The Team
The Team
Leadership

Co-founder, Managing Principal,
Investment Committee Member
Art Falcone
Arthur J. Falcone is a co-founder and Managing Principal of Encore Capital Management and sits on the Investment Committees of its three funds. Art is also the founder and Managing Principal of Miami Worldcenter, one of the largest master-planned urban developments in the United States. Spanning more than 30 acres across nine blocks in the heart of downtown Miami, the entitled project allows for more than 15 million square feet of mixed-use development, including retail, restaurant and entertainment, hotel, residential, and office. Art started his career in development more than 35 years ago, investing in fast food restaurants, hotels and health clubs in New York, and at the age of 22 became the youngest operator of a McDonald’s franchise. He eventually became the owner and operator of more than 100 McDonald’s, Wendy’s and other family-style restaurants throughout New York, Florida and California, and was also a Days Inn Hotel franchisee. In 1988, Art formed the homebuilding and land development company Transeastern Properties, Inc. Transeastern began purchasing residential and mixed-use properties from distressed and bankrupt sellers and capitalizing on foreclosures against distressed housing debt brought on by the national recession in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. As the economy rebounded, this asset base fueled Transeastern’s growth, within 15 years Transeastern had become the largest private homebuilder in Florida and one of the top 25 homebuilders in the United States. Since 2004, Art has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Falcone Group, a vertically- integrated real estate and land development organization specializing in residential, retail and apartment assets. In 2005, Art sold Transeastern to Technical Olympic USA (“TOUSA”) for a total consideration of $1.6 billion. During this period, Art developed or acquired interests in over 20,000 multifamily apartment units. In 2006, Art sold his remaining apartment portfolio for $480 million.

Co-founder, Managing Principal,
Investment Committee Member
Tony Avila
Tony Avila is a co-founder and a Managing Principal for Encore Capital Management. Over the past 25 years, Tony has served as an advisor in over 85 homebuilding merger and acquisition transactions valued at over $12 billion and helped to raise approximately $10 billion in over 75 debt and equity issuances for publicly traded and private homebuilding and land development companies.
Tony founded Builder Advisor Group in 2008 and has been working as a homebuilder investment banker since 1996. Tony has served as an investment banker in more homebuilding transactions than any other advisor. Most recently Tony closed the sale of several top 100 builders including Transeastern Homes, Town and Country Homes, American West, Wade Jurney, Dan Ryan Builders, and Arbor Homes. Tony has also raised capital for dozens of builders and developers, including Johnson Development, Metro Development, LGI Homes, Dream Finders Homes, Beazer Homes, and Century Communities.
Tony’s experience in the housing sector began during the S&L crisis when he worked at the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco overseeing troubled, government-controlled savings and loans. He joined Montgomery Securities in 1996, which became Banc of America Securities in 1998. While at Bank of America Securities, Tony was an advisor to the Pebble Beach Company, helping to bring the Pebble Beach Resorts back to U.S. ownership. In 1999, Tony represented The Irvine Company in its acquisition of Irvine Apartment Communities. In late 2001/early 2002, he advised D.R. Horton for the acquisition of Schuler Homes, the second largest homebuilding acquisition in the U.S.
In 2002, Tony joined JMP Securities where he founded and lead the Homebuilding Investment Banking team for six years. Some notable transactions include advising Transeastern Properties on its sale to TOUSA in August 2005, advising Town and Country Homes on its sale to The Blackstone Group and K. Hovnanian Homes and advising on the formation of a $250 million joint venture between Metro Development and D.E. Shaw to acquire distressed land. In 2008, he advised MatlinPatterson Global Advisors LLC, a global distressed private equity firm, on its capital investment in Standard Pacific Homes. Tony worked on the restructuring of $75 million of Beazer Homes debt and assisted in establishing a joint venture between GTIS Partners and LGI Homes.
