THE INTERVIEW
Chad Helm, IGT VP Sales for Canada and Oregon
Matt Broughton spoke to Chad Helm about his interesting route to IGT, and what makes the Canadian gaming market unique?
Matt: Chad, can you please tell us about your industry background. Chad: My first work-related experience in a casino was in 2000 as a beverage server for the Ontario Jockey Club at Mohawk Racetrack (Racino), while I was still in university. I enjoyed the vibe and energy of the place and wanted to pursue a career in gaming. From that role, I moved on to a position with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (“OLG”) and then proceeded to move up in the company by taking on new roles as sites opened, expanded, etc. I was with OLG 10 years in various capacities, from Shift Supervisor/Manager to Site and Operations Manager, and before I left for IGT, I was working at a corporate level with vendors and selecting product for the OLG Casino Network. I then moved into an Account Manager Role at IGT.
Matt: How did you come to be in your position at IGT? Chad: I joined IGT in 2010 as the Account Manager for casino gaming in Ontario. Given my previous experience working with OLG and commercial
10 NOVEMBER 2025
operators such as Fallsview (now Mohegan), Caesars Windsor, First Nations properties at Casino Rama (managed by Penn) and Great Blue Heron (managed by Casinos Austria), it was a natural fit. I was able to leverage those relationships in my new role at IGT, which then allowed me to thrive on the other side of the business and get a sense for how non-government operators managed their day-to-day business and purchases. I then took on the Director of Sales role for Canada in 2016 when IGT merged with GTech. From there, I moved into the VP role for Canada in late 2024.
Matt: What do you look after on a day-to-day basis? Chad: My team works to facilitate business in all of Canada’s many verticals. We are the market leader in VLT in Canada and Oregon, both in terms of cabinet market share and game performance. We also provide the VLT systems for each Canadian jurisdiction and Oregon. My team covers all the casino business in Canada and the electronic bingo halls in Ontario. We work hand-in-hand with the IGT PlayDigital™ team and have one of the most unique relationships with them in the company, as many of our largest customers in the digital space are the provincial lotteries that we do business with in all the other verticals. This allows us to be more
integrated in the digital business than many other land-based units would be. I look forward to bringing that same team approach to FinTech as we are now officially under the same umbrella as Everi.
Matt: How has 2025 been for you so far? Chad: This year has been one of the busiest years for IGT in Canada to date! Many of our customers are replacing their VLT networks, and this year marked a convergence of sorts with every single customer in Canada and Oregon refreshing part of their network. This is on top of everyday casino and bingo refresh programs. For the company as a whole, we merged with Everi on July 1st. That transaction is a game-changer for us and the industry. IGT was already a global leader in land-based and digital gaming, and we now have the strongest North American FinTech company in gaming under the same roof. The teams are coming together; you can just feel the momentum building internally and with our customers.
Matt: You’re looking after Canada and Oregon; what makes the Canadian gaming market unique? Chad: As I noted earlier, Canada has many different verticals and customers. This diversity presents itself differently across the country. Each province offers
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
