The iGaming industry has exploded phenomenally globally in recent years, with the United Kingdom leading the way in terms of revenues and innovation.
Here in Canada, too, a relaxation in regulation combined with evolving technology has seen the industry grow exponentially, and at the time of writing, it shows no signs of slowing down. In this article, we take a look at some of the key trends and issues that look likely to define Canadian iGaming in 2023.
The Three R’s: Regulation, Regulation & Regulation
The biggest barrier to the spread of iGaming both here in Canada and south of the border in the USA has always been regulation and legalization. Until recently, the regulatory landscape in Canada for iGaming was bleak, to the extent that many Canadians were illegally wagering online with foreign gambling companies.
Thankfully in recent years, more provinces have taken the decision to legalize and regulate the online gambling industry, resulting in more new Canadian online casinos appearing on the market than ever before.
In fact, Ontario, Canada’s most populated province, recently passed legislation to legalize online gambling. The laws are expected to come into effect around midway through 2023, and more provinces are expected to follow suit as the year progresses.
(Further iGaming legalization is expected in the remainder of the year.)
The Digital Revolution
The very reason that the iGaming industry exists is the digital revolution that began in the 1990s and continues to this day. The first and most important aspect of that revolution was the widespread adoption of the internet.
This gave savvy entrepreneurs the idea to move casino gambling and poker online, opening it up to a much wider audience. Then came the release of the mobile phone and, with it, the changing way in which we all interact with the digital world.
This not only made people more likely to view wagering online on their mobile phones favourably, but it also encouraged more providers to invest in mobile gambling, which in turn created a thriving, competitive market that has benefitted customers.
In an increasingly saturated market, the emphasis is now on iGaming companies to come up with the next big digital innovation to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Whether that be something as simple as new, interactive betting features or a concept as advanced as Augmented and Virtual Reality casinos.
Whilst AR & VR casinos may sound like a thing of science fiction, they are, in fact, a very real possibility for the iGaming industry in 2023.
(Virtual reality could well be the future of the iGaming industry.)
The Rise & Incorporation of eSports
In 2005 when YouTube was first launched, it took on the role of an online version of Canada’s/America’s Funniest Home Videos. Whereas today YouTube is populated with entertainment, educational and instructional videos, the earliest form of the platform seemed to be almost exclusively home to funny animal videos.
Three years later, when a man called Anthony, under the alias Blame Truth, posted a video of himself commentating on his Call of Duty gameplay, it was a revolutionary idea. Fifteen years on, becoming a YouTube streamer is a feasible career option.
All of this has led to the rise of eSports leagues and competitive gaming, with millions of viewers tuning in to YouTube to watch their favourite streamers battle it out on Call of Duty, Fortnite and World of Warcraft.
This level of interest has pricked the ears of the gambling industry, which in recent years has made serious inroads in incorporating eSports into their betting coverage. Thus far in 2023, we have seen a number of Canadian iGaming companies partnering up with eSports teams and offering odds on tournaments and individual clashes.
(This was one of the first commentary videos posted on YouTube, now, there are tens of millions of similar videos on the website.)
In Summary
There is plenty of change in store for the Canadian iGaming industry in the remainder of 2023 and in the next couple of years in general. Slow as it may feel for gambling fans in provinces where online wagering is illegal, change is coming.
Whilst widespread legalization is unlikely to be achieved by the end of 2023, we will see more legalization by the time the year is through. In addition to that, we can expect to see a host of new features and innovations from iGaming companies looking to stand out in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
Finally, on that point, we can expect to see more and more iGaming companies venturing into the world of eSports in order to stand out and provide a niche for their customers.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points in a record-setting performance and the Sacramento Kings beat the Toronto Raptors 122-107 on Wednesday night.
Domantas Sabonis added 17 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his third triple-double of the season for Sacramento. He shot 6 for 6 from the field and 5 for 5 at the free-throw line.
Keegan Murray chipped in with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and De’Aaron Fox scored 21.
The 35-year-old DeRozan has scored at least 20 points in each of his first eight games with the Kings, breaking a franchise mark established by Chris Webber when he reached 20 in his first seven games with Sacramento in 1999.
DeRozan spent the past three seasons with the Chicago Bulls. The six-time All-Star also has played for Toronto and San Antonio during his 16-year NBA career.
RJ Barrett had 23 points to lead the Raptors. Davion Mitchell scored 20 in his first game in Sacramento since being traded to Toronto last summer.
Takeaways
Raptors: Toronto led for most of the first three quarters before wilting in the fourth. The Raptors were outscored 33-14 in the final period.
Kings: Fox played strong defense but struggled again shooting from the floor as he is dealing with a finger injury. Fox went 5 for 17 and just 2 of 8 on 3-pointers. He is 5 for 25 from beyond the arc in his last three games.
