In a world where unregulated gray market options abound, you should be working with your partners and operators to help them.”
Given that Alberta is heavily rumoured to be following the Ontario model – including Ontario’s general stance of working with, not against, operators – it seems like Alberta is already heeding some of Gouker’s advice.
As for whether Ontario’s regulated model is “better” than those in regulated U.S. states because the province, essentially, has banned prediction markets, Gouker said, “It would be great if there was something between what we have and nothing. I think there’s absolutely a use case for prediction markets, and that they should exist, and that states should embrace this, and all of that. The problem is, as much as Kalshi would like to tell us that they’re regulated by the CFTC (Communities Futures Trading Commission), there’s no effective regulation going on around a lot of the things that intersect with sports betting. It’s being done privately, whether it’s integrity monitoring or what have you.
“It’s basically unregulated, but legal, or nothing at all. I just want people to think about having sports betting in 50 states, billions of dollars being traded / wagered. Let’s have a conversation about that. Just going from nothing to now we have sports betting everywhere, that’s a wild outcome to me.”
As for the Great White North, Gouker said he doesn’t see the value in legalizing prediction markets in Ontario, which is home to 48 operators offering more than 80 total gambling platforms.
“I don’t think [prediction markets] would be a competitive product with your regulated sportsbooks in Ontario,” he said. “I’d want to run a prediction market everywhere but in Ontario, especially because you have [a legal] novelty [betting] market. You can bet on a lot of the nonsense, which is pretty de minimis in terms of how much anybody actually bets on that in prediction markets.
“Election betting is kind of interesting, but it’s still 90% sports.”
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Ontario premier’s plans for ‘Vegas of the North’
Before heading home (to Etobicoke) for the holidays, Ontario Premier Douglas Ford took a drive to Niagara Falls on Monday to help deliver the message around the province’s plans to build “Destination Niagara”.
Under the Ford government’s proposal, more casinos will join the existing Fallsview Casino and Niagara Casino, which the government hopes will lead to “attract new hotels, entertainment and top-tier dining options”. During a news conference to announce the “multi-billion dollar strategy”, the premier invited the major casino players in the U.S. of A., to bring their businesses north of the border.
“All the big casinos in Las Vegas — we’re serious,” Ford said. “It’s happening. Get on board. Come and put a proposal in. Come and tell us how you’re going to build a billion-dollar hotel with attractions, with cinemas inside, with live theatre.
“That’s what we’re looking for.”
Ford is also looking for Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, the proprietors of the two existing casinos in the Falls under an agreement with the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation (OLG), to show some flexibility with the existing deal.
“We need to do better, 100%,” said the premier. “[Mohegan] have got to make a decision. You’re either on board or you’re out, simple. I’m tired of screwing around. We have to build Niagara, we have to invite other casinos in, and they’d better come to the table.”
The province’s plan also includes some infrastructure support, including improved and expanded transportation options to make the Falls more accessible to trains, planes and automobiles (and, oh yeah, buses, too). A year ago, Canadian Gaming Association president and CEO Paul Burns argued the proverbial cart was being put before the horse when the city was lobbying for more casinos.
“Infrastructure to get people there would probably be a better investment,” Burns told Canadian Gaming Business in October 2024. “Niagara doesn’t really have a commercial airport, Hamilton’s a fair distance now from Niagara in many ways. They should be leading with roads. So it’s kind of curious why they’re leading with the casino stuff. There’s a convention centre that’s massively underutilized, there’s still lots of room for tourism growth that isn’t connected to gaming.”
Advocates for Destination Niagara and an expanded casino presence will point to the decline in Canadian tourists to Las Vegas and an opportunity for the Falls to become a “Vegas of the North” while attracting more tourism dollars to Ontari-ari-ari-o.
Not surprisingly, Monday’s announcement was met with pushback on the social media channels with this X post reflecting the general messaging from the disgruntled folks:
We shall keep tabs on this story.
ToonieBet’s David Yatom-Hay on latest GNC Show
On the most recent episode of the Gaming News Canada Show, presented by Bede Gaming, Steve McAllister interviewed David Yatom-Hay, the general counsel for Soft2Bet – owners of the Ontario-licensed ToonieBet brand.
Yatom-Hay, who previously worked at DraftKings and GamingTech, provided some thoughts on ToonieBet’s partnership deals with the Canadian Football League and the Ottawa Senators, the launch of its sportsbook app and competing with big, established brands in the North American gaming space (Soft2Bet is almost set to launch in New Jersey).
