- NorthStar Gaming has been registered as an online gaming operator by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).
- Toronto based NorthStar Gaming has announced the name of their forthcoming sports betting and iGaming platform as ‘NorthStar Bets’.
- NorthStar Gaming’s sportsbook will be powered with Kambi technology, while Playtech will provide the online casino technology.
One of the more highly anticipated launches in Ontario’s newly regulated online gaming industry is coming closer to fruition. Toronto based NorthStar Gaming has announced their registration as an online gaming operator by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). The press release making the announcement didn’t give any firm launch date, though it did characterize it as ‘imminent’. The major remaining steps in Ontario’s regulatory process is to file an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario and to provide confirmation of technology compliance with the AGCO.
Michael Moskowitz, Chief Executive Officer and a founding partner of NorthStar Gaming, is looking forward to launch and once again emphasized his company’s local roots:
“As a made-in-Ontario online gaming and sportsbook operator, we’re excited to be awarded our registration as we prepare to launch a locally relevant platform for Ontario gaming enthusiasts to experience. As a local operator, the opportunity for us to design, build and launch a platform for our home market is very special. We’re proud to call Ontario home and look forward to introducing our content-rich platform to consumers.”
NorthStar Gaming will have a great promotional platform, as they’ll be featured in content offered by the Toronto Star. Here’s what we said about NorthStar and their promotional platform in mid March:
The ranks of Ontario facing sportsbooks and other online gaming properties will grow dramatically in the weeks and months to come. MaximBet will be heading to Ontario and BetRegal has already partnered with the Canadian Football League (CFL) so you can be sure they’ll be there. One of the most interesting ‘newcomers’ could easily become one of the dominant brands ‘north of the border’–Toronto based NorthStar Gaming which shares corporate DNA with the parent company of the Toronto Star newspaper. They’ve already joined up with some impressive technology partners–Kambi will power their sports betting platform with Playtech handling the casino side. They’ll also feature integration with the Toronto Star’s website (https://www.thestar.com/) and that is huge. It is Canada’s largest daily print newspaper and has the largest readership in the country.
This analysis was provided at the time the company revealed the name of their gaming platform as ‘NorthStar Bets’:
Earlier today, NorthStar Gaming unveiled NorthStar Bets as the brand for their forthcoming casino and sportsbook as NorthStarBets.
According to the press release, they’ll be featuring sports and betting related content on their website while providing betting specific content to the Toronto Star website. They’ve already got a dedicated URL (thestar.com/sports/sports-betting) though most of the content currently posted is of the introductory variety (‘how to read betting odds’, ‘how to bet on the NBA, etc.). There’s a place for that stuff but I’ll be interested to see their more advanced content.
Looking forward to seeing what NorthStar Bets has to offer. At any rate, we’re heartened to see this type of company in the Ontario ecosystem. In fact, the mere existence of companies that seek to provide a ‘hyperlocal gaming experience’ underscores the quality of Ontario’s regulatory framework. This type of ‘hyperlocal gaming’ provided by a relatively new entrant into the gaming business just isn’t possible in most US jurisdictions with a few exceptions (Colorado and Iowa, among others). The rest of the US states have either relegated sports betting to the status of a gimmick game for the lottery or else they’ve crafted regulation at the behest of legacy gaming businesses and/or other politically powerful entities, financial benefactors, etc. with the explicit or implicit goal of limiting competition and the ability of new players to inter the market.
