Pollard Banknote has expanded its presence in the iLottery sector through a new partnership with Instant Win Gaming (IWG).
The agreement gives Pollard Banknote’s iLottery clients, including Play Alberta, access to IWG’s extensive catalogue of eInstant titles and proven jackpot technologies.
Strengthening Market Access Through iLottery Market Leader
This new deal with IWG comes at a pivotal time for Pollard Bankote, a Winnipeg-based iLottery supplier that powers iLottery products in monopolies across nine Canadian provinces, including Play Alberta. With a goal to expand its global footprint, the company recently entered the UAE market after receiving a gaming-related vendor license from the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA).
Commenting on the new partnership, Vice President of Digital Engagement Shannon DeHaven said it further advances the company’s commitment to providing speed-focused games through modern and flexible technology.
“We’re excited for this new partnership, which will allow even more lotteries to benefit from IWG’s highly successful game portfolio. IWG’s library of proven, lottery-focused eInstant games make an excellent complement to our own offerings from the Pollard Digital Games Studio,” DeHaven said.
“Further, due to InstantRGS’ architecture, new product innovations from IWG are easy to deploy — an additional benefit to our Catalyst clients. By working directly together, our teams completed the integration in just a few weeks — avoiding project delays and the complications that many lotteries are currently experiencing when an intermediary aggregation platform is involved. This reflects our shared commitment to modern, flexible technology platforms designed for ease of integration.”
Long-Running Online Instant Win Games Supplier
Instant Win Gaming (IWG) is a leading eInstant games supplier to more than 25 state and national lotteries around the globe. With a strong presence in North America and 20+ years of experience, the company prides itself in delivering in excess of 250 InstantGames every year to its lottery customers, which include World Lottery Association (WLA) and the North American Association of State & Provincial Lotteries (NAASPL).
Last year, IWG received a financial investment from Allwyn, a Switzerland-based multi-national lottery operator, to strengthen its content offering. By the end of the partnership, Allwyn received a 70% stake in the company.
The timing was no coincidence. The same year, IWG released Turbo Jackpots, a multi-province progressive jackpot that linked Ontario Lottery & Gaming, British Columbia Lottery Corporation, and the Atlantic Lottery across nine Canadian jurisdictions – the first of its kind in the country.
Fast forward to 2025, IWG’s InstantRGS (remote gaming server) integrated with Pollard Banknote’s Catalyst, which is the platform powering Pollard’s online lottery solutions in Canada and internationally.
“We are thrilled to partner with Pollard Banknote to offer our portfolio of eInstant games to clients of their state-of-the-art Catalyst platform,” says Jason Lisiecki, IWG’s Executive Vice President.
“Our games always generate high player engagement, which in turn creates significant transaction volume. Through our many years of experience, we’ve found that direct-to-wallet integrations — just like the one enabled by Catalyst — consistently deliver the lowest operational latency, resulting in a much smoother and more responsive player experience. Catalyst’s cloud-native, modular, and API-first architecture, combined with the professionalism and technical expertise of the Pollard Banknote team, made the integration process seamless.”
How This Fits Into Play Alberta Brand Boost Strategy
The Pollard–IWG partnership does more than add to the suppliers’ global footprints. It also benefits Catalyst clients, more particularly government-run Play Alberta. Ahead of Alberta’s regulated iGaming market launch, Play Alberta has been working slowly towards increasing its market dominance.
Access to IWG’s massive eInstant library and linked progressive features like Turbo Jackpots — through Pollard Banknote’s Catalyst program — means Play Alberta can add more games without the long development cycle and provide higher-value jackpots that grab attention.
Faster integrations also let Play Alberta test promotions, player retention campaigns, and cross-platform features in a licensed, controlled environment. For a government-run operator competing on trust as much as choice, a deeper lottery-focused library and proven jackpot mechanics is a way to increase player engagement while staying within strict regulatory and responsible gambling frameworks.
It also helps Play Alberta position itself as a modern, competitive alternative to offshore sites. After all, more content and linked jackpots will attract and retain players who might otherwise frequent offshore platforms while Alberta-specific account controls and transparency will give consumers confidence. Overall, this deal supports both short-term product momentum and long-term brand credibility, especially as Alberta prepares to open its regulated iGaming market.
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