The provincial government of Ontario has yet to publish its guidelines for opening retail sportsbooks, but a major development was announced Thursday: Kambi Group signed a multi-year partnership with Great Canadian Entertainment to provide its sportsbook solutions. retail sports and betting kiosks for 10 of its casinos in the province.
Great Canadian Entertainment operates 25 gaming, entertainment and hospitality destinations across Canada, including a dozen casinos in Ontario.
At this time, it is unclear which 10 casinos will be equipped for retail sports betting, but GCE’s newest casino in Ontario, Pickering Casino Resort, is a confirmed location. Other GCE properties in Ontario include major casinos like Casino Woodbine in Etobicoke, Casino Ajax, Great Blue Heron Casino in Port Perry, and Elements Casino Mohawk in Milton.
GCE did not provide any comment on specific sports betting locations. Last summer, Great Blue Heron Casino was hiring for sports betting positions, making it a likely destination for a sports book.
“The addition of sports betting in 10 of our Ontario-based gaming destinations is an important new service that elevates the gaming experience for our visitors,” Tony Rodio, CEO of Great Canadian Entertainment, said in a press release. . “As the first company to launch this type of product in Ontario, we are grateful for our partnership with Kambi throughout this new venture, as well as the continued support of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the Ontario Alcohol and Ontario Games and the Provincial Government.”
OLG, the Ontario government and industry stakeholders are still working to obtain the necessary approvals and establish the legal structure to launch retail sports betting in Ontario, in addition to OLG’s PROLINE retail product already offered in approximately 10,000 retail stores worldwide. Province.
There is no timetable for the potential launch of physical sportsbooks in Ontario. There was optimism that they could launch in September, but that goal was not reached.
“Some are working hard to try to get there,” Canadian Gaming Association president Paul Burns said earlier. sports handle. “I understand that they are getting closer to reaching agreements between OLG and the casino operators. I can only hope it’s soon. I think everyone would like to be able to have a sports book on their property and offer a sports book on the site. Unfortunately, it has taken too long.”
We are excited to have entered into a multi-year partnership with @GRTCanadianone of Canada’s largest gaming and entertainment companies, to offer our leading in-house sportsbook to 10 of the operator’s casinos in the province of Ontario.https://t.co/tNulhbi7Ej pic.twitter.com/TksobyBjP3
— Kambi (@KambiSports) October 20, 2022
Kambi also works with the Niagara casinos
In September, Kambi Group announced that it would be expanding its online gaming partnership with Mohegan Gaming to include a retail sports betting platform. A total of 36 sports betting kiosks will be installed at the Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara properties, and there are plans to convert Casino Niagara’s sports bar into a retail sports book.
Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara are owned by OLG. Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, a developer and operator of entertainment complexes in the US, Canada, and South Korea, has managed the day-to-day operations of the two major Niagara Falls casinos since 2019.
Mohegan has been busy hiring for various sportsbook roles over the past few months at its Niagara locations and has selected Greg Yott, who previously served as director of cages and coins for the past 26 years at Niagara Casino, as its director for new sports betting operations.
Mohegan is still awaiting direction from OLG and the Ontario government before he can launch a potential sportsbook.
Built on a bluff overlooking the world famous Horseshoe Falls, Fallsview Casino Resort is Canada’s largest gaming facility with over 3,500 slot machines and 130 gaming tables, plus a 372-room hotel.
Kambi is strengthening its partner network through an agreement with Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment in Ontario.
The partnership will see MGE’s Fallsview Casino leverage Kambi’s award-winning sports betting technology for its new PlayFallsview mobile brand.https://t.co/drfxQfd0gG pic.twitter.com/NOb5KoXayF
— Kambi (@KambiSports) May 3, 2022