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Vanta Announces $2.5MM Oversubscribed Seed Round to Create a Safer, More Development Focused Scholastic Esports Environment

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Vanta, the premiere K-12 esports organization in the US, raised over $2.5 million in an oversubscribed funding round, bringing their total amount raised to over $3.3 million. The funds will be used to expand access to Vanta’s free K-12 leagues in the US, further develop their COPPA compliant esports platform, and expand their esports coaching offerings.

Led by Scout Ventures, the seed round saw participation from J Ventures, Veteran Ventures Capital, and Trajectory Capital, with additional contributions from Blue Ventures, GTM Fund, Paul Lasiuk, the Hart Family, the Rifkin Family, and several angels.

Vanta launched in 2020 with four co-founders; Patrick Cronin, James Roche, Zack Fabi, and Ed Lallier. The founders set out to eliminate the rampant cyberbullying problem in gaming. They identified this issue as a symptom of larger systemic issues in the gaming space. Since then, Vanta has evolved its offerings to providing scholastic esports teams with the infrastructure and tools they need to start, grow, and develop their programs into successful and transformational experiences for K-12 esports student-athletes. Vanta’s business took off in 2022 after launching free-to-compete leagues, securing several deals with state and national associations, including becoming the official esports sponsor of the University Interscholastic League of Texas (UIL), as well as partnerships with the Georgia Association of Private and Parochial Schools (GAPPS), Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and the Association of Middle Level Educators (AMLE), among others.

Vanta continues to set itself apart from other organizations in the way it has built its business, products, and customer base through its principles-first, mission based approach.

“We see gaming and esports as one of the main digital battlegrounds for youth mental health, cyberbullying, and behavior normalization in kids. As an industry and as a society, we have reached an important crossroads; either esports will become the largest contributor to these problems if current industry practices continue, or we can get the esports train back on track and turn it into one of the most important and powerful tools for positive social-emotional development in kids,” says Patrick Cronin, CEO and co-founder of Vanta, “The reality is, venture backed companies have made a bad name for themselves in this space, and we are here to show schools that it’s not the source of your funding that matters, but rather, the presence of a greater purpose beyond profit.”

Vanta offers one of the safest platforms in the market that allows schools to compete in free leagues and access coaching services from their scores of professionally trained esports coaches.

Coaching services offered include team-based coaching and a new private coaching offering for one-on-one sessions.

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Maverick Games Launches Sports Betting Operations in Ontario

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Maverick Games has launched sports betting operations in Ontario, through a partnership with Delasport.

Maverick Games will offer Ontarian players a premium sports betting experience, built on Delasport’s superior technology and known for its unique innovative features that players love including personalization, recommendations, gamification, quick bets, player engagement features, and more.

Maverick Games is the second brand to launch on Delasport’s technology in Ontario, with another full turnkey brand set to go live soon. Delasport also recently unveiled its innovative sports betting jackpot network game, SuperPot. The company will showcase this unique product at the Canadian Gaming Summit next month and begin rolling it out to Ontarian operators shortly thereafter.

“We are proud to see Maverick Games live and thriving with our one of a kind sportsbook solution at its core. They have been a fantastic partner from the start, and this launch further demonstrates how fast and efficient our technology is when paired with a clear vision and strong collaboration,” said Rosaire Galea Cavallaro, VP of Business Development at Delasport.

“Maverick Games’s sports vertical is a major step forward for us and launching it with Delasport has been the right move from day one. The platform’s performance and flexibility allow us to deliver the kind of user experience we believe Ontario players deserve. We’re excited to now bring that vision to life,” CEO Matt Rathbun said.

The post Maverick Games Launches Sports Betting Operations in Ontario appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Tsleil-Waututh Nation Signs MoU to Acquire Casino Business at Hastings Racecourse & Casino

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Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN) announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to acquire the casino business and related real property interests at Hastings Racecourse & Casino (Hastings) in the City of Vancouver from Great Canadian Gaming Corporation (Great Canadian Entertainment).

“We are thrilled to take another important step towards economic self-determination for our Nation in our traditional territory, and we are eager to work with the senior management team at Great Canadian Entertainment to finalize due diligence and execute a definitive agreement, as well as working with the City of Vancouver to ensure the best long-term use of this important asset within the City. We believe that this opportunity is historic for us in many ways, and we look forward to entering the gaming industry in due course,” said Jen Thomas, Chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation.

“We are excited about working with TWN on their potential acquisition of the casino operations and related real property interests at Hastings Racecourse & Casino. Recognizing that Hastings is part of the TWN’s traditional territory, we can think of no better entity to inherit this asset, and we look forward to supporting them in the transition after the anticipated close of the sale,” Matt Anfinson, Chief Executive Officer of Great Canadian Entertainment.

The agreement is subject to further due diligence, finalization of financial terms and the execution of a definitive purchase and sale agreement. Once a definitive agreement has been executed by the parties, it is anticipated that the transaction will be subject to customary closing conditions as well as customary approvals by gaming regulatory and other authorities, including certain approvals by the City of Vancouver given its ownership of the real property. It is expected that Great Canadian Entertainment will provide transition services to TWN for a period of time following the anticipated closing.

The post Tsleil-Waututh Nation Signs MoU to Acquire Casino Business at Hastings Racecourse & Casino appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Ben Clemes

High Roller Submits Gaming License Application in Ontario

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High Roller Technologies, operator of the premium online casino brands High Roller and Fruta, announced the submission of its Internet Gaming Operator license application in Ontario, Canada, targeting the launch of its flagship brand HighRoller.com in the second half of 2025.

“The submission of our licensing application to access Ontario’s regulated online gambling market is an important milestone in our Company’s journey. Once our application is approved, we anticipate that we will have the opportunity to launch our online casino product into the market later this year,” said Ben Clemes, Chief Executive Officer at High Roller.

Ontario is one of the largest regulated online gambling markets in the world as measured by gross gaming revenue. In 2024, regulated online gambling operators within the province generated approximately $2.3B in gross gaming revenue, and growth continues to be recorded in the first half of 2025. Recently, the province of Alberta passed enabling legislation to establish a regulatory framework for online gambling. Once available, the Company also intends to pursue licensure in Alberta to expand its regulated market footprint in Canada.

“Ontario is missing an elegant brand like High Roller. We’re excited to roll out the red carpet for our new customers, and we’re looking forward to showcasing our tremendous product,” said Clemes.

The post High Roller Submits Gaming License Application in Ontario appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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