

Canada
PlayColorado.com: Sportsbooks suffer first month-over-month decline in wagering
Colorado’s sports betting industry suffered its first month-over-month decline in wagering to put the state in line with a nationwide trend of falling handles, a product of February’s 28 days and the conclusion of the NFL season, according to PlayColorado, which provides news and analysis of the state’s gaming industry.
“February is a reminder that with the seasonality of sports betting, growth is never assured even in a market like Colorado” said Jessica Welman, analyst for PlayColorado. “In nearly every legal betting market, a pullback from January was expected mainly because there is nowhere near the NFL inventory of games to bet on, even with the Super Bowl. Colorado is a unique market in many ways, but ultimately it is still subject to the same sports betting dynamics as any other state.”
Colorado’s online and retail sportsbooks combined to take in $266.5 million in bets in February, according to data released Monday by the Colorado Department of Revenue’s Division of Gaming. Overall handle was down 18.5% from $326.9 million in bets in January, and the lowest monthly handle since November’s $231.2 million. Bettors placed about $9.5 million bets per day in February, down from $10.5 million in January.
Sportsbooks generated $10.4 million in gross gaming revenue, down from the record $23.1 million in January, and yielding just $175,275 in net sports betting proceeds, down from $11.7 million in January. That produced just $332,227 in state taxes.
February marks the first time since Colorado launched sports betting in May that sportsbooks failed to set a new monthly handle record for the state. Retail in particular had a rough month, generating just $7.5 million in bets. 96.9% of all bets, or $258.2 million, were made online.
Colorado is the seventh-largest market in the U.S., falling just short of Indiana’s $273.9 million. Michigan, in its first full month of sports betting, topped both states with more than $325 million in online and retail betting.
“The month-over-month growth streak was bound to be snapped, but the underlying fundamentals of the market remain strong,” said Ian St. Clair, analyst for PlayColorado. “Retail sportsbooks continue to struggle amid the pandemic, but hopefully they will rebound as we move closer to normal.”
For the second-straight month, pro basketball betting eclipsed football with $95 million in wagers, by far the most-popular bet even with the Super Bowl being played in early February. With just one game to bet on, even if it was the Super Bowl, football betting fell to $39.6 million. And table tennis ($13 million) once again drew more action than more mainstream sports like ice hockey ($9.5 million).
College basketball took in $24.2 million, which wasn’t surprising. But sportsbooks lost $3.7 million on those bets.
“Colorado’s market continues to evolve in unforeseen ways, and it goes beyond the continued popularity of table tennis,” St. Clair said. “For February, Colorado bettors did extremely well on betting on college basketball, winning almost $4 million on the sport. That is unusual for what is typically the calm before March’s college basketball storm ”
For more information and analysis on regulated sports betting in Colorado, visit PlayColorado.com/revenue.
About the PlayUSA.com Network:
The PlayUSA.com Network is a leading source for news, analysis, and research related to the market for regulated online gaming in the United States. With a presence in over a dozen states, PlayUSA.com and its state-focused branches (including PlayColorado.com, PlayIndiana.com, and PlayNJ.com) produce daily original reporting, publish in-depth research, and offer player advocacy tools related to the advancement of safe, licensed, and legal online gaming options for consumers. Based in Las Vegas, the PlayUSA Network is independently owned and operated, with no affiliations to any casino — commercial, tribal, online, or otherwise.
Canada
absolutebet Secures AGCO Registration as an Internet Gaming Operator in Ontario

Internet Gaming Operator by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).
This significant milestone authorizes absolutebet to offer regulated iGaming services in Ontario’s legal market under the oversight of AGCO and iGaming Ontario (iGO).
The registration marks a key step in absolutebet’s mission to bring a trusted, responsible, and innovative online casino experience to Ontario players. absolutebet is committed to operating with integrity and transparency, meeting all provincial standards for player protection, responsible gambling, anti-money laundering, and game integrity.
“Securing AGCO registration is more than a milestone—it’s the start of absolutebet’s journey in one of the most exciting regulated markets in the world,” said Chen Truman, Founder of absolutebet. “We are building a brand that will grow with the Ontario community and set the stage for future expansion.”
On the regulatory milestone, Krisztina Kalla, Legal & Regulatory Compliance Advisor of absolutebet, commented: “I’m incredibly proud to see all the hard work behind this license pay off. Securing AGCO registration has taken months of preparation and close collaboration with regulators and partners. I am very happy to see the result of that work, and even more excited as we move into the launch phase and open up the absolutebet community to Ontario players in a fun and responsible way.”
Ontario is recognized as one of the most competitive and fast-growing regulated iGaming markets in North America. With AGCO registration secured, absolutebet will move forward with the final stages of its iGO onboarding process in preparation for launch.
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Alex Malchenko Head of Sales at Evoplay
Evoplay strengthens Ontario presence in partnership with Caesars Entertainment

Evoplay, the award-winning game development studio, has partnered with Caesars Entertainment to expand its footprint in the Canadian market, following its initial entry earlier this year. The partnership integrates 20 of the studio’s top-performing titles onto Caesars Palace Online Casino, Horseshoe Online Casino and Caesars Sportsbook & Casino in Ontario, including fan-favourites such as Hot Triple Sevens, Triple Chili, and The Greatest Catch Bonus Buy.
Having announced its official entrance into Ontario in March, the collaboration with Caesars marks a significant step in Evoplay’s local strategy. Further standout releases, such as Inner Fire Bonus Buy and Hot Volcano, also launched as part of the initial package, with additional player favourites, including Fruit Nova and Ice Mania.
The collaboration underlines Evoplay’s commitment to working with leading operators to deliver high-quality content tailored to regional audiences.
Alex Malchenko, Head of Sales at Evoplay, said: “Launching with Caesars in Ontario marks a key milestone in our North American strategy.
“It reflects both the strength of our portfolio and our commitment to providing innovative, high-performing content to operators of the highest caliber.”
Ricardo Cornejo Rivas, Vice President of Online Gaming at Caesars Digital, said: “Evoplay brings a fresh and dynamic approach to online gaming, which we’re excited to offer to our players in Ontario. This portfolio of standout titles adds to our growing content library and furthering our ongoing goal of delivering top-tier entertainment experiences to our players.”
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Canada
iGaming Ontario Appoints Joseph Hillier as its New President and CEO

The iGaming Ontario Board of Directors has announced Joseph Hillier as the organization’s new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective September 8, 2025. Joseph’s depth in the Ontario igaming market combined with successful public and private sector careers make him the ideal President and CEO at this critical point in iGaming Ontario’s growth.
Joseph was most recently Chief Strategy Officer and Corporate Secretary at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), where he delivered significant strategic and regulatory initiatives across the province’s alcohol, cannabis, gaming, and horse racing sectors. Prior to the AGCO, he served as Chief of Staff to Ontario Attorney General Hon. Doug Downey and led the development, launch and implementation of Canada’s first private sector-driven igaming market and the creation of iGaming Ontario. Joseph also spent more than a decade working in the financial and legal services sectors.
The Board expressed its sincere thanks to David Smith for serving as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer since Martha Otton’s retirement.
The post iGaming Ontario Appoints Joseph Hillier as its New President and CEO appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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