You can listen to the show here or watch it here:
Sending best wishes this holiday season
Today’s dispatch is our final newsletter of 2025, as we’re planning to (mostly) step away from the keyboard for the next two weeks. Our final Gaming News Canada Show of the year will go out Tuesday (Dec. 23) with Mr. Briggs, Mr. McAllister and Geoff Zochodne reuniting for one final media roundtable on the year that’s been in the business of gambling.
We are grateful to everyone who supports Gaming News Canada, beginning with Andrea Pierce and the folks at Bede Gaming who stepped forward to be our presenting sponsor for the final three months of the year. We’re extremely excited to announce that Bede will be back as presenting sponsor in the new year.
Thank you to the Canadian Gaming Association for its partnership with GNC, and to Paul Burns and Amanda Brewer for their frequent appearances on the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Bede Gaming to keep our subscribers up to date on the latest happenings in the Canadian gaming industry. We also say merci to the industry leaders who have lent their voices to the GNCS, and to the communications people who make them available.
A tap of ye old Victoriaville hockey twig to the journalists around the world whose reporting and analysis of this industry helps us immensely in shaping our coverage.
Finally, a massive thank you to our subscribers on Substack and LinkedIn who trust and value what we deliver every week through the newsletter and the podcast. You motivate us to do our best in covering this industry.
Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating this holiday season, and our most heartfelt wishes for Peace on Earth.
People on the Move
Atlantic Lottery promotes Shannon French DeMiller to Vice President, Products and Growth.
Nicole Marshall, who has been the Alberta government’s Executive Director, iGaming Policy and Strategy since April, is appointed Assistant Deputy Minister, Social and Economic Policy.
Taylor Mason leaves her position as Head of Canada with Game Lounge to accept the role as Canada Country Manager at evoke.
Andrew Catterall, currently CEO at PointsBet Australia, will replace Sam Swanell as Group CEO of PointsBet Holdings Limited in February. Swanell will slide into an advisory role and continue to have a spot on the Board of Directors.
Rob Wood will step away from his Chief Financial Officer/Deputy CEO role with Entain in March. His replacement will be Rob Wood.
Joe Maloney steps down as Senior Vice President of Strategic Communications for the American Gaming Association to accept the role of President and Chief Operating Officer at the Sports Betting Alliance. Jeremy Kudo moves into the Chair’s position.
EGR Global was the first to report this morning that Chris Duncan will become the new Chief Operating Officer at Spotlight Sports Group.
French gambling business PMU names Cyrille Giraudat as Chief Executive Officer.
Samuel Wahlberg is named Chair of the Group of Copenhagen, a network of national groups taking a stand against match-fixing.
Steve McCann is leaving as CEO of Star Entertainment.
Martin Forste is named CEO of Svenska Spel Sport & Casino.
Ariel Reem is the new Chief Executive Officer at Games Valley – NextGen Games Aggregation.
Emily Villatte, formerly of Acast, is the new Chief Financial Officer at Sweden-based gaming company Stillfront.
Yannis Christopoulous, ex of Prosport Ltd., Novibet and Kaizen Gaming, is appointed Group Chief Marketing Officer at OnlyGroup.
Laurence Michel is named Chair of Betway Africa.
Former American Express senior executive Sally Susman joins the Board of Directors at Flutter Entertainment.
Sportradar announces the appointment of former Flutter Entertainment and Paddy Power Betfair CEO Breon Corcoran to its Board of Directors.
Tatiana Vivienne Jouanneau leaves her senior executive role at Logitech to join Allwyn as Group Chief Brand Officer, effective Jan. 1.
Mayank Gupta has a new title at Entain: Chief of Staff, Performance Marketing.
Lindsay Anderson is leaving GME Law to join Segev LLP.
EGR.global Managing Director Sam Compagnoni is among the staff making the move to new owners Pageant Gaming Media Ltd.
IGT communications director Michelle Schenk is taking on the Public Relations Lead role with Global Gaming Women.
Amanda Landis graduates to Senior Director, Partnership Marketing at Caesars Sportsbook & Casino.
Jordan Savelli is named Global Director of Esports at Team Falcons.
Push Gaming promotes Daniel Kevan to Head of Business Development.
David Murphy has a new role at Flutter Entertainment, leaving his product gig at PokerStars to become FanDuel’s Product Director of Poker.
FanDuel promotes Gabby Robles to Senior Managing Editor.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency appoints Giselle Kilner-Parmenter as Legal Counsel and Case Manager.
Shauna Martin has a new business card at MGM Resorts International as Executive Director of Casino Marketing Strategy, South Strips Resorts.
DraftKings promotes Georgia Giedymin to Senior Regulatory Compliance Analyst.
Kasper Moller is promoted to Director of Organic Stratgy at Better Collective.
Luxembourg-based Convera promotes Bridget Pruzin to Director, Compliance and Risk Investigations and Analysis.
