Although initially rather cautious, Canada’s iGaming implementation has been rather well received and is continuing to generate interest from an increasing number of provinces. The Canadian Gaming Association’s plans to expand align with this notion.
Varied Industry Specialists Joined CGA
The Canadian Gaming Association (CGA) announced Thursday the appointment of new members to its Board of Directors. The decision was made during the Association’s Annual General Meeting in Vancouver on Wednesday, December 7, 2022, and the total number of board members is not sitting at 18.
The CGA announcement of the new board members detailed the five new additions, along with a brief description of their specialties and history. First on the list was Bruce Caughill – the managing director for Rush Street Interactive, who has extensive previous experience in the industry’s regulation, as he used to be the chief legal officer at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).
Charmaine Hogan filled another seat that brings more regulatory experience, as he is the head of regulatory affairs at Playtech, and also brings experience in working with the European Commission and European gambling regulators on EU legislation, policy development, and more.
Next up was Mark Harper, who is a general manager at NS Sports with long exposure to Nova Scotia’s local news and sports scene, and extensive experience in digital marketing and digital sales. Niaz Nejad is the other new member who brings a high level of marketing experience, being the senior vice president and head of marketing for Aristocrat Gaming in the US and Canada. Nejad also has some regulatory background as he was a chief operating officer for the Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis Commission previously.
Filling out the list were Dale Hooper – general manager of FanDuel Canada, and Scott Vanderwel – chief executive officer (CEO) of PointsBet Canada, with both having previous experience with Toronto-based telecom company Rogers Communications.
Canada Market Potentially Expanding
Toronto is the capital city of the province of Ontario, which has been a good home for iGaming, with the Q2 results from this year painting a rather optimistic picture for the industry’s outlook there. As the market there matures, other provinces are undeniably taking notes and assessing the developments in Ontario, which has proven to be a very good starting point for iGaming.
A report by CDC Gaming Reports said that CGA’s president and CEO Paul Burns has shared with the publication details of the members’ meeting on Tuesday. According to CDC’s report, a big talking point was the gaming market in the province of British Columbia, where the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) recently launched its PlayNowsports betting and iGaming brand.
Canada’s blooming iGaming market is definitely a hotly discussed topic for some states currently, with more and more industry participants seeing wider adoption as a matter of “when” and not “if”.