Canadian iGaming – Fitzdares exits Ontario, Blueprint expands, Manitoba cracks down on offshore sites, plus we preview the 2025 Gaming Summit.
In this Canadian iGaming news round-up up we look at the upcoming 28th edition of the Canadian Gaming Summit 2025.
We also look into why an operator from the UK has decided it’s time to exit the Ontarian gambling scene.
To date, it has been a flourishing iGaming market, but is the market oversaturated? We’ll find out below.
Also on the agenda is Blueprint Gaming. While one company is heading out of the Ontario iGaming market, the software provider is making inroads.
To polish off our latest Canadian iGaming news roundup, we’ll take a look at news coming out of Manitoba.
Canada’s iGaming newswires are somewhat quiet at times.
There is plenty of news coming out of the country’s land-based industry, but on the online gambling side of things, we generally look month by month for updates. Hence, we are rounding up multiple news stories into one.
Did you see the news about Alberta? If you missed our latest Alberta’s new Ontario-style iGaming licensing possibly coming soon, you can read more about it here – Alberta To Open Its Online Gambling Market.
Canadian Gaming Summit 2025
The Canadian Gaming Summit probably deserves a dedicated news story of its own. However, we’ll save that for the event is in full swing revealing new regulations, ideas, and partnerships resulting from the summit.
Some of the key points that will be addressed include:
- Bill S-269 and its implications for gaming regulation
- New advertising restrictions impacting operators
- Ontario Court of Appeal rulings affecting the market
As for the event itself, 3,000 industry insiders are expected to attend the event, which will take place at Metro Toronto Convention Centre in June 2025. Also expected are over 1,000 operators, 150 speakers, and there will be 75 exhibitors.
Blueprint Gaming Partners with Rush Street in Ontario
With Blueprint Gaming cementing another deal with a popular iGaming company in Ontario, it means players at the BetRivers Casino will now have access to the brand’s games.
The news report comes courtesy of IGB, which is well-known for casino news and the iGB Affiliate marketing awards, while also hosting conferences in London and Amsterdam.
As for Blueprint Gaming, the brand is a British software provider that became a subsidiary of Germany’s Gauselmann Group. Its land-based and online video slots are well-known in the UK, while the company’s casino games are found across the globe.
Whether the newly announced Rush Street Entertainment partnership will also mean players at BetRivers will have access to the famous Blueprint Jackpot King progressive jackpot network, we don’t know for sure.
The Casinoplusbonus news research team checked the Rush Street and Blueprint websites for further clarification regarding the partnership, but there is no mention of the partnership on either site.
UK Gambling Company Fitzdares Exits Ontario
One point we have been waiting for in the Ontario market is whether the iGaming market will become saturated. Under Ontario licensing, sports books and online casinos only have access to a population of roughly 15 to 16 million people.
For one British company, Fitzdares, the game is up. The C$ 100,000 fees, 20% contributions of all revenue contributed to Ontario, plus a huge number of big brands to compete with, the company’s CEO announced that the brand would exit the market.
Other issues included having to partner with Woodbine Entertainment Group in order to offer sports betting, while Fitzdares is already a premium horse racing specialist in the UK.
It seems the mounting pressure has meant that the company has decided to bow out. Nonetheless, Fitzdares still remains a respected brand in the UK sports betting market.
Manitoba Wants To Block Offshore Gambling Site
Most offshore online casinos quite happily offer their iGaming and sports betting services in the province of Manitoba, Canada. However, there is one site that has caught the attention of the Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries (MBLL) authorities, so much so that provincial government officials have made a move to block it.
The site’s name is Bodog or Bodog.eu, and Bodog.net is offering illegal online gambling services. This already confuses me because I could search online from a VPN in Manitoba and find over 1,000 online casinos potentially operating illegally in the province.
At this time, Manitoba has only one legal online gambling site, which is Playnow. Officials claim Bodog diverts revenue away from the site.
The worst for Bodog is that the court action is part of a broader partnership across several online gambling authorities that have partnered up to fight overseas online gambling sites. The groups that are part of this coalition are Manitoba, Quebec, British Columbia, Atlantic Canada, and Saskatchewan.
Honestly, what do you think about this news report? We would love to hear your opinion on your thoughts about our rounded up Canadian iGaming news reports. Please feel free to leave a comment.
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