Key moment
The Kings trailed 95-89 early in the fourth before going on a 9-0 run that gave them the lead for good. DeRozan started the spurt with a jumper, and Malik Monk scored the final seven points.
Key stat
Sabonis had the eighth game in the NBA since at least 1982-83 with a triple-double while missing no shots from the field or foul line. The previous player to do it was Josh Giddey for Oklahoma City against Portland on Jan. 11.
Up next
Raptors: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night, the third stop on a five-game trip.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps are one win away from moving on to the next round of the Major League Soccer playoffs.
To get there, however, the Whitecaps will need to pull off the improbable by defeating the powerhouse Los Angeles FC for a second straight game.
Vancouver blanked the visitors 3-0 on Sunday to level their best-of-three first-round playoff series at a game apiece. As the matchup shifts back to California for a decisive Game 3 on Friday, the Whitecaps are looking for a repeat performance, said striker Brian White.
“We take the good and the bad from last game, learn from what we could have done better and go to LAFC with confidence and, obviously, with a whole lot of respect,” he said.
“We know that we can go there and give them a very good fight and hopefully come away with a win.”
The winner of Friday’s game will face the No. 4-seed Seattle Sounders in a one-game Western Conference semifinal on Nov. 23 or 24.
The ‘Caps finished the regular season eighth in the west with a 13-13-8 record and have since surprised many with their post-season play.
First, Vancouver trounced its regional rivals, the Portland Timbers, 5-0 in a wild-card game. Then, the squad dropped a tightly contested 2-1 decision to the top-seeded L.A. before posting a decisive home victory on Sunday.
Vancouver has scored seven goals this post-season, second only to the L.A. Galaxy (nine). Vancouver also leads the league in expected goals (6.84) through the playoffs.
No one outside of the club expected the Whitecaps to win when the Vancouver-L. A. series began, said defender Ranko Veselinovic.
“We’ve shown to ourselves that we can compete with them,” he said.
Now in his fifth season with the ‘Caps, Veselinovic said Friday’s game will be the biggest he’s played for the team.
“We haven’t had much success in the playoffs so, definitely, this is the one that can put our season on another level,” he said.
This is the second year in a row the Whitecaps have faced LAFC in the first round of the playoffs and last year, Vancouver was ousted in two straight games.
The team isn’t thinking about revenge as it prepares for Game 3, White said.
“More importantly than (beating LAFC), we want to get to the next round,” he said. “LAFC’s a very good team. We’ve come up against them a number of times in different competitions and they always seem to get the better of us. So it’d be huge for us to get the better of them this time.”
Earning a win last weekend required slowing L.A.’s transition game and limiting offensive opportunities for the team’s big stars, including Denis Bouanga.
Those factors will be important again on Friday, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini, who warned that his team could face a different style of game.
“I think the most important thing is going to be to match their intensity at the beginning of the game,” he said. “Because I think they’re going to come at us a million miles per hour.”
The ‘Caps will once again look to captain Ryan Gauld for some offensive firepower. The Scottish attacking midfielder leads MLS in playoff goals with five and has scored in all three of Vancouver’s post-season appearances this year.
Gearing up for another do-or-die matchup is exciting, Gauld said.
“Knowing it’s a winner-takes-all kind of game, being in that kind of environment is nice,” he said. “It’s when you see the best in players.”
LAFC faces the bulk of the pressure heading into the matchup, Sartini said, given the club’s appearances in the last two MLS Cup finals and its 2022 championship title.
“They’re supposed to win and we are not,” the coach said. “But it’s beautiful to have a little bit of pressure on us, too.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
Each PWHL team operated under its city name, with players wearing jerseys featuring the league’s logo in its inaugural season before names and logos were announced last month.
The Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens will start the PWHL’s second season on Nov. 30 with jerseys designed to reflect each team’s identity and to be sold to the public as replicas.
Led by PWHL vice-president of brand and marketing Kanan Bhatt-Shah, the league consulted Creative Agency Flower Shop to design the jerseys manufactured by Bauer, the PWHL said Thursday in a statement.
“Players and fans alike have been waiting for this moment and we couldn’t be happier with the six unique looks each team will don moving forward,” said PWHL senior vice president of business operations Amy Scheer.
“These jerseys mark the latest evolution in our league’s history, and we can’t wait to see them showcased both on the ice and in the stands.”
Training camps open Tuesday with teams allowed to carry 32 players.
Each team’s 23-player roster, plus three reserves, will be announced Nov. 27.
Each team will play 30 regular-season games, which is six more than the first season.
Minnesota won the first Walter Cup on May 29 by beating Boston three games to two in the championship series.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
