Sports Betting Brands Looking to Break Through Canada on NHL Path
- Hockey figures to be a major revenue generator for licensed and regulated sportsbooks in Canada
- DraftKings and the NHL likely forging partnership plan for the Canadian betting landscape
- Expect more sports betting sites to partner with hockey teams as the market expands in Canada
Canada is hockey country. There’s no disputing that fact.
As much as the NHL loves to boast about growing the game on the American side of the border, it’s still small potatoes when it comes to sports betting there. The fact of the matter is that the NHL plays a supporting role in comparison to the wagering generated by the NFL, NBA, college basketball and football.
That won’t be the case in Canada. As the legal and regulated Canadian sports betting market opens, look for the NHL to be a major revenue producer for online sportsbooks coast to coast. Already, American sports betting giant DraftKings has built a partnership with the NHL in the US and it’s almost certain they’ll do the same in Canada.
However, there’s also cause for concern in this marketplace. Canadian provincial governments continue to drag their feet, keeping privately-run sportsbooks from opening up shop in Canada. Meanwhile, some NHL teams appear to be making deals with unregulated offshore sportsbooks.
Major Sportsbooks Like What the NHL and Canada Have to Offer
Legal and regulated sports betting continues to grow across the US. There have been many instances of major online sports betting sites doing sponsorship and partnership deals with both sports leagues and individual franchises.
Similar pacts are also being agreed upon for the impending Canada sports betting landscape. Naturally, the NHL is a frontrunner is these package deals.
In October, DraftKings was certainly casting an eye toward future partnerships in the Canadian market. The online sportsbook was reaching agreement to become the official sports betting, daily fantasy sports and iGaming partner of the NHL. This deal is granting DraftKings access to NHL assets. That’s including the use of official marks and logos.
Best Sports Betting Apps Coming to Canada
| Sportsbook Apps To Launch in Canada | Expected Province Approval | Launch Date |
|---|---|---|
| FanDuel Sportsbook Canada | ON, QC, BC | Q1 2022 |
| DraftKings Sportsbook Canada | ON, QC, BC | Q1 2022 |
| BetMGM Canada | ON, QC, BC | Q1 2022 |
| Caesars Sportsbook Canada | ON, QC, BC | Q1 2022 |
| PointsBet Canada | ON, QC, BC | Q1 2022 |
| Hard Rock Canada | ON, QC, BC | Q1 2022 |
| theScore Bet Canada (Penn National) | ON, QC, BC | Q1 2022 |
| BetRivers Canada (RSI) | ON, QC, BC | Q1 2022 |
DraftKings can offer NHL-themed sweepstakes and enhanced promotional efforts. These will be taking place during the regular season, NHL All-Star Weekend and throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs and Stanley Cup Final. DraftKings will also have the opportunity for a variety of content integrations across the league’s digital and linear media platforms.
“The NHL has some of the most passionate fans in all of sports and we are delighted to be working with the league once again, while developing a rich and engaging viewership and content experience,” Jason Robins, CEO, chairman and co-founder of DraftKings said in a statement.
Canada, and especially the massive market that will be Ontario sports betting, will soon be opening up to allow the entry of privately-owned legal and regulated sportsbooks. At that stage, expect to see many more deals between these online sports betting sites and NHL clubs.
Unregulated Sportsbooks Slipping Through the Canada Sports Betting Cracks?
Canada is slowly implementing the process to license regulated privately-owned online sportsbooks. Meanwhile, unregulated offshore books are taking advantage of this void. They’re swooping in, grabbing promotional dollars that could be going to regulated sports betting sites, were they operational.
In a puzzling development, the NHL’s Ottawa Senators recently reached an agreement with offshore sportsbook Bet99. The site will be the team’s official helmet sponsor. Considering the NHL is already dealing with regulated and licensed sportsbooks such as DraftKings and BetMGM, this seems like a counter-productive move by the Sens.
Matthew McEwan: Draftkings NHL deal indicative of ‘major sports marketing push’ https://t.co/NQv2EKaCGE pic.twitter.com/yITmLBLKuP
— InsiderSport (@InsiderSportHQ) October 29, 2021
They aren’t alone in this decision, though. Both the CFL and soccer’s Canadian Premier League made sponsorship deals this year with offshore sportsbooks.
Meanwhile, the legal and regulated operators who are obeying the rules continue to be awaiting licensing and launch in Canada. There are signs that they’re growing weary of the lost revenue streams.
“[They] have made things very difficult for us,” Chantal Cipriano, Vice President, Legal, Compliance & People for PointsBet Canada, told WagersUSA.
Legal and regulated sports betting sites are hopeful that they will be able to launch in the first quarter of 2022. Anticipation is that as many as 20 independent operators many open for business in Ontario alone.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
