Regulated online gambling in Canada expanded from casino to mobile and desktop after one of the provinces officially launched the iGaming market on April 4, 2022. Currently, it is the only Canadian province to adopt an open iGaming model. All other provinces use their government-owned lottery and gaming corporations, e.g., British Columbia Lottery Corporation, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corporation, Loto-Quebec, Atlantic Lottery Corporation, and Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis, as the exclusive legal provider of iGaming.

With the one iGaming market now open to private gaming operators, the Canadian gaming landscape has undergone sweeping changes. As such, the future of online casino in Canada has been extensively discussed, and accordingly, the Canadian Gaming Summit (CGS), which is slated to take place on June 13-15 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, will highlight the industry’s prospects, with its dedicated “iGaming” conference track

The 26th edition of the  North American country’s longest-running gaming conference will give its expected 2,000 delegates the opportunity to gain insight into topics such as creating user experience to boost retention and brand loyalty, how international operators have been able to capitalize on the market opening by mobilizing their compliance, marketing and commercial teams, and Canadian gaming laws.

iGaming Conference Panels

Scheduled for the second day of the three-day event, conference track will kick off with “Engaging 15M new players: creating user experience to boost retention and brand loyalty.” A panel that features Chief Revenue Officer for Pinnacle, Aleksandra Sygiel, along with other industry experts including Vladimir Malakchi, Chief Commercial Officer for Evoplay Entertainment, Dean MacNeil, VP, Product & Managed Services, Noah Levy, SVP, Product Management, The Score, and Vlad Pavlov, Co-Founder, Betty, will discuss how utilizing brand loyalty, design and technology cultivate an environment that motivates players to choose your brand over new market entries.

Another of the seven panels within the conference trak, “Game mechanics and UX – innovating online casino via inspiration form the videogaming industry,” will discuss whether both established land-based operators and digital newcomers alike can benefit from ongoing advances in design, format and UX by video game developers. The panel, which includes Paolo Roberto de Leon, Senior Director, Online Casino Content, Caesars Digital, Vladyslav Garanko, Chief Marketing Officer, Platipus Gaming, David King, Senior Manager of Product Design, Rivalry, and Trent Schwartz, Senior Manager, Gaming Experience, BetMGM, will look at possibilities ranging from slot machines to online poker.

“New Kids on the Block: lessons learned from international operators’ entry into the Canadian market,” is a highly anticipated panel that will explore the achievements of pioneering international operators and how they successfully mobilized their marketing, compliance and commercial teams to make the most of Ontario’s market opening, providing framework for future endeavors in other Canadian provinces. Attendees will hear from expert speakers Marina Bogard, Managing Director, Betsafe, Roxana Zaharia, Head of Canada, Rhino Entertainment, and Chief Executive Officer for UK bookmaker Fitzdares, William Woodhams, while Peter Czegledy, Partner, Aird & Berlis LLP, will act as moderator.

Other panels within the iGaming track include “Building Product Differentiation and Player Loyalty through Payments,” Canadian Gaming Law,” “Revealing Canadian Casino Players’ buying Habits 2023,” and The Role and Use of Technology for Compliance, Social Media Marketing, and the use of Emerging iGaming Technologies.”

In addition to the track focused on iGaming, nine other tracks led by expert panels – Sports Betting, Land-Based, Leaders, Payments & Compliance and more – will be presented to attendees during the prestigious event established nearly three decades ago.

Driving iGaming

Ongoing developments in online gaming including technological advances such as the 5G network, increases in internet access, smartphone proliferation and security, and anonymity, have seen numerous online casinos emerge. This has given users an unmatched experience and a broad range of casino games such as online slots, table games, live dealer games and others.