Tony is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley. He is a ULI member and active participant of the Community Development Council. Tony is a board member of the Positive Coaching Alliance and a member of the Finance Advisory Board for the Sisters of the Holy Family. Tony is an avid Ironman triathlete and has participated twice in the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. Tony has also run the Boston, Big Sur, San Francisco, California International, Chicago, and New York Marathons.
Leadership
CO-FOUNDER & CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER
Art Falcone
Arthur J. Falcone is a co-founder and Managing Principal of Encore Capital Management. He leads the investments and guides the strategic vision across the entire firm with a specific focus on Florida projects. Art is also the founder and Managing Principal of Miami Worldcenter, one of the largest master-planned mixed-use urban projects currently under development in the United States.
In 1986, he founded Transeastern Properties, which grew to one of the largest privately held builders in Florida. In August 2005, Transeastern was acquired by TOUSA for $1.6 billion. Mr. Falcone has developed or acquired and sold over 30,000 multifamily rental units across Florida, Arizona, and Nevada. Art has been named to the H.Wayne Huizenga School of Business Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame at Nova Southeastern University (2006) and was honored with the Horatio Alger Award for Distinguished Americans (2020).
Art spends his time outside of Encore with his expanding and extended family while serving on several boards supporting various youth-focused educational and philanthropic charities including:
- Junior Achievement Biz Town, South Florida. Financial support for programs that empower youth with the knowledge, ability, and confidence to navigate their future drives economies and leads communities.
- SOS Children’s Villages, Coconut Creek, Florida. SOS provides care for abused children suffering from various forms of neglect in South Florida. Falcone has supported the development of over twenty residences for children in need.
- Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, New York, NY. CFFA Scientific Board Member
- Nova Southeastern University, Davie, FL. Board of Trustees
- Horatio Alger Association, Alexandria, VA- Elected Member
CO-FOUNDER & MANAGING PRINCIPAL
Tony Avila
Tony Avila is a co-founder and Managing Principal of Encore Capital Management. He leads the investments and guides the strategic vision across the entire firm with a specific focus on California projects. Mr. Avila has overseen the acquisition and realization of twenty-five residential real estate projects on the West Coast.
Mr. Avila is also the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Builder Advisor Group, a boutique investment banking firm that advises residential real estate and land development companies on financial transactions including capital raising, debt restructuring, and mergers and acquisitions. Through his family office, Mr. Avila has personally invested in numerous real estate projects in California since 1981. Mr. Avila is a member of the Urban Land Institute and sits on the Community Development Council. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy of Industrial Societies and a Minor in Business Administration.
Tony spends his time outside of Encore with his family, participating in Ironman Triathlons and supporting several educational, social impact, and children sports development charities including:
- Moreau Catholic High School, Hayward, CA. Scholarship and Financial assistance to over 70+ need-based students for high school and college tuition expenses.
- Positive Coaching Alliance, San Francisco, CA- A coach and participant in PCA which provides research-based training and resources for coaches, parents, athletes, and leaders to ensure a positive youth development experience for ALL kids.
- Finance Advisory Board member, Sisters of the Holy Family, San Francisco, CA (since 1999)
Chief Operating Officer
Oscar Vasquez
Oscar Vasquez oversees all fund and firm operations and investor relations. Prior to Encore, Oscar led the Management Consulting organization in California for EMC, one of the world’s largest technology companies. In this role, he was responsible for operational, profit/loss, and business development for the unit, which presided over 30% year-on-year growth of revenue. Earlier in his career, he also worked for Accenture/Andersen Consulting and Deloitte Touche. Oscar earned his BS in Computer Engineering from U.C. San Diego
Chief Financial Officer
John Chiste, CPA
John oversees all financial aspects of the fund, as well as maintaining compliance procedures. Prior to Encore, John was the Chief Financial Officer for the Falcone Group and its affiliates. For 10 years prior to joining the Falcone Group, John was the Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of Bluegreen Corporation, a publicly held timeshare and residential land developer. In addition, John held various leadership positions at Bluegreen Corporation, Comscript, Computer Integration Corporation, and Ernst and Young LLP. Chiste holds a BBA in Accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Team
Team
The History of Online Betting in Canada Through Betlama
Canada’s relationship with online betting has evolved dramatically over the past three decades, transforming from a tightly regulated, province-controlled activity into a dynamic digital marketplace. This evolution reflects broader technological advancements, shifting social attitudes toward gambling, and legislative reforms that have reshaped how Canadians engage with betting platforms. Understanding this history provides valuable insight into one of the world’s most complex and regionally diverse gambling jurisdictions, where federal and provincial laws intersect to create a unique regulatory landscape that continues to adapt to the digital age.
