Canada
Veloce Racing’s final flourish in Uruguay
British squad finish Extreme E Season 2 in style
The new-look Veloce Racing line-up turned heads in the closing round of the 2022 Extreme E season, as the British squad blasted its way to the Final of the Uruguay Natural Energy X Prix.
Kevin Hansen and Molly Taylor – already boasting numerous Extreme E silverware between them – hit the ground running during Friday’s practice sessions, as the duo set competitive split times from the outset.
Their impressive form continued into Saturday, when Veloce clocked the second fastest time in Q1, before going one better in the second qualifying session against four of its rivals in a race format.
With spirits high going into Finals Day, both Hansen and Taylor performed brilliantly once more to win the opening Semi-Final in style, confirming the team’s strong pace across the weekend.
Hansen had already made several eye-catching overtakes across the event, but coming out on top of a breath-taking battle with the Chip Ganassi Racing car during the Semi-Final was a particular highlight.
With the weekend already proving to be a significant step forward in performance for Veloce – overseen by new Team Manager Luc Alphand – the #5 ODYSSEY 21 looked set to compete for honours in the championship finale.
A good launch off the start put Hansen into second, as the five cars fired towards turn one, but the Veloce car was forced wide during the opening sector and dropped to fifth as the dust kicked up from the ever-drying surface.
Spirited drives by both Hansen and Taylor – with the latter also being hit by the title-winning X44 car – failed to get the reward that their overall pace deserved, and the team eventually had to settle for a credible fifth place finish.
The weekend as a whole proved a success for the team as Veloce Racing made its first Extreme E Final of the 2022 season and ended the campaign on a high. Preparations will now begin for Extreme E Season 3, which is scheduled to commence in Saudi Arabia next March.
Molly Taylor, Veloce Racing driver, said: “It has been an amazing weekend for us at Veloce Racing. We all have experience of Extreme E, but to work together for the first time and really click straight away is fantastic.
“We have produced some really strong results and we know that we have a lot of potential. We did everything we could, and we would have loved to have stood on the podium, but ultimately there have been so many positives and we’re all completely focussed now on the 2023 Extreme E season.”
Kevin Hansen, Veloce Racing driver, said: “It has been a fantastic first weekend and event together here at Veloce Racing. We have really created an amazing team spirit already, and we feel that we can only get stronger from here.
“I have felt really comfortable in the car and the performance has been there – we were for sure one of the fastest teams. P1 in Qualifying and in the Semi-Finals tells you that, but we were a little unlucky in the Final. I did my best in the dust, and Molly also did fantastically well, so overall we can be really happy because we have proven we can win races, which is where we want to be next season.”
Dan Bailey, CEO, Veloce Racing added: “It has been a hugely positive week here in Uruguay and the bond within the team is stronger than ever. Not only do we have a fantastic team spirit at Veloce, but we have proven that we have the right ingredients in place to deliver at the highest sporting level.
“Both Molly and Kevin performed extremely well and the mindset within the team was naturally to challenge for victory this weekend. To have won a couple of high-pressure races shows what we can build on going into next season, and we’re already eager to get started.”
Scientific Games, in partnership with Loto-Québec, Sustana Papers and Recyc-Québec, won the 2024 Gutenberg Award for sustainability at the 42nd Gala Gutenberg. The Gutenberg Awards are the Québec printing industry’s premier event, highlighting the talent, creativity and expertise of printing artisans.
The partnership’s winning entry was the Le Billet Vert (The Green Ticket) lottery instant scratch game launched by Loto-Québec in April 2024. The game was printed on 100% recycled board provided by Sustana Papers, with 100% water-based inks. Scientific Games enhanced the sustainability of the production process by packing completed games in boxes containing 60% recycled fiber and delivering them on reused European Pallet Association pallets.
The game promotes the recycling of lottery tickets, inviting players to download Recyc-Québec’s Ça va où? (Where Does It Go?) mobile app. The app teaches users to correctly sort recyclables and shows them drop-off locations for various types of household waste.
Isabelle Jean, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of Lottery Games for Loto-Québec, said, “Since our first scratch game printed on 100% recycled paper stock debuted in 2021, our sustainability efforts have only increased. Congratulations to our team members from Loto-Québec, Scientific Games, Sustana Papers and Recyc-Québec for their vision. Together, we are reducing the environmental footprint of our games.”
The sustainable materials and game production techniques used for Le Billet Vert saved 110 mature trees, the equivalent of 326 10-minute showers, and the electrical power of 882,587 60-watt lightbulbs in one hour (Sustana Solutions eco calculator).
Marc-Andre Doyon, Vice President Canada for Scientific Games, said, “Through this collaboration, Scientific Games and our partners lead the global lottery industry in instant game sustainability. It’s truly an honor to win the Gutenberg Award for our efforts.”
Le Billet Vert is the thirteenth 100% recyclable game created for Loto-Québec since 2021 when Scientific Games and the Lottery began collaborating on a project to bring sustainable instant games to the lottery industry. Another game from this collection, Folie des plantes (Plant Madness), won the Gutenberg Award for sustainability in 2022. Other 100% recyclable Loto-Québec games produced by Scientific Games include Evasion (Escape), Code secret (Secret Code), SLINGO 10X and C’est quoi ton signe? (What’s Your Sign?).
Scientific Games is Loto-Québec’s primary instant game partner, producing the Lottery’s first instant game more than 50 years ago. The company has employed generations of Québécois professionals from their Montréal production facility, which produces instant games for Canadian and European lotteries.
