SBC has announced the Leaders Track lineup for the Canadian Gaming Summit 2025.
Scheduled for June 18, the track will convene ministers, regulators, and executives to share insights into the future of gaming at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Featured will be seven sessions on developments, policy shifts, and market dynamics set to shape Canada’s gaming ecosystem in the years ahead.
“Our goal with the Leaders Track is to elevate the conversations already taking place in this exciting market,” SBC Founder and CEO Rasmus Sojmark said in a statement. “By uniting policymakers, regulators, and business leaders on one stage, we’re bringing together the sharpest minds in Canadian gaming to challenge assumptions and engage in frank discussions about what’s next for Canada.”
Opening remarks will be delivered by Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission President Duncan Hannay. A fireside chat will follow featuring the Stan Cho, Ontario’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming; Doug Downey, Attorney General of Ontario; and Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario Chairman Dave Forestell. They will discuss Ontario’s progress throughout the past years, including the strategic separation of iGaming Ontario from AGCO and the broader vision driving the province’s long-term gaming strategy under Cho’s leadership.
Attendees will hear a keynote address from Alberta Minister for Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Dale Nally, who returns to the Canadian Gaming Summit after last year’s announcement of the province’s intention to follow Ontario’s igaming model. Nally will provide updates on the province’s progress and outline the timeline and expectations for stakeholders in the coming months.
The keynote panel Building a Sustainable Gaming Model in Canada will tackle the growing challenges and opportunities facing the national industry. The conversation will discuss pressures from emerging technologies, unregulated operators, and the rise of sweepstakes and prediction exchanges. Panelists including Canadian Gaming Association CEO Paul Burns; Dallas McCready, CEO of ALC; Dr. Karin Schnarr, AGCO CEO; and GeoComply CEO Ilkim Hincer will share insights on how to preserve long-term market stability while navigating regulatory complexity and accelerating innovation.
The SBC Leaders panel, To Market, to Market: Where Will the New Customers Come From?, will examine operator differentiation strategies in Ontario’s maturing market and highlight customer acquisition tactics as Alberta prepares for its 2026 launch. FanDuel Vice President of Marketing Tom Burdakin; Paris Smith, founder of Life Winning/Defy The Odds; and PointsBet Canada CEO Scott Vanderwel will discuss competitive positioning, product adaptation, and effective marketing approaches.
The session Integrity in Betting: Setting a Standard for Canada will examine how the International Betting Integrity Association and the Professional Footballers Association Canada have partnered to establish national sports integrity standards that can serve as a benchmark for the Canadian market. Speakers Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports Senior Manager, Investigations Scott Grant; Daniel Kruk, PFA Canda Executive Director; Dave Phillips AGCO COO; and IBIA Education Ambassador Jean-François Reymond will discuss how training, education, and technology can be leveraged to create a framework that combats match manipulation and safeguards the integrity of Canadian sport nationwide.
Updates from Ontario will bring together chairs of the province’s key regulatory and operational bodies to explore the latest developments in Canada’s first and only open igaming market for private operators. AGCO Chair Dave Forestell; Heidi Reinhart, iGaming Ontario Chair; and Ontario Lottery Commission Chair Jim Warren will share insights into what Ontario’s record revenues reveal about market maturity, and how these lessons could inform emerging frameworks across other provinces. The panel will be moderated by Aird & Berlis Partner Peter Czegledy.
Additional tracks will feature in-depth sessions on Sports Betting & Casino, Cybersecurity, Player Protection, Affiliates & Advertising, and Payments & Compliance.