The Early Days: Provincial Monopolies and Limited Options
The foundation of Canadian gambling regulation was established with the 1985 amendments to the Criminal Code, which granted provinces exclusive authority to operate and regulate gambling activities within their borders. This legislative framework created a patchwork system where each province developed its own approach to gambling, from lotteries to land-based casinos. When the internet began revolutionizing commerce in the mid-1990s, Canadian provinces were slow to recognize the potential of online gambling, largely due to technological limitations and concerns about security and problem gambling.
The first significant move into digital territory came in 2004 when the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, operating within Mohawk territory in Quebec, began licensing online gambling operators. This initiative created a legitimate pathway for international operators to serve Canadian customers, though the legal status remained ambiguous. During this period, most Canadians accessing online betting services were using offshore platforms based in jurisdictions like Malta, Gibraltar, and the Caribbean islands, operating in a legal gray area where federal law neither explicitly permitted nor prohibited such activity for individual bettors.
Provincial lottery corporations began launching their own online platforms in the late 2000s, with British Columbia’s PlayNow.com leading the way in 2004, followed by Quebec’s Espacejeux in 2010 and Ontario Lottery and Gaming’s OLG.ca in 2015. These government-operated sites offered limited betting options compared to international competitors and faced criticism for their monopolistic approach. The technology was often outdated, user interfaces were clunky, and the variety of betting markets paled in comparison to what offshore sites offered, creating frustration among Canadian bettors who sought more sophisticated gambling experiences.
Legislative Shifts and Market Liberalization
The landscape began shifting significantly in 2018 when the Supreme Court of the United States struck down the federal ban on sports betting, triggering a domino effect across North America. Canadian legislators recognized that maintaining strict provincial monopolies while millions of citizens wagered billions annually on unregulated offshore sites was both impractical and economically disadvantageous. This realization prompted serious discussions about regulatory reform that would bring online betting into a controlled, taxable framework while protecting consumers.
The watershed moment arrived in 2021 when Parliament passed Bill C-218, legalizing single-event sports betting across Canada. Previously, bettors could only place parlay bets requiring multiple outcomes, a restriction that drove many to offshore platforms. This legislative change opened the door for provinces to develop comprehensive sports betting frameworks. Ontario took the most aggressive approach, passing the Internet Gaming and Gaming Related Supplies Act to create a competitive, licensed market. When Ontario officially opened its regulated online betting market in April 2022, it marked the most significant transformation in Canadian gambling history, allowing private operators to obtain licenses and compete alongside provincial offerings.
As the market matured, platforms focusing on transparency and user education gained prominence. Betlama emerged as a resource helping Canadian bettors navigate the increasingly complex landscape of licensed operators, providing comparative information about different platforms, their licensing status, and the specific features they offered. This type of intermediary service became valuable as dozens of operators entered the Ontario market, creating confusion among consumers about which platforms were legally licensed and which remained in the offshore gray area.
Other provinces watched Ontario’s experiment with keen interest, though most maintained their monopolistic approaches. British Columbia, Quebec, and Atlantic provinces continued operating through their provincial corporations, though they enhanced their digital offerings and expanded betting options to remain competitive. Alberta and Saskatchewan took middle-ground approaches, maintaining provincial control while exploring partnerships with private operators. This provincial variation created a uniquely Canadian situation where a bettor’s options depended entirely on their location, with Ontarians enjoying access to dozens of licensed operators while residents of other provinces faced more limited choices.
