Before hopping on a plane to Spain for this week’s ICE Barcelona, gaming industry veteran Ilkim Hincer hopped into the virtual studio for a new episode of the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Bede Gaming.

The interview with Hincer, the Chair Emeritus of the Canadian Gaming Association who joined Integrity Compliance 360 in October as President, Canadian Operations & Managing Director, Global Advisory Strategy, took place just days after Alberta Gaming Liquor & Cannabis made registration available for the province’s incoming legal sports betting and gaming market. Hincer, who joined gaming industry stakeholders on a call a week ago with Alberta minister Dale Nally and AGLC personnel, provided his thoughts and layers on the next Canadian jurisdiction to join Ontario in a competitive, regulated marketplace.

Hincer, given IC360’s involvement in U.S. college sports, was guarded in his response to our question about a point-shaving plot involving 39-plus players and 17 Division 1 teams in NCAA men’s basketball. He also discussed with host Steve McAllister last week’s announcement of an extended agreement between IC360 and the PGA Tour to incorporate the company’s ProhiBet platform into the tour’s gambling oversight.

Finally, McAllister asked the former CGA chair if he had any words of wisdom for incoming Chair Scott Vanderwel.

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When the 2026 season of sports betting and gaming conferences gets rolling next week at ICE Barcelona, there will be a segment of attendees climbing out of their hotel beds before the sun rises, putting on their shorts, T-shirts and hoodies and then heading to the gym for some skipping, jabbing, bobbing and weaving. . . and trying to avoid getting knocked on their derrieres by the heavy bag.

Who to “blame” for this early-morning sweaty session around the boxing ring? That would be Lee McFarland, the creator/owner of Beyond the Gloves, with a helping hand from the Chair/founder of Bede Gaming, Michael Brady. Bede, the sponsors of this august podcast, are supporting the latest opportunity for gaming industry types to live and learn from the teachings of McFarland in Barcelona.

The pro-pugilism pair were our guests on the latest episode of the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Bede Gaming. McFarland explained the decision to launch Behind the Gloves towards the end of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2023 to support people – many of whom were looking to reconnect with peers and others as they began to leave remote work environments. McFarland, who also co-founded Recovery in iGaming last summer, talked about the reaction to his boxing sessions at conferences and company team-building events.

Brady, who was trained by McFarland for his participation in the UK-based SBC Boxing Championship/Oliver’s Wish event, spoke about his enthusiasm for the Behind the Gloves program and the impact it has had on his own life and on Bede employees participating in the BTG sessions.

While we had the two gaming industry veterans in the virtual studio, we also asked them for their thoughts on the current industry landscape. Brady addressed Bede’s partnership with OLG, Ontario’s regulated market, the company’s plans to grow in Canada, and what’s happening in other parts of the world.

While McFarland has sold out his BTG sessions for ICE Barcelona, conference attendees can put their names on a waiting list.

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Long-time Friend of Gaming News Canada Phill Gray, the former trading lead at Sports Interaction, joined us for a lookahead on several levels into the business of sports betting and online gaming over the next 12 months.

Gray tackled the issues expected to be of the most hot-button variety across the Canadian and American gambling industries in 2026, including:

• The continuing conflict between prediction markets and sportsbooks which aren’t incorporating PMs into their business, and thoughts on the launch of DraftKings’ prediction market product.
• What’s ahead for Ontario’s competitive legal gaming industry as it marches towards the fourth anniversary of its launch in April, and will it continue to see the growth it experienced in 2025. Gray pontificates about what should be top of mind for operators in the regulated market.
• As we enter the NFL postseason, a Winter Olympics next month, a FIFA World Cup being hosted by Canada, Mexico and the U.S. this summer, the excitement around the Toronto Blue Jays following their return to the World Series in 2025 and the growing popularity of women’s pro sports – including the inaugural season of the WNBA Toronto Tempo coming this spring – 2026 promises to be a big year for bettors and the books. Gray also discussed the changing responsibilities of sportsbook traders and the impact on artificial intelligence and data companies on them.
• Some advice for the powers-that-be responsible for creating Alberta’s open market, expected to launch sometime this year.
• The concerns surrounding prop betting by sports leagues/organizations and public health advocates.

And, of course, we asked Gray for his new year’s predictions around the industry in Canada.

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