Ambika Zutshi is the new Director of Gaming at Casumo.
Niclas Walfridsson bids adieu to Bragg Gaming to become Commercial Gaming Director, Nordics at LeoVegas Group.
Paul Cacciato joins the Media Partnership team at Hard Rock Digital.
Rhona Gilmour has a new role with FanDuel’s operation in Edinburgh: Senior Technical Program Manager.
Brendan Quinlan has a new gig with OLG as a Marketing Manager.
GBG Plc promotes Karen Franklin to Global Events Marketing Manager.
Jessica Steakin, ex of theScore, is appointed Manager, Regulatory and Compliance at Hard Rock Digital.
Patricia Perez departs Bragg Gaming to join Aristocrat Gaming as Commercialization Product Manager.
BetMGM promotes Rebecca Mensch Mattern to Advertising Manager.
After five years, Haley Gelfand leaves FanDuel as Talent Acquisition Operations Manager.
Ricky Kirkpatrick says farewell to his Product Analyst role at FanDuel to join DraftKings as Lead Data Analyst.
Jacob Portelli joins Altenar as Sales Manager.
Phil Siemens has a new role with Paysafe: Senior Manager, B2B Campaign Management.
Flutter UK & Ireland promotes Adam O’Connor to Senior Content Manager.
Chris Brown, formerly of Warner Brothers Discover, joins DraftKings as Brand Partnerships Manager.
Amy Moores is promoted to Editorial Media Specialist at NEXT.io.
After six years as a Sports Trader at bet365, Emil Pavlov is on to his next adventure.
Ivita Rukmane, ex of BrainRocket and Pinnacle Sports, joins Kaizen Gaming as Partnerships Manager.
Legend brings Jason Green aboard as an iGaming, Sports and Sports Betting Writer.
Kristina Todorova joins Entain as People Operations Coordinator and Mason Meyer comes aboard as a Customer Service Specialist.
There is a couple of promotions at Hot Paper Lantern: Avery Mitchell to Art Director and Jackson Gaskins to Director of Communications.
The Toronto Blue Jays’ magical 2025 season has earned Mark Shapiro a contract extension as President & CEO.
Rich Wang, formerly of San Diego FC, is named Chief Operating Officer of the Vegas Golden Knights.
Sports Business Journal reported last night that MLB Chief Operations & Strategy Officer Chris Marinak is leaving after 17 years.
Tyler Kurz leaves his gig with True North Sports + Entertainment as Vice President, Analytics & Tecnology and joins the Northern Super League as Vice President, Club & League Services.
Rob Cowan is departing Rugby Canada as Chief Revenue Officer.
Roxanna Scott, formerly of USA Today, is named Senior VP, Editor-in-Chief at ESPN. Also, Rachel Margolis Siegal is promoted to Director, Internal Communications.
The NHL promotes Cait MacPhail to Director, In-Game Social Content & Programming. Also, Samantha Davis leaves the Chicago Wolves as VP of Sales to join the league office as Senior Director, Club Business Affairs.
Adam Laskaris, formerly of The Daily Hive, joins The Curling Group as Digital Content & Social Media Manager.
Mia Hildebrandt departs the CEBL Winnipeg Sea Bears to become Manager, Digital Marketing with the Canadian Parlympic Committee.
Braden Baarda departs his Account Executive role with MLSE’s partnership group to join Jobber as Account Executive Inbound-External. Also leaving MLSE’s partnership team is Mike Miura who’s off to Google as Product Marketing Manager - SMB Acquisitions.
Yahoo Sports promotes Ben Stark to Senior Manager, Content Strategy & Operations.
Classified (Jobs) Information
On the Home Front
AGLC is on the lookout for a Retail Sportsbook Specialist and a Manager, Retail Sportsbook.
BetMGM is hiring a Marketing Manager for its Ontario business.
Legend has an opportunity in Toronto for a Casino Content Editor – North American Markets.
Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries has three positions open for Senior IT Project Manager.
The Attorney General of Ontario’s office is hiring a Policy and Legal Affairs Advisor.
The Toronto-based DailyHive has an opportunity for a Staff Writer, Offside (Sports).
The Canadian Premier League has a quartet of hybrid roles up for grabs.
Toronto agency Fever is looking for a Senior Market Strategy & Partnerships Manager – Sports.
The WNBA Toronto Tempo are hiring a Manager, Partnerships.
Live Nation Entertainment is on the lookout for a Manager, Creator Strategy.
Cycling Canada is seeking a Business Development and Communications Manager.
The Toronto team for next summer’s FIFA World Cup is hiring a Host City Volunteer Coordinator.
