PENN VP of Operations: New Casino Games on a Weekly Basis for Ontario Market
Posted on: June 6, 2025, 07:54h.
Last updated on: June 6, 2025, 08:13h.
- PENN VP talks about more aggressive approach on the casino front for Ontario
- PGA Tour Blackjack launched in Ontario and New Jersey in May
- PENN looks at weekly casino content launches for Ontario
This morning in the EKG Line, the weekly newsletter on the gambling industry, there’s a note about how PENN Entertainment is pushing promo spend on the solid-performing online casino end.
Leveraging Blue Jays and Golf Canada Partnerships
That story was referencing its Hollywood PA Casino app, but you can extend that focus on casino in Ontario, looking at what PENN has been up to with its theScore Casino app.
In the Ontario regulated market, casino is the difference maker, for operators competing here. According to the latest market performance statistics from iGaming Ontario, in a market that saw CAD $7.79 billion in total cash wagers in April, and CAD $313.3 million in non-adjusted gross gaming revenue, with casino holding 84% market share in wagers and 78% on the revenue side.
In April, PENN launched theScore Casino, a stand-alone icasino app in Ontario, operating on the same proprietary technology platform as PENN’s online Hollywood Casino, which launched as a standalone product in the U.S. in December.
Casino Dominates
That product was ranked by Eilers & Krejcik as the No. 2 overall icasino product in the U.S. in 2024
Casino.org spoke with Jason Birney, Vice President of Operations, PENN Interactive, about what the company is doing on the online casino front in Ontario.
We’re focused on delivering the best-in-class online casino experience in the market,” he said. “To accomplish that, we’re adding new games on a weekly basis and constantly enhancing our product to best serve our user base. We’re extremely proud of the progress we’ve made across our online casino business and how users are responding with our newly launched standalone theScore Casino app.”
Bespoke Games Via Tech Platform
PENN has leveraged multi-year partnerships with the Toronto Blue Jays and Golf Canada to boost online casino content offerings. That sponsorship includes the RBC Canadian Open and CPKC Women’s Open. As everyone following golf knows, the RBC Canadian Open is taking place this weekend at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley, so there’s lots of golf buzz in the province now.
At the end of May PENN debuted online PGA Tour Blackjack in New Jersey and Ontario, which features classic blackjack gameplay, plus poker and pairs side bets. The golf-themed table features official PGA TOUR logos, custom playing cards, chips and golf-themed celebrations.
“Ontario is a great market for us in terms of both online sports betting and iCasino, where we offer a number of bespoke games developed by our in-house game studio, PENN Game Studios, and exclusive content such as our Blue Jays-branded games through our partnership with the team,” Birney said.
In-House Game Studio
“On the marketing side, we’ve also been focused on creating additional cross-sell opportunities from online sports betting around marquee events, such as tying in slot promotions to March Madness.
Having a dedicated in-house game studio allows us to more creatively and efficiently serve our users through the creation of unique and exclusive games such as Legendary Larry and Wuji Mines – two original titles that are among our most popular games.
“Owning every step of the process allows us to work on our own timelines, prioritize launches and further integrate our partners such as the Blue Jays, PGA TOUR, and more into bespoke branded content that’s not available anywhere else.”
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