The Industry Comes to Toronto: Canadian Gaming Summit Preview
Posted on: June 16, 2025, 10:40h.
Last updated on: June 16, 2025, 11:17h.
- Summit runs Tuesday through Thursday in Toronto
- Third year that SBC is running Canadian industry event
- Over 3,000 attendees expected, plus 75 exhibitors and 150 expert speakers
The Canadian Gaming Summit will run Tuesday through Thursday in Toronto. The premier industry event held north of the US border, the event is of a size and scale that reflects what has become one of the world’s largest iGaming markets.
This will be the third year that the show is being run by SBC. A spokesperson said this week they expect more than 3,000 people with 75 exhibitors (10 more than last year), 200 affiliates, and 150 expert speakers, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Canada is a fast-moving market with regulatory shifts, market expansion, and emerging technologies driving a rich agenda of panel discussions featuring industry leaders, regulators, and innovators. There will also be workshops held.
Canada: One of the World’s Largest Gaming Markets
This year, there will be some add-ons to the program, including a cybersecurity symposium on Stage 3 on Wednesday, with panel discussions covering topics like how cybercriminals are infiltrating and navigating casino and betting networks, as well as a simulated scenario, stepping into the mind of an attacker targeting a fictional organization.
This year, SBC is incorporating its player protection symposium into the two event days rather than during a pre-event day like in years past.
“The Canadian Gaming Summit continues to evolve as the premier gathering for industry leaders across the country,” said SBC founder and CEO Rasmus Sojmark. “With dynamics shifting and new opportunities emerging, this year’s event will provide a vital platform for meaningful discussions that shape the future of gaming in Canada. From the latest innovations to critical policy debates, we’re bringing together the brightest minds to drive the industry forward.”
Show Highlights
Some of this year’s panels include “Building a sustainable gaming model”, on Wednesday, at 10:50 am, on Stage 1, featuring Canadian Gaming Association President & CEO Paul Burns, Karin Schnarr, CEO of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, Dallas McCready, CEO of the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, and hosted by Ilkim Hincer, Chief Legal Officer of GeoComply. They’ll be talking about steps the industry has to make going forward to ensure Canada’s gaming model remains sustainable.
Another anticipated panel will be the one later that day, at 12:10 pm on Stage 1, hosted by the Province of Alberta’s Minister of Service and Red Tape Reduction Dale Nally, who will unveil Alberta’s strategy to build a world-class regulated iGaming framework, expected to launch in 2026.
Also on Stage 1, on Wednesday, at 12:25 pm, GW Group Partner Jill Walker will host a discussion called “Canada’s future: Developing iGaming in the rest of the country”, featuring TRM Public Affairs President Troy Ross, Rubicon Strategy President Patrick Harris, and Ariane Gauthier of the Quebec Online Gaming Coalition.
Bricks-and-Mortar Challenges
Also on Day 1, on Stage 2, at 3 pm, there’s “Omnichannel marches on: Are the bricks and mortar crowd catching up,” as iGaming continually expands across Canada, hosted by Pixiu founder Tony Plaskow. It will feature Senior Director of Product Management and Innovation François Hardy, BetMGM Marketing Operations Manager Paul Adams, AGS Interactive Account Manager Scott Baker, and Bece Gaming CEO Colin Cole-Johnson.
At 12:15 pm Thursday on Stage 1, “Self-exclusion: A plus for protection or a boost to the black market?”, gets into the potential impacts of Ontario’s upcoming self-exclusion tool.
The panel will be hosted by RGC VP of Policy Standards and Accreditation Tracy Parker, and will include Dr. Kahlil Philander and associate professor at Washington State University’s Carson College of Business along with Loto-Quebec’s Dr. Isabelle Martin, Dataworks Group CEO Al Watson, iGaming Ontario’s Catherine Jarmain, and OLG’s Chief of Staff Aaron GlynWilliams.
Sports Betting Chat
A popular panel at these shows over the years has been Martin Lycka and his Safe Bet Show. At 11 am on Thursday, he’ll talk with former NHL player and current TV hockey commentator Nick Kypreos on Stage 1 about the impact that sports betting has had on hockey and other sports in Canada and North America.
Another must-visit is the “Fireside Chat” with Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey and AGCO Board Chair Dave Forestell on the state of the industry in Ontario. That discussion will take place Wednesday at 10:25 am. on Stage 1.
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