

Canada
PlayPennsylvania.com: Sportsbooks gain in March, online casinos shatter records
Pennsylvania’s retail and online sportsbooks took in more than $560 million in wagers, as March Madness helped spur betting to the second-highest monthly volume in state history, according to PlayPennsylvania, which analyzes and researches the state’s regulated online gaming and sports betting market. Sports betting was just one piece of good news in March, as the Keystone State set a fresh record for online casino revenue while the state’s sportsbooks crossed $500 million in lifetime gross gaming revenue.
“March’s results show just how important the NCAA Tournament can be in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, giving a huge boost to sportsbooks at a time when football is dormant,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayPennsylvania.com. “With last year’s tournament canceled, sportsbooks were left a revenue hole that they could not fill. Pennsylvania itself was a bit of an unknown, since the last time the NCAA Tournament was held online sports betting had yet to launch. This really sets sportsbooks up for a strong rest of the year, especially in comparison with 2020.”
For the month, Pennsylvania’s online and retail sportsbooks collected $560.3 million in bets, according to official data released Thursday evening. That was up 326.6% from $131.3 million in March 2020, a month marred by the shutdown of major sports in the U.S., including the NCAA Tournament. The month represented a rebound from February’s $509.6 million handle, even as it fell short of the record $615.3 million handle in January.
Sportsbooks did well on March’s bets, too, producing $41 million in gross gaming revenue — up 376.7% from $8.6 million in March 2020. That yielded $29.4 million in taxable revenue, up 326.1% from $6.9 million a year ago. The revenue produced in March created $10 million in state taxes and $587,047 in local share assessment.
Pennsylvania sportsbooks have now generated $506.7 million in gross gaming revenue since launching, reaching yet another impressive lifetime milestone.
Pennsylvania is the first to report of the four largest sports betting markets. New Jersey should remain the top market, but Pennsylvania could feasibly pass Nevada for No. 2 in the U.S., or Pennsylvania could be passed by Illinois, which continues to gain ground.
“$500 million in gross gaming revenue is a threshold reached by only two other markets, Nevada and New Jersey, a sign of Pennsylvania’s increasingly mature market,” said Valerie Cross, analyst for PlayPennsylvania.com. “Regardless of where Pennsylvania finds itself in the state rankings, it is in an excellent position as online betting gains steam and retail sportsbooks find themselves with fewer pandemic-related restrictions.”
Online sports betting produced 91.8%, or $514.3 million, of March’s handle. The percentage is down from 92.2% of February’s handle. FanDuel Sportsbook/Valley Forge Casino topped the market again with $202.8 million in online wagering, up from $176.3 million in February. Those bets produced $10.4 million in taxable revenue, up from $7.3 million in February. DraftKings/The Meadows was second with $116.6 million in bets, up from $111.7 million in February, yielding $6 million in taxable revenue.
The Barstool-branded Penn National/Hollywood Casino app is still trying to gain ground, generating $63.6 million in March, easily No. 3 in the state but down from $65.6 million in February. That produced $3.3 million in revenue.
The leaders were followed by:
- BetMGM/Hollywood Morgantown ($37.4 million handle, up from $33.7 million; $1.7 million in taxable revenue, down from $2 million)
- BetRivers/Rivers-Pittsburgh ($24.8 million handle, up from $20.4 million; $1.3 million revenue, down from $1.4 million)
- Parx Casino ($18.7 million handle, up from $17.7 million; $1.2 million revenue, down from $1.6 million)
- Fox Bet/Mount Airy ($17.5 million handle, down from $18 million; $911,248 million revenue down from $1.3 million)
- PlaySugarHouse/Rivers-Philadelphia ($17.2 million handle, up from $14.6 million; $912,183 in revenue, up/down from $957,245)
- Unibet/Mohegan Sun Pocono ($10.2 million handle, up from $7.5 million; $272,627 revenue, down from $416,533)
- Betfred/Wind Creek ($2.2 million handle, down from $1.7 million; -$186,870 revenue, down from $50,386)
- Caesars/Harrah’s ($1.7 million handle, up from $1.1 million; $136,078 revenue, up from $3,541)
- TwinSpires/Presque Isle Downs ($1.4 million handle, up from $1.3 million; -$14,229 revenue, down from $5,496)
Retail sportsbooks generated $45.9 million in handle, up from $39.8 million in February. Sportsbooks won $3.4 million on February’s bets. The top retail sportsbook was Rivers-Philadelphia with $7 million in bets, edging Parx Casino’s $6.9 million.
