The Canadian Gaming Summit will run next Tuesday through Thursday, June 28-20, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
On Wednesday, some industry news will be released, when Martha Otton, Executive Director of iGaming Ontario, Duncan Hannay, President & CEO, OLG, Karin Schnarr, CEO, Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, and Jim Warren, Chair, OLG, get together in Conference Room 1 for a panel discussion diving into their insights on the Ontario market two years in.
According to Gaming News Canada, the news will be the release of another Deloitte igaming economic-contributions study, getting into the impact of the igaming market on job creation, provincial gross domestic product (Deloitte released a report like this during last year’s summit in Toronto), and labor income.
A big emphasis at the show this year will be insights into what’s going on with igaming in the various Canadian provinces.
New this year will be a Crown Corporation Lounge on the exhibition floor. This designated area offers event attendees a chance to engage directly with representatives from crown corporations: the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC), Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis (AGLC), Loto-Québec, Atlantic Lottery (ALC), and Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Corporation (MBLL).
Also on Wednesday in Conference Room 1 at 10:30 a.m., Pat Davis, President & CEO, BCLC, Jean-Francois Bergeron, President & CEO, Loto-Quebec, Patrick Daigle, President & CEO, Atlantic Lottery, and Will Hill, Executive Director, Canadian Lottery Coalition, will get together to discuss the present and future of the gaming landscape in their respective regions and across the country.
Industry types should come out of the Canadian Gaming Summit this year with a good sense of the overall Canadian market and how igaming across the country will be evolving over the coming years.
With all the discussion about the potential launch of an Ontario-style igaming model in Alberta, the Hon. Dale Nally, Minister of Service and Red Tape Reduction, Province of Alberta, will delve into the province’s plans in a panel discussion in Conference Room 1 on Thursday at 10:35 a.m.
On Wednesday at 4:25 p.m. in Conference Room 2, the panel discussion “Alberta’s iGaming Evolution” will get into how the results of Ontario’s legal igaming regime helped develop political support in Alberta for something similar. The Canadian Gaming Association’s Amanda Brewer leads another panel discussion on the topic, “Alberta: A New Gold Rush,” at 1:15 p.m. in Conference Room 1 on the Thursday.
The annual industry event for gaming and sports-betting senior executives from Canada and beyond is produced by SBC in collaboration with the Canadian Gaming Association, with over 3,000 delegates expected to attend this year.
Player safety is a key pillar of Ontario’s regulated igaming market, so SBC has brought back the Player Protection Symposium to help launch the summit on Tuesday.
A full day of panel discussions on the topic is scheduled, including Martin Lycka, SVP for American Regulatory Affairs and Responsible Gambling, Entain, hosting the latest episode of his “Safe Bet Show” live in front of the conference audience, diving into the topic of safer gambling and its impact on gambling legislation.
The Symposium will bring together 100 C-level stakeholders to share their strategies on implementing successful player-protection and responsible-gambling strategies. SBC spokesperson Cristian Robalino said last year’s symposium at the Canadian Gaming Summit attracted a standing-room-only crowd. This year they have increased the capacity to 300.
