2022 Canadian Gaming Summit celebrates 25th year in style
The Canadian Gaming Summit, Canada’s premier gaming event, returned in-person for its 25th year in 2022 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from June 7-9, hosted collaboratively by the Canadian Gaming Association (CGA), Canadian Gaming Business (CGB), and MediaEdge Communications (MEC). This year’s Summit was also supported by SBC.
The theme of this year’s 25th annual Summit was “Canada – A World of New Opportunities”, reflecting the hugely significant developments of the Canadian gaming industry, not least Ontario opening its regulated iGaming market, the continuing transformation of the country’s sports betting landscape, and the ever-evolving product and technology innovations that characterize gaming in Canada.
As we had hoped and anticipated after so long kept apart, the 2022 Summit was a roaring success.
MediaEdge Communications, Canadian Gaming Business, and the Canadian Gaming Association strived to put together an educational program and a trade floor that displayed the fantastic progress the industry has made over the last couple of years despite unprecedentedly tough challenges.
Some highlights
Things kicked off on Tuesday, June 7 with a slate of sessions beginning with a fantastic panel moderated by Segev LLP’s Ron Segev entitled “Tax Breaks, Time Zones, Talent & Tickertape – The 4Ts and the Larger Gaming Opportunity in Canada” and featuring PointsBet Canada CEO Scott Vanderwel and other panelists from Segev LLP, Boast.AI, and Stifel Financial Corp. That first session of the Summit was so popular that we had to remove the wall between two rooms just to accommodate all the attendees – a fantastic way to set the tone for the week.
Day one continued with an informative Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario panel on iGaming advertising and compliance in Ontario and sessions on virtual payments, compliance, sportsbook advertising, and the new world in Ontario.
On day two, we officially welcomed the industry with statements from Canadian Gaming Association President and CEO Paul Burns, MediaEdge Communications SVP Chuck Nervick, Ontario’s Attorney General Doug Downey, and Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Board Chair Jim Warren.
iGaming Ontario executives held a keynote on the launch of Ontario’s much anticipated new iGaming market launched and some lessons learned so far, and just some of the sessions on show discussed the likes of bitcoin’s potential place in the industry, sports betting integrity, omni-channel gaming, responsible gambling, payments, AML, the future of sports betting, and women in gaming.
On day three, the Summit concluded with more fantastic panels on sessions including a look at Canadian gaming’s future, eSports, customer conversion, inclusivity in gaming, affiliate marketing, sustainability in gaming, online casino, and an Ipsos forecast, amongst others.
We also handed out our Summer 2022 issue of Canadian Gaming Business magazine at the Summit. If you missed it in print, check out the full digital issue here.
A thank you from us
All told, we were delighted and proud to feature insights from just about every corner of the industry: a range of leading regulators, operators, suppliers, authorities on responsible gambling and legal issues, and many more.
We’d like to thank all the speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, and attendees for making the 25th annual Summit what it was: a fantastic occasion to reunite the Canadian gaming industry and take stock of where this great industry has been, is today, and may go in the future.
Now, SBC prepares to take over the reins for 2023, and they have already announced that the Summit will return to the MTCC from June 13-15, 2023. MediaEdge Communications and Canadian Gaming Business would like to say what a privilege it has been to coordinate and co-host this event with the Canadian Gaming Association for so many years. We hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as we have.
Summit features