Squid Game Slots and a Strict Regulator: One Supplier's Alberta Bet

^{Incentive Games is bringing licensed titles, including games based on Netflix's Squid Game, to bet365's online casino platform in Alberta's newly regulated iGaming market. (Image: courtesy of Incentive Games)}

Partnering with bet365 in the Alberta iGaming market, along with a history of supplying Ontario and even monopoly-controlled Québec, gives game designers Incentive Games an unusually pan-Canadian perspective on North America's most recent market opening.

Now a few short weeks into the new era of online gambling in Alberta, the Edinburgh, Scotland-based supplier has partnered with gambling goliath bet365 in Alberta, headquartered 250 miles south in the English city of Stoke-on-Trent, for the pair's debut in Alberta's regulated environment.

Incentive is supplying its random-number-generator games to bet365, including titles based on the Netflix drama Squid Game. Its catalogue of crash-style games includes several that take advantage of the Squid Game licence, with one asking players to press their luck on how long contestants will survive in the show's deadly Red Light Green Light gauntlet. 

The company's earlier work includes FIVES for VirginBet, which allowed sports bettors to select a new soccer player every day to add to a five-person squad and then paid out prizes on the weekend to incentivise customers to engage with other areas of the platform.

Much of the focus on Alberta's launch has been on the 24 operators who have gone live so far, but the creation of a new regulated market also promises to be a significant opportunity for suppliers — and Incentive Games is treating it as exactly that.

"For us, as a growing studio, to enter Alberta with a global operator giant like bet365 on the first day is a phenomenal achievement," said John Gordon, the company's CEO.

John Gordon, CEO of Incentive Games, believes Alberta's emphasis on compliance will help strengthen the province's regulated online gambling market. (Photo: courtesy of Incentive Games)

Because game providers have historically been able to play both sides of the on- and offshore divide, increasing global scrutiny of the sector has prompted more suppliers to pin their colours to a mast. Incentive Games has chosen to focus on regulated jurisdictions, meaning that the creation of a new licenced online market is an opportunity Gordon says needs to be grasped with both hands.

Gordon told Casinos.com that positive feelings about the Western province's potential have been building since well before launch.

"It's been a really good experience," he said. "There have been a number of hurdles and challenges to overcome, but from our perspective, that is positive. You want compliance barriers to entry to be high."

"The regulator has been very easy to work with and swift to respond, and I think that is evident in how many brands have gone live on day one of the market opening," he said.

Canada Veterans

Alberta is not Incentive's first foray into Canada. The company offers several of its games via BetMGM Ontario, but actually made its national debut with monopoly operator Loto-Québec.

That experience with a state-owned lottery operator has given Gordon a keen sense of the increasingly sharp line between regulated and unregulated markets.

"The primary responsibility for this lies with operators and regulators, but we're seeing a fairly firm hand in how it's enacted in Canada," said Gordon.

"A number of operators, in particular the lotteries, ensure that suppliers aren't also providing games to non-regulated brands. This may be slightly less prescriptive for suppliers, but it puts the onus on them to be highly compliant and to firmly believe their products are exceptional."

The growing global pressure on suppliers to do their part in supporting regulated markets has resulted in a number of jurisdictions introducing direct licensing or requiring much more disclosure from B2B firms. Gordon believes Alberta is starting from a strong foundation in this area.

"It would be surprising if they were to become more comprehensive," he said. "From the perspective of a company focused on regulated markets, we think the more comprehensive, the better, as player protection and high-quality product suites thrive in strong legislative frameworks. However, at the moment, it feels like the existing models are sufficient to be enticing to the whole ecosystem."

Realizing Potential in Regulated Markets

From Gordon's perspective, Alberta is well-positioned: "One of Alberta's biggest strengths is the quality of operators and suppliers that have entered the market from day one. We've got incredibly well-known local and international brands already live, as well as some of the premier suppliers in the industry. This can only be a positive."

Perhaps the biggest question hanging over Alberta's new market, in Gordon's view, is not whether it will succeed, but whether it will do so dramatically enough to motivate other provinces to follow its lead.

"I certainly hope so," said Gordon. "Incentive Studios is focused on regulated markets, so the more states, provinces, and jurisdictions that open up, not just in Canada but globally, the better for us as a business."

The governments of other populous and affluent provinces like British Columbia and Quebec are already the target of industry lobbying. Alberta also represents a rare example of a jurisdiction in North America with the full spectrum of gaming available online — progress in adding to the handful of US states that allow online casino games has been glacial, but Gordon believes an example of positive tax and player protection outcomes north of the border could potentially move the needle.

"There's certainly a hope that the success of the regulated iGaming market in Canada both demonstrates consumer demand and encourages some US states to regulate," he said. "We can see what gaps there are in the market in unregulated states, and how they're being filled — by offshore bookmakers, prediction markets, and sweeps operators."

Game Time in Alberta

For now, Incentive is focused on what it can offer players in Alberta and its belief that it offers something different in a crowded market.

With an open field for game design and a relatively low level of product restrictions, Alberta has the potential to establish itself as one of the bellwethers of iGaming design.

"We know that North American players seek more from a title, and so we've made it our goal to bring recognizable mechanics, such as bonus games, jackpots and drop mechanics," said Gordon. "Our product suite is focused on cross-pollinating the crash excitement with the rich features of a traditional jackpot slot to create a unique, appealing product. We truly feel we're bringing a new frontier to these games, rather than just another crash or instant title."

Incentive's raw economic performance in Alberta will be worth watching — but so will its role as an early test case for how B2B suppliers navigate one of North America's newest regulated markets.