Technological Innovation and Market Maturation
The opening of regulated markets accelerated technological innovation in online betting platforms. Licensed operators invested heavily in mobile applications, live betting interfaces, and integrated streaming services that allowed users to watch events while placing wagers in real-time. Artificial intelligence began playing a larger role in personalized betting recommendations, responsible gambling interventions, and fraud detection. Payment processing evolved to include instant banking, cryptocurrency options, and e-wallets that facilitated seamless deposits and withdrawals, addressing one of the historical pain points of online betting.
The integration of sports betting with media companies represented another significant development. Major broadcasters and sports leagues recognized the engagement potential of betting content, leading to partnerships between operators and media properties. Pre-game shows began incorporating betting odds, dedicated betting segments became standard on sports networks, and leagues negotiated sponsorship deals with betting companies. This mainstream acceptance marked a dramatic shift from the stigmatized perception of gambling that had prevailed in previous decades, normalizing betting as part of the sports entertainment experience.
Responsible gambling measures also evolved considerably as the market matured. Licensed operators implemented deposit limits, self-exclusion programs, reality checks, and time-out features that gave users greater control over their betting behavior. Provincial regulators mandated these protections as licensing conditions, creating a safer environment than the unregulated offshore market had offered. Research partnerships between operators, regulators, and academic institutions began producing data-driven insights into problem gambling patterns, informing more effective intervention strategies and public health approaches to gambling harm.
Current Landscape and Future Directions
Today’s Canadian online betting market represents a hybrid model unique in global gambling regulation. Ontario operates a competitive licensed market with over thirty operators, generating substantial provincial revenue through licensing fees and taxation while providing consumers with extensive choice. Other provinces maintain varying degrees of provincial control, creating a fragmented national picture that reflects Canada’s federalist structure. This arrangement has advantages in allowing provincial experimentation and customization to local preferences, but it also creates inefficiencies and regulatory inconsistencies that complicate the experience for operators and consumers alike.
The economic impact has been substantial, with Ontario’s regulated market generating hundreds of millions in revenue during its first years of operation. Tax revenues fund healthcare, education, and problem gambling services, fulfilling one of the key justifications for market liberalization. Employment in the sector has grown significantly, with operators establishing Canadian offices, hiring local staff, and contributing to the technology sector’s expansion. The shift of betting activity from offshore sites to licensed domestic operators has also enhanced consumer protection, as bettors now have recourse through regulatory bodies when disputes arise.
Looking forward, several trends appear likely to shape the next phase of Canadian online betting. Interprovincial harmonization remains a topic of discussion, with some advocating for a more unified national framework that would simplify regulation and expand consumer choice across all provinces. The potential integration of emerging technologies like virtual reality and augmented reality could transform the betting experience, creating immersive environments that blur the lines between physical and digital gambling. Esports betting continues expanding as younger demographics engage with competitive gaming, requiring regulators to develop expertise in this distinct category of wagering that operates according to different rhythms and structures than traditional sports.
Canada’s journey with online betting reflects broader themes in digital regulation: the challenge of adapting territorial legal frameworks to borderless internet services, the tension between consumer protection and market liberalization, and the ongoing negotiation between federal and provincial authority. As the market continues maturing, the Canadian model offers valuable lessons for other jurisdictions considering how to regulate online betting in ways that balance economic opportunity, consumer choice, and social responsibility. The history demonstrates that successful regulation requires flexibility, willingness to learn from experience, and recognition that digital markets demand different approaches than their physical predecessors.
The transformation of online betting in Canada from a legal gray area to a regulated, competitive market represents one of the most significant shifts in the country’s gambling landscape. This evolution has been marked by legislative courage, technological innovation, and an ongoing commitment to balancing commercial interests with consumer protection. As provinces continue refining their approaches and the market matures, Canada’s experience provides a compelling case study in how federalist systems can adapt to digital realities while maintaining their fundamental commitment to regional autonomy and responsible regulation.