B2B gaming provider Inspired Entertainment has announced that Loto-Québec will be the first operator in Canada to offer the new Hybrid Dealer Roulette game.

Expected to launch in Q4 2024, Hybrid Dealer Roulette is the second Hybrid Dealer game launched by Inspired. It features virtual CGI and pre-recorded real-life hosts and is designed to mimic a live casino experience, with a countdown timer to place bets before each round begins and all players seeing the same results at the same time. It also offers social features including leaderboards and live chat.

“We are thrilled to bring this innovative new game to Loto-Québec’s players, a first for Canada,” said Inspired President and CEO Brooks Pierce in a release. “Hybrid Dealer is a whole new category of games, and through our advanced technology, Loto-Québec will be able to provide a realistic branded Roulette experience to their online players.”

“This collaboration demonstrates our commitment to offering the best online casino experience for our players through innovative solutions,” said Francois Hardy, senior director at Loto-Québec. “We continuously seek new ways to enhance the player experience and keep our audience entertained. Inspired’s Hybrid Dealer Roulette game is an exciting innovation that we are confident will resonate with our players.”

For Loto-Québec, it’s the latest innovation after the crown corporation last week launched the first cross-platform mystery jackpot using Light & Wonder’s new cross-platform technology.

Hybrid Dealer is a new, U.S.-patented online product category that offers players casino and gameshow content without the challenges of live dealer products, said Inspired in a release.

Inspired previously launched the MGM Bonus City Hybrid Dealer game with BetMGM in New Jersey 12 months ago, making BetMGM the first commercial online casino in North America to offer the new product category. That has since been extended into Michigan.

Last November, a month after the initial MGM Bonus City deal, Inspired entered into an agreement with Caesars Digital to create bespoke Hybrid Dealer products for Caesars Palace Online Casino and Caesars Sportsbook & Casino.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, Inspired announced a licensing agreement with the NHL that gives it the rights to use league and team logos and branding in virtual sports games, as well as access team jerseys and names.

Loto-Québec has worked with Inspired for several years and the two companies together launched the supplier’s first iLottery game in Canada in June 2022. Pharaon Réaction was custom-created for the Québec lottery corporation, combining its retail brand with the game mechanics of Inspired’s Scarab Treasures interactive game.

That launch was part of Inspired’s bigger push into the Canadian market, where it works with a variety of operators and lotteries. In June of this year, Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) announced it would install 150 of Inspired’s Valor vide lottery terminals on a permanent basis after a successful six-month trial run.

Pierce added at that time that Inspired remains committed to servicing the Canadian market. Alberta is its third province of operation, adding to its existing footprints in Ontario and Saskatchewan.

In April, Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC) awarded Inspired an additional 720 Valor VLTs in a move that will take the total number of the terminals in that province alone to more than 1,500 by the end of the year. Inspired also said at that time that it will deliver new games in Canada next year.