Gaming News Canada

On a new episode of the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Bede Gaming, Jonah Sigel rejoined Steve McAllister for a wide-ranging discussion on the business of sports, sports media and sports betting. Sigel, a Toronto Star contributor and the host of the Bleav In The Pressrow podcast, gave McAllister his thoughts on the Sportsnet/NHL partnership and the tweaks that were made over the summer to talent at Hockey Night in Canada. He was also asked about the contract status of popular Toronto Raptors voice Jack Armstrong, which appears to be related to the new ownership structure of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. Five years after Sportsnet hired Cabral (Cabbie) Richards as executive producer of sports betting content – a move that didn’t pan out - Sigel and McAllister debated the integration of sports betting into sports media including the relationship between FanDuel and TSN, why the networks haven’t leaned into a second-screen experience that’s betting focused, and Sigel’s opinion on that information being provided around game broadcasts. Finally, the host and his guest talked about the current state of sports media and journalism.

On a new episode of the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Bede Gaming, Harley Redlick makes his return for a conversation with host Steve McAllister. These days the Executive Director of the Canadian Addiction Recovery Association, Redlick explained the services provided by CARA – including its partnership with Connex Ontario - and the work he’s been doing since joining the organization in the spring. Redlick also spoke about recent media coverage of youth gambling in Ontario, Massachusetts, the Netherlands and Sweden along with new(ish) programs by the Responsible Gambling Council to educate high-school students about the potential dangers of gambling. That led to a discussion about advertising and the use of athletes by sportsbook and online gaming operators in Ontario, where the Alcohol and Gambling Commission changed regulations around that use in 2024 and the lessons learned from four-plus years of regulated gambling in the province with Alberta’s regulated market approaching its two-month anniversary this weekend. Finally, McAllister asked Redlick about the Osgoode Certificate in Gambling Law program he launched with lawyer and gaming industry veteran Don Bourgeois. The program will be offered again this fall with registration currently taking place.

On a new episode of the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Bede Gaming, investigative journalist/author Rob Csernyik joined host Steve McAllister. Csernyik’s book A Losing Hand: The Human Cost of Canada’s Gambling Epidemic was released earlier this summer and is the result of his reporting on the economic and social consequences of gambling – and researching gambling-related suicides after being awarded a Michener-Deacon Fellowship for Investigative Reporting in 2022. The Nova Scotia native also recently tweaked a section of his book for a an op-ed piece in The Globe and Mail on gambling among Canadian youth. McAllister asked Csernyik what motivated his work on gambling and his investigation into the links between gambling and suicide across Canada. The book also includes telling the history of gambling in this country and the role of governments in legalizing sports betting, casino gaming, lottery and online gaming. Csernyik also spoke about the final chapter of the book - A Path Forward - which includes a call for “provincial and national stakeholders (to) create solutions to limit the human costs of gambling”.

On a new episode of the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Bede Gaming, host Steve McAllister took a virtual trip down under to speak with Waterhouse VC’s Chief Investment Officer, Tom Waterhouse. Waterhouse, whose family has been involved in the business of betting for more than a century, spoke about his own personal path through the industry and what led him down the road from a 20-year-old bookmaker in 2003 to delivering value for investors through the gambling industry and authoring the regular Waterhouse VC Update on NEXT.io. Among the topics discussed was the current state of the global economy and its impact on the sports betting and gaming industry, the shifting sands of regulated gambling jurisdictions, the role of artificial intelligence within the industry, and Waterhouse’s take on Ontario and Alberta’s regulated markets. And oh yeah, we asked Waterhouse to weigh in prediction markets

 On a new episode of the Gaming News Canada Show hosted by Bede Gaming, host Steve McAllister welcomed back the Global Gaming Director for GBG Plc, Rebekah Jackson. Jackson spoke with McAllister about GBG’s involvement in the launch of the new regulated gambling market in Alberta, including a conversation she had with AGLC Chief Regulatory Officer Dave Berry back in May at the SBC Summit Canada. GBG also has some early numbers on the work it’s doing in the western Canada province. GBG, which has also been a very active participant in Ontario’s regulated marketplace, is also lending a hand to operators preparing for launches in Finland’s incoming regulated sports betting and online gaming industry, and other countries. Also discussed was GBG’s latest products, including Loquate, and the company’s work in other sectors around the world. And, not surprisingly, that segment included much talk about the use of artificial intelligence.

On the latest episode of the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Bede Gaming, host Steve McAllister caught up with Paul Burns. The Canadian Gaming Association president and CEO was in Calgary to meet with representatives from Gibraltar – including the country’s finance minister – who were in Alberta last week for a trade mission. Burns spoke with McAllister about the one-month-old, regulated sports betting and online gaming market in the western Canada province, and the feedback he’s received on the process leading to the July 13 launch. The arrival last week of Bally Bet gives the new regulated jurisdiction some 26 websites and Burns expects more operators will join the market before Labour Day weekend. McAllister also asked Burns about the CGA’s position on prediction markets as companies such as Wealthsimple are making their case to do business in Canada with oversight from provincial securities regulators and no interference by gambling regulators. Layoffs at Better Collective and Catena Media last week are the latest to take place in a year that’s seen job cuts across the industry, so we asked Burns for his thoughts.The CGA’s head honcho also looked ahead to a busy fall when the association will release a series of white papers on the industry and is also watching bills being debated on Parliament Hill around sports betting advertising and amending the Criminal Code and Indian Act with regards to gambling. Burns said the association is also continuing to advocate for changes to the rules and regulations around anti-money laundering in our home and native land.