South of the Border
Caesars Entertainment is searching for a Vice President of Marketing – Lake Tahoe.
Fanatics has a remote opening in its betting and gaming division for a Senior Director, Data and is also on the lookout for a Senior Manager, Performance Creative – Casino.
Hard Rock Digital is hiring a Senior Designer – Engagement, Casino.
FanDuel is seeking a Counsel Senior Manager and an Employment Counsel Manager for its New York offices.
EA Sports is looking to expand its Advertising & Sponsorships team.
Betting Hero is searching for a Business Development Manager.
Aristocrat has an opportunity in Boston for a Digital Games Portfolio Manager, iLottery.
LA-based Lionbridge Games is looking for an Account Director, Games.
Wanted by the Vegas Golden Knights: a Vice President of Business Analytics & Operations and a Director, Social & Influencer Marketing.
NHL HQ has an opening for a Director, Finance – Marketing and Communications and is also hiring a Manager, Technology Training & AI Enablement.
NBA Investments is in the market for a Principal.
Spotify is in the market for a Global Head of Experiential & Content Production.
OneTeam Partners is seeking a Senior Director, Head of Sponsorship Sales.
Red Bull is looking for a Specialist, Marketing in Santa Monica.
ESPN has a leadership position available for a Senior Editor, NFL.
American Express has a hybrid opportunity for a Director, Marketing – Sports Partnerships.
Sports and entertainment agency Wasserman has an opening for a Manager, Creator Partnerships.
Newsweek is looking for a Sportswriter to cover MLB and U.S. college sports, and also have the chops to appear on camera.
Across the Ponds
Momentum is hiring a Head of Responsible Gambling to be based in Abu Dhabi.
Kambi requires a Senior Legal Counsel to join it in London.
Rivalry has an opportunity in Latin America for a Casino Operations Agent.
Razer Inc. has a one-year contract available in Singapore for a Global Esports Specialist.
Matchbook is looking to hire a Compliance Analyst.
On the eighth day of Christmas, Gambling.com Group had need of eight new hires.
BV Group has an opening in Gibraltar for a Retention Manager.
Boyle Sports is hiring a Safer Gambling Officer to work out of its Ireland location.
Red Bull has an opening in Salzburg, Austria, for a Head of Distribution.
The organizers of the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil are hiring a Head of Media Operations & Services.
England’s national women’s cricket team has need of a Communications Manager.
Reading and Reflection
BetMGM’s latest responsible gambling television spot features Connor McDavid and Newfoundland hockey legend Terry Ryan. And hey, if this hockey thing doesn’t work out for McDavid, there may be a career in acting. . . .
Some news of the breaking sort yesterday that OLG has decided to extend its Optional Slots at Racetracks Program.
The Finnish parliament yesterday gave the green light to a multi-licence gambling jurisdiction.
iGaming Business reported an average salary increase of 4.09% across the igaming industry in 2025.
Tom Nightingale had a chin wag with iGaming Ontario president/CEO Joseph Hillier for Canadian Gaming Business.
Nightingale also reported on Mohegan’s latest earnings, including a 44% year-over-year hike in gross gaming revenue for its online gaming business in Ontario.
There was reporting by Covers’ Geoff Zochodne on Monday that FanDuel’s prediction market is close to launching.
Pokerscout.com managing editor Alex Weldon opined on the need for guardrails when it comes to prediction markets in the U.S. of A.
Speaking of PMs, count the NFL and NCAA among the non-supporters. . . for now.
The major players in prediction markets have created their own trade group.
And, the aforementioned Nightingale was in Puerto Rico last week for the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States winter meeting (try to say that fast five times. . . .). He reported that prediction markets took up a lot of oxygen.
The debate continues among New Jersey lawmakers and regulators on a bill to ban micro betting.
The Wauzhushk Onigum Nation is partnering with Gateway Casinos & Entertainment to build a new casino and renovate the Golden Eagle Bingo Hall in the northern Ontario community.
BetMGM grand poobah Adam Greenblatt did the Q and A thing last week with Cheddar.
There’s a report from one analyst estimating annual revenue for U.S. prediction markets could hit $10 billion by 2030.
Bede Gaming head honcho Colin Cole-Johnson also did the Q and A thing, this one with The Bet Press on the year that’s been.
Underdog is getting out of the sports betting business in North Carolina.
Fanatics is the latest legal gambling operator to say adios to the American Gaming Association.
The latest on a proposed series around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.
A former Australian financial planner is suing three sportsbooks, alleging they encouraged him to keep betting large sums of money (which happened to be stolen).
The president of the U.S. of A. says he will consider eliminating the tax on gambling winnings.
Fennica Gaming has landed in the true north strong and free through a partnership with Loto-Québec.
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