Playtech entering the Ontario iGaming adds yet another top iGaming developer for video slots, virtual tables, and live casino games. (Image from Courtesy of playtech.com)
In Canada, the Ontario iGaming made quite the stir when it came to opening day on 4 April this year. It felt like a mad rush, to be honest, but that was largely due to licensing issuance.
Now the iGaming market, which targets a provincial population of over 14.5 million is showing success. As a result, Playtech registered as an iGaming operator with the AGCO’s ‘iGaming Ontario’ subsidiary to obtain a licence to operate.
Accordingly, Playtech will now begin to supply its suite of video slots and live dealer studio games to online casinos currently operating in Ontario. The brand’s initial supply of online casino games is to NorthStar Bets, which is a Canadian-based sports betting brand. However, its northstarbets.ca platform will also include an online casino on its platform. It currently shows ‘Sportsbook’, ‘Casino’, and ‘Live Dealer’ games as options.
Playtech’s new market entrance could also open the doors to supply other Ontario online casinos. That is if the deal with NorthStar is not an exclusive partnership. Playtech already has partnership agreements with LeoVegas and 888Casino online casinos via UKGC and MGA licenses.
The brand will join Quickspin, a slot development studio owned by Playtech and already licensed in Ontario. And of course, there will be no shortage of competition. Playtech also joins in the race for brand reignition a handful of other software providers. That list includes the likes of Evolution, Red Tiger, NetEnt, Microgaming, Blueprint Gaming, Light & Wonder, and more.
Shimon Akad, COO at Playtech, said: “The launch of Playtech’s new software and services partnership with NorthStar Bets is another key milestone in the development of our strategy in North America. NorthStar Bets is uniquely positioned to become one of Ontario’s premier operators”.
Which Playtech Casino Games Will Enter Ontario?
Playtech is already live at NorthStar in the ‘Live Casino’ and ‘Casino’ sections. Many of the Playtech video slot collection has made its way over into the NorthStar slot portfolio. This includes Fire Blaze Blue Wizard Megaways, Blue Wizard Classic, Red Wizard, and Tundra Wolf Fire Blaze Golden.
The prolific Age of the Gods jackpot network is available with Age of the Gods Bonus Roulette included. Slots on the jackpot network include Age of the Gods slots – God of Storms, Wheel of Olympus, King of Olympus, and Age of the Gods (original).
Northstar’s live casino game titles are exclusively Playtech live titles – sections include Live Blackjack, Live Roulette, Live Baccarat, and Game Shows. Popular roulette titles Live Mega Fire Blaze Roulette (up to 10,000x multipliers), Quantum Roulette, Roulette live and Quantum Roulette (up to 500x multipliers) are already online. Over in the blackjack, section live All Bets Blackjack, Speed Blackjack, Alexandrite Blackjack, and Blackjack live are available. As for gameshows available, Adventures in Wonderland, Money Drop, Spin A Win and Deal or No Deal the Big Draw are also here.
And to add more fun to the live dealer section, the Age of the Gods Live bonus roulette table is also available. It connects to the Age of the Gods jackpot slots.
Age of the Gods Jackpots: The Age of the Gods progressive jackpot network traditionally connects through MGA, Curacao, UKGC, SGA, and multiple other markets. However, just to be clear, this NorthStar and Ontario jackpot network is not globally connected and as such, it is exclusive to the Ontario market.
How did the new Ontario licensing come online?
There was a change to the country’s Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act via ‘Bill C-218’, which gave permission to provinces and territories to govern gambling laws independently. Although there are multiple licensing authorities such as the Alberta Gaming Commission and Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (British Columbia), the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) was the first to lay down strict laws.
Most notably, the new AGCO framework forbids software providers licensed in the province to allow their games to appear on overseas online casinos. Canadian online casinos licensed overseas by the Malta Gaming Authority or Curacao (CEG) eGaming licence are still available. The provincial government is not blocking them. However, if let’s say Playtech or Microgaming allow access to their games from citizens in Ontario, the software developers risk a fine or license revocation.
This rule is achievable by the system put in place by the Ontario gambling authorities. It requires any gambling website operator and software providers, like Playtech, involved with the provision of B2B gambling services must register as a business in the province. For casinos and casino game developers, that has meant registering as an iGaming operator with a subsidiary of the AGCO.
That entity is the ‘iGaming Ontario’ authority, and it is responsible for issuing as well as overseeing licensing. It oversees the entirety of iGaming in the province. It is responsible for checking overseas casinos available to Ontario citizens and whether developer brands licensed by the AGCP are breaking the rules. The authority also overseas responsible gambling, advertising, and IT security rules are adhered to.
Full Playtech Report: Check out the full Playtech news report covering its Ontario iGaming market entrance covering the IMS system used by Playtech. The report also covers the up-and-coming inclusion of online poker which will enter Ontario later this year presumably adding another vertical to NorthStar.
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