Evolution day one iGaming rollout Ontario

Lauded as “another momentous launch” in Canada, leading B2B provider of live casino systems Evolution Gaming has significantly increased its presence in the country’s most populous province after taking an “extensive set” of online casino services live with multiple operators in Ontario’s newly-regulated iGaming market.

The live casino supplier has joined the flood of commercial players that have been anticipating the market’s official launch since the province’s government first announced its plan to make the market accessible to private operators back in April 2019.

Launch details:

Evolution will reportedly provide services in Ontario for industry-leading operators including 888, along with BetMGM, the joint venture between MGM Resorts International and Entain (formerly GVG Holdings), LeoVegas, Chicago, IL-based Rush Street Interactive and Penn National Gaming (PENN:NASDAQ) subsidiary Score Digital Sports Ventures (Canada) Inc. (“theScore Bet”) for its mobile sportsbook and casino.

The operator partners will now be able to access an extensive and diverse collection of online games for the market from Evolution Group brands, which includes NetEnt, Red Tiger, Ezugi, Big Time Gaming (BTG) and DigiWheel. For Ontario, it will mean an initial inclusion of Evolution’s entire offering of online live casino games and game shows, as well as the provider’s First Person table games and game show range, alongside top-performing slots from Red Tiger and NetEnt.

Evolution asserts that operators have been able to expedite the integration of these games into their systems and decrease go-to-market timescales by utilizing its One Stop Shop (OSS), which enables operators to reach all of the Swedish firm’s content from one single integration.

Something for everyone:

In a statement in the company press release, Jeff Millar, Commercial Director, North America, Evolution, said…

“This is another momentous launch for Evolution in Canada. We are really excited that licensed operators in Ontario will have access to our live dealer studios in Europe and therefore to our full portfolio of live streamed games. We are also confident that online players in Ontario will absolutely love the quality, variety and innovation of the online games – both live and slots – on offer from our Group brands.”

Miller declared that the Evolution portfolio “really does offer something for everyone,” adding that “it encompasses everything from online casino classics such as Live Roulette, Blackjack, Baccarat, Poker and Craps to award-winning live game shows such as Lightning Roulette and Crazy Time, as well as superior First Person 3D animated versions of many of these games.”

He added…

“Slots lovers will have a ball too, as they are able to choose from hundreds of games including iconic titles such as NetEnt’s Starburst and Divine Fortune and Red Tiger’s Cash Volt and Gonzo’s Quest™ Megaways™.

Evolution and its operator partners for the Ontario launch are all licensed and regulated by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario’s new iGaming Ontario (iGO) subsidiary.

Changing dynamic:

Prior to the market’s official launch on April 4, 2022, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLGC), which is owned by the Government of Ontario, enjoyed a monopoly on legal online slots, video poker, blackjack, and roulette, and sports betting too with its PROLINE+ online sportsbook, made possible when single-game betting was made legal in Canada.