Casumo heading out
Slots gamblers in Ontario will soon lose access to 3,300 titles from suppliers such as Light & Wonder (L&W) and Playtech through operator Casumo after the firm announced its impending market exit.
A Canadian iGaming trade publication revealed Wednesday that the native Swedish brand will halt all play on April 30 ahead of shuttering all player accounts in Ontario on May 14.
initiated “minimum withdrawals of $2
Malta-headquartered Casumo reportedly emailed Ontarians on April 1 to state it was no longer taking new account sign-ups, and that it had initiated “minimum withdrawals of $2 (Interac & MuchBetter) and $10 (bank transfer).”
April 8 is the final day for players to claim outstanding bonuses, while those already claimed can be used until April 30. On April 23, all deposits will stop.
Abrupt exit
“Make the most of your balance” states the notice on Casumo’s Ontario iGaming site’s homepage signaling the end of Casumo’s three-year tenure in the province.
According to Casumo, all player accounts with Casumo will be closed in Ontario on May 14 and any remaining funds forfeited. The departing brand leaves with over 3,000 slots, table games, and live dealer casino titles from suppliers including L&W, Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, and Play’n GO.
While the firm hasn’t given any reasons why it is shutting down in Ontario, its Canada-facing site states it is operational in British Columbia, Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and Alberta.
It’s uncertain, however, if Casumo has applied to launch in Alberta, which goes live on July 13 with its iGaming market, with Caesars prepped to rollout three gambling apps.
Tough market
Although its Ontario exit remains a mystery, the province is North America’s most densely saturated legal iGaming market. Forty-seven operators are licensed by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) to run a total of 81 market-regulated online gaming sites, Casumo included.
All these vie with each other and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming for a market that regularly tables over $9bn in total wagering activity and approximately $400m in Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) per month, with online casino accounting for roughly 85% of all monthly handle and revenue.
Having been forced out of the market before Casumo, British sportsbook Fitzdares gave its reason quite plainly as “the cost of doing business was becoming prohibitive.”
