Betsafe enters regulated market in Ontario

Betsafe, the global brand of Betsson, has been granted operator and supplier licenses for online gaming and will be available in the regulated market in Canada’s most-populous province of Ontario.

Betsson, listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (BETS B), is one of the largest online gaming companies in Europe.

The move will see Betsafe make its ‘broad’ B2C offering – including online casino and sports betting – available in the economically most important province of the country.

“We are pleased to obtain the necessary licenses to operate with both a B2C and B2B offering in the locally regulated online gaming market in Ontario,” Pontus Lindwall, President and CEO of Betsson AB said.

“We are convinced that there are great opportunities for Betsson in Ontario in both the B2C and B2B channels as we bring a highly competitive offering to the market.”

Ontario is the North America country’s most-populated province with 38.3 percent of the country’s 39-million population. The online gaming market in the province is widely expected to become one of the largest in North America.

These latest developments are in line in line with Betsson’s previously communicated market strategy for Ontario.

Betsson has also received a supplier license, which enables the group to also offer the sportsbook product on a B2B basis to other operators.

The B2C operator license enables Betsson to launch its Betsafe-branded online casino and sports betting offering in the market on Strive Gaming’s platform, which is 40 per cent owned by Betsson.

Betsafe’s products will be available to customers in Ontario via Betsson’s native mobile apps, available for download via Apple Store and Google Play store, as well as via the website ot.betsafe.com.

Betsson’s product offering for Ontario has been localized to deliver a North American player experience.

The international gambling operator signed a deal with Pariplay to gain access to the Fusion platform, enabling it to offer players a far wider choice of games.

Earlier this month, Betsson also signed a content deal with Bragg Gaming. In addition to receiving licenses in Ontario, the company was also awarded a license to operate in Cordoba, Argentina.

Shares in Betsson AB (STO:BETS_B) were trading marginally 0.88 per cent lower at SEK98.36 per share in Stockholm on Thursday.