“The Penn National-Barstool partnership has been successful, but its gains on the market leaders has stalled,” Gouker said. “FanDuel and DraftKings have built so much brand recognition and marketing might that they still hold advantages over a brand as well-known as Barstool partnering with a Pennsylvania-based company.”
Online casinos and poker
Online casinos and poker rooms hit a fresh high in March with $97.7 million in taxable revenue, shattering the record $80.4 million set in January. Online casinos generated a per day revenue record, too, producing $3.2 million in revenue per day for the 31 days in March, which was up from the previous high of $2.8 million per day over the 28 days in February.
Year-over year, revenue is up 292.4% from $24.9 million from March 2020, a month that marks the beginning of a year-long surge that continues today. Online casino wagering has grown 275% to $3.3 billion from $871.6 million in March 2020.
“The year-over-year gains in revenue are staggering,” Cross said. “The pandemic-related shutdowns of the state’s retail casinos changed bettor behavior for the foreseeable future. This is evident as online casino gaming keeps setting records, even as brick-and-mortar restrictions are eased.”
Highlights from March:
- March’s revenue yielded $22.6 million in state taxes and another $13.3 million in local share assessments and county grants.
- Penn National, which includes the DraftKings, BetMGM, and Hollywood casinos, led the market with $33.6 million in revenue on $.11 billion in wagers. Rivers-Philadelphia, which includes PlaySugarHouse and BetRivers casinos, was second with $27.1 million in revenue on $668.2 million in wagers.
- Mount Airy/PokerStars, the lone poker operator in the state, generated poker revenue of $2.4 million.
For more information on the revenue generated by Pennsylvania, visit www.playpennsylvania.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 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.
AGLC
Casino ATM Scam in Edmonton Reveals Money Laundering and Drug Links

Law enforcement in Alberta continues to search for the last suspect in a sophisticated fraud operation that targeted ATMs in Edmonton-area casinos and resulted in over CAD 1 million ($720,487) in losses throughout Western Canada.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has confirmed that Hisham Ismaeel, 28, remains at large with a province-wide warrant for his arrest. He faces charges of fraud exceeding $5000 and possessing proceeds of crime. Police have already arrested four other men linked to the scheme. Investigators describe the operation as a well-planned effort to exploit financial systems and clean dirty money.
The accused, Elliot Miao, 42, Van Bau Ta, 39, Hassan Jaafar Haydar Ahmad, 37, and Dennis Jones, 42, showed up in the Alberta Court of Justice last week. They face charges from fraud and money laundering to owning criminal property. Miao also has a narcotics trafficking charge after police found cocaine when they searched with warrants.
Investigators claim the group made coordinated withdrawals at several casino ATMs, timing their transactions to avoid getting caught. This action messed up ATM networks in the area and showed flaws in the systems that banks and casinos use to stop misuse.
The RCMP Federal Policing Northwest Region led an investigation that involved six search warrants in Edmonton. The Edmonton Police Service, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC), and several banks supported this effort. Officials said the case shows how teamwork between public agencies and the private sector plays a key role in combating modern financial crime.
AGLC representatives pointed out that casino operators in the province must follow strict reporting and surveillance rules under Canada’s anti-money laundering laws. The specific casinos affected remain unnamed, but the Edmonton region has seven licensed facilities. AGLC said its policies helped spot problems and backed the RCMP’s investigation.
Compliance experts say this fraud shows how criminals change their methods to take advantage of weak spots in reporting limits and transaction checks. They claim that casinos, which deal with lots of cash, are still easy targets unless they keep improving their detection systems and teach their front-line workers to notice coordinated actions like several big withdrawals happening one after another.