With products that generate more than 70% of global instant game retail sales, Scientific Games is the world’s largest instant games creator, producer and services provider, and the primary provider to nine of the Top 10 performing instant game lotteries in the world (La Fleur’s 2024 World Lottery Almanac).
Casino Time, a full-service online casino for Ontario residents, proudly announces the highly anticipated launch of its iGaming website, CasinoTime.ca. Affiliated with 10 Charitable Gaming entertainment venues across the province, Casino Time extends its legacy fundraising model and beloved social gaming experience to the digital realm.
At the time of launch, Casino Time features a premium selection of games in each of its core product verticals including Slots, Live Dealer Casino Games, and Bingo. Adding to its diverse portfolio, Casino Time is also set to introduce a Sportsbook in late 2024. With a robust suite of features including interactive chat, local customer service, 24/7 accessibility, loyalty rewards, and rapid payment solutions, the online platform provides a powerful casino experience that is community-oriented.
Casino Time is committed to meeting the expectations of players who value the superior gaming experience associated with its charitable gaming affiliates. The iGaming website harnesses industry-leading technology from Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) to deliver an intuitive user experience and offers progressive jackpots and full-service game offerings from Pragmatic Play, Evolution, IGT, and Blueprint Gaming, including mega hits like Lightning Roulette, Gonzo’s Quest, and Cleopatra.
Pragmatic Play will also be the driving force behind Casino Time’s Bingo offering, handpicked by the operator for its best-in-class user experience, comprehensive promotional suite, live chat functionality, and exclusive play-on-demand feature. Casino Time is the first Canadian iGaming operator to offer regulated access to the globally renowned bingo product, Bingo Blast, cherished by players everywhere.
“We have been leading the revival of community gaming in Ontario for 20 years with cutting-edge gambling entertainment at the local level. Now through an exclusive partnership with iGO, we’re bringing our offerings online across Ontario, providing more access to the social gaming revolution that has won us a legion of fans,” says D’Arcy Stuart, CEO of Casino Time.
Rooted in legacy, Casino Time’s team is dedicated to delivering an unparalleled online and offline gaming experience with over 50 years of serving the gambling community in Ontario. Committed to VIP loyalty, high-touch customer care, responsible gaming practices, and safety and security, Casino Time provides community and peace of mind to its players.
“In our physical locations, our gambling product is, of course, second to none, but the special sauce is the social experience, which we’re replicating with the iGaming platform,” adds George Prue, General Manager of Jackpot Time Sarnia. “We know our customers personally and we love being part of their recreation and banter. Plus, proceeds get invested straight back into the community. That’s a gambling model we can proudly stand behind.”
Casino Time is not merely an online entity; it is an extension of the vibrant Ontario gambling community. Casino Time’s iGaming website goes beyond the ordinary, fostering a community-oriented gaming experience that is both social and inclusive.
Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO)
Soft2Bet strengthens integrity monitoring with IBIA membership in Ontario
Soft2Bet, a leading casino and sportsbook platform provider, has joined the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) and activated its membership in Ontario, Canada, following its licensing in the Canadian province.
Soft2bet obtained its Certificate of Registration from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) at the end of March, where the company’s Ontario-focused brand Tooniebet.com will now feed into IBIA’s world-leading sports betting integrity monitoring platform before worldwide implementation in the coming months.
IBIA includes over 50 of the world’s leading sports betting and gaming companies, who operate over 125 sports betting brands. Soft2Bet’s decision to join the association further strengthens its own internal betting integrity protocols and IBIA’s position as the world’s leading sports betting integrity monitoring body.
David Yatom Hay, General Counsel at Soft2Bet, commented: “Soft2Bet is delighted to be joining the IBIA as we strengthen our own betting integrity monitoring processes and play our part in furthering the IBIA’s long-standing work on this key issue. Ontario is a world class iGaming jurisdiction; it will be the first market where we will implement our IBIA membership and we look forward to deploying the monitoring infrastructure worldwide in all the other markets in which we operate.”
Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “Soft2Bet is a very welcome addition to IBIA, further strengthening our position in the Ontario market. The operator’s decision to join IBIA demonstrates its desire to utilise the best integrity protection available for its sportsbook product. The association is delighted to be able to integrate Tooniebet within our integrity monitoring system and looks forward to working closely with Soft2Bet to maintain the high integrity of its sportsbook.”
IBIA is a not-for-profit body that has no competing conflicts with the delivery of commercial services to other sectors and is run by operators and for operators to protect regulated sports betting markets from match-fixing. IBIA’s global monitoring network is a highly effective anti-corruption tool, detecting and reporting suspicious activity in regulated betting markets.
Through the IBIA monitoring network it is possible to track transactional activities linked to individual customer accounts. IBIA members generate more than $300bn in annual betting turnover (handle), accounting for approximately 50% of the global commercial regulated land-based and online sports betting sector, and in excess of 50% for online alone.
IBIA recently released a report on the Availability of Sports Betting Products which highlighted Ontario as a leading regulated gambling jurisdiction, with an expected onshore channelisation for sports betting of 92% in 2024 forecast to rise to 97% in2028. IBIA currently represents over 60% of the private sports betting operators licensed in the province. All online sportsbetting operators licensed in Ontario are required to be part of a betting integrity monitoring body.
IBIA’s Q1 2024 report detailed 56 alerts during the quarter. IBIA alerts contributed to the investigations and subsequent successful sanctioning of 21 clubs, players and officials in 2023, an increase on the 15 sanctioned in 2022.
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