Homegrown Ontario casino and sportsbook Rivalry has announced a twist on the usual online casino while staying true to the company’s esports betting roots.
In November 2022, Rivalry launched an interactive gaming platform Casino.exe in parts of the world. The site allows users to bet on nostalgia-laden, old-school-style video games.
Update: Casino.exe launched in Ontario on March 22, 2023. Rivalry debuted its casino product in its home market with a total of eight games, including several of which are exclusive to the region. This is what the home screen looked like on launch day in Ontario:
Rivalry launched its legal, regulated esports, casino and sports betting platform in Ontario on April 4, the day the province opened its online market.
In a release about Casino.exe, Rivalry said the site allows customers to fire up a vintage PC “to create an entertaining experience for users” that includes:
- A retro operating system
- Desktop icons and wallpapers
- A functional MP3 player.
- Custom game box art, and more to create an entertaining experience for users.”
This is not your granddaddy’s casino
Rivalry bills Casino.exe as a “proprietary interactive casino platform that will house current and future games on the website.
It’s all about offering something different to bet on while appealing to a younger audience. Steven Salz, the company’s co-founder and CEO said:
“Our technology and creative capabilities continue to drive meaningful opportunities across our business where we can innovate on product and ultimately reimagine the betting experience for a younger audience that craves interactive entertainment.
“The launch of Casino.exe will allow us to further diversify our offering in a way that stays true to our brand and separates our product from others. As we scale thoughtfully into the casino segment, we’ll reduce the impact of seasonality in esports, increase customer value, and offer more stable margin profiles.”
Ontario casino launch follows success of Rivalry’s Aviator
In July 2022, Rivalry had a soft launch of Aviator, the first casino game it designed in-house. Rivalry said Aviator has generated more than 10% of the company’s revenue in the third quarter, “with zero marketing spend.”
Casino.exe expands on that success. It looks to strengthen both its control over the user experience and Rivalry’s appeal to younger gamblers.
“Much of Rivalry’s success is rooted in our ability to tap into the cultural zeitgeist of our audience whose average age is 25,” said David King, Rivalry’s senior manager of product design.
“Casino.exe completely redefines the traditional casino experience and puts a thoughtful and entertaining spin on it using a visual expression that our community has a shared reverence for.”
The plan is to add new game titles and features over time. It’s also part of Rivalry’s strategy to expand into new markets. Also, it aims create a unique casino experience “for a generation of bettors born on the Internet.”
esports is big business for Rivalry
In a preliminary Q3 report covering the three-month period ending Sept. 30, Rivalry said more than 90% of its sportsbook handle was derived from esports. Also, 82% of its active users were under the age of 30.
The report also said Rivalry had:
- Record betting handle of $70.3 million in Q3 2022, up 203% year-over-year, and 83% quarter-over-quarter.
- Record revenue of $7.1 million in Q3 2022, up 93% year-over-year, and 35% quarter-over-quarter.
