The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority has selected Bede Gaming to design, build and launch BetSIGA, a new branded iGaming platform that is expected to replace PlayNow in spring 2027. The service will be offered through a responsive website and dedicated iOS and Android applications, with existing PlayNow customers set to migrate to the new platform.
SIGA said Bede was chosen through a competitive procurement process. BetSIGA is intended to be tailored to Saskatchewan players and to give SIGA its own platform as the authority pursues the next stage of its digital gaming strategy.
The new system will use open, modular technology designed to adapt to changing player expectations, regulatory requirements and SIGA’s longer-term plans. Its controls will include identity verification, geolocation, anti-money-laundering measures, security, player protection and responsible-gaming tools.
SIGA also expects the platform to support data, loyalty and personalization initiatives over time, and to connect digital play with its broader gaming operations. Zane Hansen, SIGA’s president and chief executive, called BetSIGA an important step in the authority’s long-term digital strategy and said revenue would continue to support First Nation communities and Saskatchewan.
BetSIGA will succeed PlayNow, which SIGA has operated in Saskatchewan since November 2022 and which remains the province’s only legal online gaming platform. SIGA operates seven casinos in the province and is a non-profit organization whose net casino-operation profits go to local First Nation communities, community development corporations and Saskatchewan’s general revenue fund.
As we reported in September, Saskatchewan extended SIGA’s online-gaming exclusivity through September 2029. The authority said PlayNow had been growing in profitability despite competition from illegal platforms.
Bede Gaming, part of Germany’s MERKUR GROUP, is headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The supplier’s platform serves operators in five markets, processes billions of transactions annually and is supported by an international workforce of about 300 people across three continents.
The change comes as gaming proceeds remain significant for Indigenous organizations in the province. The Saskatchewan government said First Nation and Métis organizations are to receive $153.5 million in gaming revenue payments for the 2025-26 fiscal year, $46 million above the budgeted amount, citing strong performance from SIGA casinos, SaskGaming properties and PlayNow.
