The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) no longer works with Entain Group on the operation of the Sports Interaction online gaming platform in Canada.

The MCK said in a statement that effective Oct. 28,  its wholly-owned Mohawk Online Limited (MOL) has ended its longstanding exclusive partnership with Entain subsidiary Avid International Ltd.

Sports Interaction was one of the first brands licensed by the Kahnawà:ke Gaming Commission (KGC) back in the 1990s, while Avid has been a B2B supplier to Mohawk Online. Under former CEO Jette Nygaard-Andersen, Entain purchased Avid for $300 million in 2022, the same year Ontario launched its commercial, regulated market. Since 2022, Mohawk Online has operated Sports Interaction in Canada outside Ontario as Avid’s only Canadian client.

“MOL’s operation of Sports Interaction generated important revenues for the community for some time,” said the MCK in a statement. Per The Eastern Door, MOL has paid $23 million in gaming dividends to Kahnawàke since 2015.

MCK Chief Cody Diabo said in the statement that the Council decided to end its Sports Interaction partnership with Entain “due to the change in the regulatory landscape for gaming in Canada and economic reasons.” He added that the Council looks forward to maintaining a cordial relationship with Entain. The commercial company will maintain its back office from the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawà:ke and will also keep hold of its licenses with the KGC, said the MCK.

Entain takes full ownership of Sports Interaction brand

An Entain spokesperson told Canadian Gaming Business that the licence used to operate the Sports Interaction is now held by Entain directly and Entain has taken full ownership of the brand and its customer database.

“As such, there is no change to Entain’s offering in Canada and no write-down is necessary following the ending of the partnership,” said the spokesperson.

Sports Interaction has some fairly high-profile partnerships in Canada, including a deal with Hockey Night in Canada that is now in its second year and a new sponsorship partnership with Amazon Prime Video’s new NHL Coast to Coast show. It is licensed in Ontario by the ACGO and H2 Gambling Capital data shown to CGB suggests it holds around a 6% share of the grey market elsewhere in Canada.

Kahnawàke mulling other gaming opportunities

Diabo added in the statement that the MCK sees the end of the exclusivity deal as a potential launchpad for future development as it releases the Council from its obligations of exclusivity and allows the MCK “to pursue other opportunities in online gaming, under a new brand.” However, he told The Eastern Door that there is currently no clear strategy in place to pursue online gaming revenues in the current legislative landscape.

“Essentially, right now, [MOL] is just on hiatus. Whether or not we plan to cancel the name or just keep it on the books for another opportunity, we’ve yet to have that conversation.”

Move follows failed MCK legal challenge in Ontario

The official announcement of the end of the Sports Interaction partnership comes amid a backdrop of the MCK launching an unsuccessful legal challenge against Ontario’s regulated commercial online gaming model. MCK argued that iGaming Ontario’s gaming framework was “illegal and unconstitutional.”

“The Council considers that Ontario has taken actions to actively undermine Kahnawà:ke as a legitimate gaming jurisdiction while failing to recognize Kahnawà:ke’s right to conduct, facilitate, and regulate gaming and contravenes the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” said the MCK. As a result of its opposition to Ontario’s market, the MCK stopped operating Mohawk Online in the province.

However, a Superior Court judge ruled against the MCK’s challenge in May, when Justice Lisa Brownstone found that iGO’s gaming framework and management of the industry were consistent with what is allowed within the Criminal Code.

Diabo reiterated to The Eastern Door that the MCK hopes to see Bill S-268 make progress in 2025. Sen. Scott Tannas‘ proposed legislation, introduced last June, would amend the Criminal Code to affirm that the governing body of a First Nation has “exclusive authority to conduct and manage a lottery scheme on its reserve.” Diabo hopes that legislation will pass, thereby creating further opportunities for Kahnawà:ke to expand online gaming without compromising its sovereignty.