Inside the Leaders Track: The talks around policy and strategy set to dominate at the Canadian Gaming Summit

At the heart of the Canadian Gaming Summit 2025, the Leaders Track will convene ministers, regulators, and top executives to share high-level insights into the future of gaming. 

Taking place on Wednesday, 18 June at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the track will feature seven sessions that peel back the curtain on the pivotal developments, policy shifts, and market dynamics set to shape Canada’s gaming ecosystem in the years ahead. 

Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC, said: “Our goal with the Leaders Track is to elevate the conversations already taking place in this exciting market. By uniting policymakers, regulators, and business leaders on one stage, we’re bringing together the sharpest minds in Canadian gaming to challenge assumptions and engage in frank discussions about what’s next for Canada.” 

The track will kick off with opening remarks from Duncan Hannay (President, OLG), followed by a high-profile fireside chat featuring the Hon. Stan Cho, Ontario’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming; the Hon. Doug Downey, Attorney General of Ontario; and Dave Forestell, Chair of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). Together, they will unpack Ontario’s progress throughout the past years, including the strategic separation of iGaming Ontario (iGO) from AGCO and the broader vision driving the province’s long-term gaming strategy under Minister Cho’s leadership. 

Attendees will also hear a keynote address from Alberta’s Minister for Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, Dale Nally, who returns to the Canadian Gaming Summit after last year’s announcement of Alberta’s intention to follow Ontario’s iGaming model. Minister Nally will provide critical updates on the province's progress and outline the timeline and expectations for stakeholders in the coming months. 

The keynote panel, Building a Sustainable Gaming Model in Canada, will tackle the growing challenges and opportunities facing the national industry. The conversation will confront rising pressures from emerging technologies, unregulated operators, and the rise of sweepstakes and prediction exchanges. Panelists Paul Burns (CEO, Canadian Gaming Association), Dallas McCready (CEO, ALC), Dr. Karin Schnarr (CEO, AGCO), and Ilkim Hincer (CLO, GeoComply) will share strategic insights on how to preserve long-term market stability while navigating regulatory complexity and accelerating innovation. 

The SBC Leaders panel, To Market, to Market: Where Will the New Customers Come From?, will examine operator differentiation strategies in Ontario’s maturing market and highlight customer acquisition tactics as Alberta prepares for its 2026 launch. Tom Burdakin (VP of Marketing, FanDuel), Paris Smith (Founder, Life Winning/Defy The Odds), and Scott Vanderwel (CEO, PointsBet Canada) will discuss competitive positioning, product adaptation, and effective marketing approaches. 

The session Integrity in Betting: Setting a Standard for Canada will examine how the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) and the Professional Footballers Association Canada (PFA Canada) have partnered to establish national sports integrity standards that could serve as a benchmark for the entire Canadian market. Speakers Scott Grant (Senior Manager, Investigations, Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports), Daniel Kruk (Executive Director, PFA Canada), Dave Phillips (COO, AGCO), and Jean-François Reymond (Education Ambassador, IBIA) will discuss how training, education, and technology can be leveraged to create a robust framework that combats match manipulation and safeguards the integrity of Canadian sport nationwide. 

Updates from Ontario will bring together the chairs of the province’s key regulatory and operational bodies to explore the latest developments in Canada’s first and only open iGaming market for private operators. Dave Forestell (Chair, AGCO), Heidi Reinhart (Chair, iGaming Ontario), and Jim Warren (Chair, OLG) will share insights into what Ontario’s record revenues reveal about market maturity, and how these lessons could inform emerging frameworks across other provinces. The panel will be moderated by Peter Czegledy (Partner, Aird & Berlis LLP). 

The Leaders Track at the Canadian Gaming Summit is one of several focused content streams addressing the most critical issues shaping Canada’s gaming industry. Additional tracks will feature in-depth sessions on Sports Betting & Casino, Cybersecurity, Player Protection, Affiliates & Advertising, and Payments & Compliance. 

Get your tickets for the Canadian Gaming Summit! 

Full Event Passes are still available at a discounted rate of $795 per person when you book as a group of three or more — saving you $200 per ticket with our Group Discount. 

You can also grab an Expo Plus Pass for $195, which gives you access to all conference tracks, sessions, and the show floor. Please note: this pass does not include access to networking events. 

Operators and affiliates are eligible for free Full Event Passes, just apply via the respective links.