Building Canada's Social Gaming Future
What started as a conversation between two gaming enthusiasts in a Toronto coffee shop has grown into Canada's most trusted social casino platform, serving over 750,000 players nationwide.
What started as a conversation between two gaming enthusiasts in a Toronto coffee shop has grown into Canada's most trusted social casino platform, serving over 750,000 players nationwide.
In March 2019, Michael Chen and David Thompson were having their usual Friday afternoon coffee at a small café on Queen Street West in Toronto. Both had spent years working in the online gaming industry – Michael as a product manager at a major gaming studio, and David as a compliance officer specializing in Canadian gaming regulations.
"We kept seeing the same problem," Michael recalls. "Canadians loved casino games, but many were either intimidated by real-money gambling or simply couldn't afford it. Others lived hours away from the nearest casino. We thought, why not create a platform where everyone could enjoy authentic casino games without any financial risk?"
That conversation sparked an idea that would eventually become SocialRoot. The concept was simple but revolutionary for the Canadian market: offer Vegas-quality casino games that are completely free to play, with no possibility of winning or losing real money. Players could enjoy all the excitement of casino gaming as pure entertainment.
"We wanted to remove every barrier to entry. No credit cards, no deposits, no age verification beyond confirming you're 19+. Just sign up with your email and start playing immediately with free coins."
The first six months were intense. Working out of David's basement in Scarborough, the founding team of five people built the initial platform. Sarah Johnson, who had just left Google to join as CTO, architected a system that could handle millions of concurrent games while maintaining sub-100ms response times.
"Those early days were crazy," Sarah remembers. "We'd code until 3 AM, grab a few hours of sleep, then start again. Michael would be on one side of the basement talking to game developers, David would be on calls with lawyers ensuring we were compliant with every provincial regulation, and I'd be in the middle trying to make it all work technically."
The team faced numerous challenges. Canadian banking regulations made it difficult to process even free coin purchases. Provincial gaming laws varied significantly, requiring different approaches for different regions. And perhaps most challenging, they had to convince game developers to partner with an unknown startup.
The COVID-19 pandemic hit just as SocialRoot was gaining momentum. With casinos closed across Canada and people stuck at home, demand for online entertainment skyrocketed. The platform saw a 400% increase in new registrations in March 2020 alone.
"It was both an opportunity and a massive challenge," explains Michael. "Our servers were crashing daily from the traffic. Sarah and her team worked around the clock to scale our infrastructure. We went from handling 10,000 daily active users to over 100,000 in just two months."
But the team saw this as more than just a business opportunity. They recognized that many Canadians were struggling with isolation and needed safe forms of entertainment. SocialRoot launched several initiatives during this period:
By the end of 2020, SocialRoot had grown to 35 employees and moved to a larger office space. The platform now hosted over 50 games and had players in every province and territory in Canada.
To make premium casino entertainment accessible to every Canadian adult, regardless of their financial situation, location, or experience level, while promoting responsible gaming and fostering a positive community.
We believe that casino games, at their core, are about entertainment and social connection. By removing the financial element, we allow players to focus on what really matters: having fun, challenging themselves, and connecting with others who share their interests.
Today, SocialRoot employs 87 people across Canada, with offices in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. Our team includes game developers, mathematicians, customer support specialists, compliance experts, and community managers – all united by a passion for creating the best social casino experience possible.
Born in Vancouver and raised in Toronto, Michael brings 15 years of gaming industry experience to SocialRoot. Before co-founding the company, he led product development for several successful mobile games at Ubisoft Toronto, including titles that generated over $100 million in revenue.
"What drives me every day is seeing messages from players who tell us that SocialRoot helped them stay connected with friends during difficult times, or that they finally understand why their spouse loves slots so much. We're not just building games; we're building connections."
Michael holds an MBA from Rotman School of Management and a Computer Science degree from the University of Waterloo. He's an advocate for diversity in gaming and serves on the board of Women in Games Canada.
15+ years in gaming
Waterloo CS alumni
Rotman MBA
Sarah spent seven years at Google working on distributed systems before joining SocialRoot as employee #3. She's the architect behind our platform's ability to handle millions of concurrent games while maintaining industry-leading uptime of 99.98%.
"The technical challenges of social casino gaming are fascinating. We're essentially running hundreds of mini-simulations every second, each with their own random number generation, state management, and real-time synchronization. It's like conducting a digital orchestra."
Originally from Halifax, Sarah studied Computer Engineering at Dalhousie University before earning her PhD in Distributed Computing from MIT. She's published several papers on real-time systems and holds three patents in online gaming technology.
Ex-Google engineer
MIT PhD
3 gaming patents
With a background in gaming law and compliance, David ensures SocialRoot operates within the complex web of Canadian gaming regulations. His expertise has been crucial in making SocialRoot available across all provinces while maintaining the highest standards of player protection.
"Compliance isn't just about following rules – it's about building trust. Every decision we make is guided by the question: 'Is this in the best interest of our players?' That philosophy has helped us build relationships with regulators across Canada."
David practiced gaming law for eight years at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP before co-founding SocialRoot. He holds a JD from Osgoode Hall Law School and regularly speaks at gaming conferences about social casino regulation.
Gaming law expert
Osgoode Hall JD
8 years at Blakes
Since our launch, SocialRoot has become more than just a gaming platform – it's a community. Our players have formed lasting friendships, created clubs based on shared interests, and even organized real-world meetups in cities across Canada.
We believe in giving back to the communities that support us. Through the SocialRoot Foundation, established in 2022, we've contributed over $500,000 to Canadian charities focused on:
"SocialRoot has given me a way to enjoy casino games without the stress of losing money. As someone on a fixed income, I can now understand why my late husband loved playing cards so much. The friends I've made in the Seniors Slots Club have become like family."
SocialRoot isn't just about playing games – it's about pushing the boundaries of what social casino gaming can be. Our technology team, led by CTO Sarah Johnson, has developed several industry-first features:
Our proprietary algorithm ensures that every player, regardless of their coin balance or play history, has exactly the same odds. We publish monthly transparency reports showing aggregate RTP data for every game.
Switch seamlessly between devices mid-game. Start a slot session on your phone during lunch, continue on your tablet at home. Every spin, every win, perfectly synchronized in real-time.
Our system learns each player's patterns and provides personalized reminders when play sessions become unusually long or frequent. It's like having a caring friend watching out for you.
Run tournaments with 10,000+ simultaneous players without a hiccup. Our distributed scoring system processes millions of game results per minute while maintaining perfect accuracy.
We're also investing heavily in the future. Our R&D team is exploring virtual reality casino environments, AI-powered game personalization, and blockchain technology for verifiable fairness. While we can't share all the details yet, we can say that 2025 will bring some exciting announcements.
As we enter our sixth year of operation, we're more excited than ever about the future of social casino gaming in Canada. Our roadmap for 2025 includes:
But our biggest goal remains unchanged: to be the platform where every Canadian can safely enjoy the excitement of casino gaming. Whether you're a retired teacher in Newfoundland, a tech worker in Vancouver, or a student in Winnipeg, SocialRoot will continue to be your home for premium, risk-free casino entertainment.
"To our incredible community of players: Thank you. Thank you for trusting us with your entertainment, for your feedback that shapes our platform, and for spreading the word about SocialRoot. You've made this journey possible, and we promise to keep earning your trust every single day."
— Michael, David, and Sarah