For now, the case highlights both the money and crime aspects of casino-related fraud. Besides the million-dollar losses, finding drugs during the raids points to a bigger criminal operation where financial crimes and drug dealing overlap.
The post Casino ATM Scam in Edmonton Reveals Money Laundering and Drug Links appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Bragg Gaming
Bragg Confirms Cyber Attack – Hackers Access Internal IT Systems

Bragg Gaming Group, a leading online gaming technology provider, has confirmed a major cybersecurity incident that compromised its internal IT infrastructure in the early hours of Saturday, August 16, 2025.
The company detected unauthorized intrusion attempts that successfully breached its internal network, triggering an immediate and comprehensive incident response.
Key Takeaways
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Bragg Gaming Group experienced a cybersecurity breach involving access to internal IT systems.
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No customer personal data or payment information appears to have been compromised.
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The company has enacted full containment and investigation protocols.
Details of the Breach
According to a preliminary forensic analysis by Bragg’s internal security team, the attack was a targeted breach aimed at the company’s internal computer environment. While the exact method of intrusion is still under investigation, early indicators suggest a sophisticated exploit of internal network vulnerabilities.
Fortunately, the company’s customer-facing systems, including sensitive user data and financial information, appear to have been unaffected. Bragg’s existing encryption protocols and access control systems successfully prevented the attackers from accessing customer information.
Immediate Response Measures
In response to the breach, Bragg launched a multi-tiered containment strategy, including:
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Network Segmentation to isolate affected systems
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Enhanced Monitoring of data flows across its Remote Games Server (RGS) platform
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Security Audits of critical infrastructure, including the Bragg Hub and PAM systems
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Engagement of Independent Cybersecurity Experts to assist in incident analysis and system hardening
Bragg’s Security Operations Center has also elevated its alert level, initiating 24/7 monitoring across all server clusters and network endpoints. In addition, company-wide penetration testing is now underway to proactively identify any residual vulnerabilities.
Business Continuity Maintained
Despite the severity of the breach, Bragg reports that its operations remain unaffected. All gaming services, including iCasino and sportsbook offerings across regulated markets, continue to function without disruption.
“While this incident is deeply concerning, we are confident in the rapid and thorough response initiated by our team,” a company spokesperson stated. “We remain committed to protecting our infrastructure, our partners, and most importantly, our players.”
Looking Ahead
As part of its response, Bragg has also launched mandatory security awareness training for all employees to reinforce best practices and prevent future incidents.
Cybersecurity analysts will continue working with Bragg to determine the full scope of the attack, improve system resilience, and maintain the trust of its users and stakeholders.
Bragg’s handling of the incident highlights both the evolving nature of cybersecurity threats and the importance of robust, responsive defense systems in the digital gaming sector.
Source: cybersecuritynews.com
The post Bragg Confirms Cyber Attack – Hackers Access Internal IT Systems appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
AGCO
AGCO Removes Cap on Seller Commission for Charitable Lottery Products

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has updated several lottery policies to remove the cap on seller commission for Paper Raffles and Media Bingo, along with removing the prohibition on Catch the Ace paper lotteries, to align with other charitable lottery products.
Licensed charities may now negotiate commissions directly with sellers and determine commissions, provided they are reasonable and tied to the cost of service provided by the seller.
These updates further the AGCO’s commitment to adopt an outcomes-based regulatory approach and reduce burden for the charitable gaming sector. Local charitable organizations will have greater flexibility to make decisions that best serve their fundraising objectives.
Important Reminders
• Charities must still receive approval for other expenses incurred under their licence and retain receipts for seller commission paid.
• Licensing authorities will not require documentation to be submitted as part of the application process, however, charities are still subject to audit to determine compliance.
• Charities are reminded of their legal requirement to meet their obligations under the Criminal Code and with respect to conducting and managing a charitable gaming scheme.
• As with all licensed charitable lottery events, charities must take the necessary steps to ensure that they are conducting and managing the lottery event within Ontario.
For charitable gaming-related inquiries, email an AGCO Eligibility Officer at [email protected] or call AGCO Customer Service at 1-800-522-2876, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The post AGCO Removes Cap on Seller Commission for Charitable Lottery Products appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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