PointsBet appointed Scott Vanderwel as chief executive officer for PointsBet Canada on Wednesday, sending further indications that the company intends to establish a considerable presence north of the border once single-event sports betting becomes operational.
The hire is the third addition to PointsBet Canada’s executive team in recent weeks. PointsBet named Chantal Cipriano as vice president, legal, compliance & people for PointsBet Canada earlier in July, shortly after the hire of Nic Sulsky as chief commercial officer in June. Last month, Canada legalized single-game sports betting in an 11th-hour vote during the final week of the parliamentary session before the Senate of Canada broke for summer recess.
“We’re thrilled that Scott has agreed to serve as the first CEO of PointsBet Canada and help us build a team and a business strategy that can serve the new Canadian market with the same sort of creativity and customer focus that our clients in the U.S. and around the world have come to expect from PointsBet,” PointsBet Global CEO Sam Swanell said in a statement.
Vanderwel’s experience in Canadian market
Vanderwel joins PointsBet after previously serving as senior vice president for Rogers Communications, one of the largest media and telecommunications companies in Canada. Before joining Rogers, Vanderwel oversaw the Canadian practice at Monitor Group, a global business strategy consultancy that was later acquired by Deloitte. Vanderwel currently serves as the chair of the Ivey Alumni Network Board.
“I’m excited to take my decades of corporate experience and apply it to building an elite organization ready to serve customers and help responsibly jump-start a brand-new industry in Canada,” Vanderwel said. “The sports betting industry has demonstrated how it can entertain consumers, engage sports fans, and deliver quality products, and PointsBet has been at the forefront of doing it the right way in markets around the world.”
The passage of C-218 last month amends the Canadian Criminal Code to allow a province to conduct and manage a provincial lottery scheme for contests that involve single-game sporting events.
CANADA:
As provincial lotteries race to craft regulations on single-event sports betting, Ontario and British Columbia are expected to launch first.
Robust story on how and when the market may take shape by @MattRybaltowsk.https://t.co/3zRF0cFsDo
— Sports Handle (@sports_handle) July 14, 2021
For the upcoming Tokyo Summer Olympics, PointsBet is offering a prop on the total gold medals won by Canada during the games. There is notable juice on over 4.5 golds (-150), while under 4.5 remained at -120 as of Wednesday morning.
“PointsBet is committed to creating products that fit the consumer’s needs, satisfy the important and necessary requirements of regulators, and enable fans to engage with their favorite sports in new and exciting ways. Scott and the team we are building in Canada with help us do just that,” Swanell said.
