One of North America’s biggest brands in the gambling game is taking it slow and steady when it comes to its strategy for Ontari-ari-ari-o.
Gaming News Canada learned yesterday morning that Fanatics has soft-launched its online casino product, becoming the 49th operator to join the province’s regulated market. The company, which currently has its igaming offerings available in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, has no timeline for launching its sportsbook here.
“We led with casino because it’s fastest to market. We will follow with sports,” Conor Grant, a 30-year veteran of the gambling industry who was hired by Fanatics two years ago to lead the igaming business, told Gaming News Canada.
Fanatics has been on almost everyone’s radar to come to Ontario since the province gave the green light to regulated gambling in April 2022. Grant told us there’s a method to the methodical approach.
“We only launched a (online) casino in January 2024,” he said. “When we launch our products, we want to make sure we get into the market for testing. There’s a large casino market in Ontario and Alberta with some really good operators and competitors there.
“We want to get our product into tip-top shape.”
For now, Fanatics Casino is offering, “hundreds of games across live dealer slots and table games” from well-known suppliers including IGT PlayDigital, Evolution and Playtech, with more to come.
Of course, we asked Grant about Fanatics’ plans for Alberta.
“That’s something we will do in 2027, and that’s all I can say right now,” was his response.
Opening your digital doors with igaming makes an awful lot of sense in Ontario, where – as Dave Briggs writes a little lower in this dispatch – last month 80 per cent of handle came from online casinos. For Fanatics, a known entity across Canada thanks in large part to its jersey partnership with the National Hockey League’s 32 teams, and a notable collectibles enterprise, there’s already brand recognition in the marketplace (as the Ivey leaguers say).
So, don’t expect to see a wave of advertising and marketing until later in the year.
“We’re have a lot of brand trust and equity, and we’re well-recognized in sports,” Grant said. “What we bring into this market is a challenger-brand proposition we believe will cut through.”
Fanatics, according to Grant, understands that a copy-and-paste approach to Ontario isn’t a winning strategy in one of the world’s most competitive regulated markets.
“We’ve seen in our research that if we treat this like our American business, we won’t be successful. You have to make sure the proposition resonates with Canadian customers.”
“We’re not treating Ontario as a 51st state.”
Asked about the company’s player safety strategy, Grant pointed to Fanatics being among the first gambling operators in the U.S. to ban the use of credit cards. He added that the casino product has in place the iGaming Ontario-mandated BetGuard self-exclusion program.
“It’s hugely important you take a very responsible approach to how you grow and scale your business,” he said. “We want to do the right thing by our customers.”
As we were putting the finishing touches on the newsletter, the latest Eilers & Krejcik Gaming Betting Market Monitor landed in our inbox, pegging Fanatics as an “ascendant challenger” in the online sports betting space and wrestling for the No. 3 spot with BetMGM behind FanDuel and DraftKings.
Is your iGaming platform truly driving your digital growth? Choose a provider that aligns directly to your ambitions.
Click here to find out what other global operators have to say about the unparalleled partnership of Bede Gaming.
Saskatchewan extends online gambling agreement with First Nations
If you had a futures wager on the provincial government in Saskatchewan launching regulated gambling between now and 2029, we’re sorry.
The Scott Moe government announced Monday it has extended online gambling exclusivity to the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), via the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) for another three years, through September 2029.
“The gaming sector provides significant First Nations employment and supports economic development on- and off-reserve, while funding education, housing and many other priorities,” said Jeremy Harrison, the minister responsible for Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan. “Revenue-sharing arrangements agreed to in the GFA mean that both the province and First Nations in Saskatchewan have a vested interest in the success of the gaming sector.”
The deal also allows for a gaming centre pilot project on the Flying Dust First Nation in the northwestern end of the province. The project will allow for up to 49 slot machines.
According to SIGA’s 2025-26 annual report, mobile gaming accounted for 75 per cent of revenue, and the $31.6 million in gross gaming revenue generated by igaming was a 23.4-per-cent increase over the previous fiscal year.
Sports and entertainment won’t be regulated by securities/derivatives legislation: CSA
Well, that was quick, although we aren’t, in journalism parlance, putting a -30- on this story.
Less than 24 hours after reporting on the status of prediction markets in our home and native land, the Canadian Securities Administrators and Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization made public a “notice to provide guidance on the application of securities and derivatives legislation to certain products commonly described as event contracts, prediction contracts or prediction market contracts.”
The most relevant sentence in the CSA/CIRO release for the readers of this dispatch?
CSA staff’s view is that Event Contracts based on sports and entertainment events or outcomes should not be regulated within securities and derivatives legislation.
Canadian Gaming Association head honcho Paul Burns told us on a recent episode of the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Bede Gaming that, essentially, any activity around sports by a prediction market business is betting and should be overseen by gaming regulators.
“The Canadian Gaming Association welcomes today’s guidance from CSA and CIRO staff. It brings clarity to a question that matters a great deal to Canadian consumers, provincial governments, and the licensed gaming industry: sports wagering is sports betting, whatever the platform, and it belongs within the framework that provinces have built specifically to regulate it,” said Burns in a dispatch from the association.
Also:
Sports wagering carries risks that provincial gaming regulators are specifically equipped to manage. Robust know-your-customer checks, anti-money laundering controls, responsible gambling safeguards, and integrity monitoring to detect and deter collusion or match manipulation are not incidental features of a well-run sports betting market — they are the foundation of one. These protections have been built and refined over years by provincial regulators working directly with licensed operators, and they do not appear automatically simply because a product is labelled a “contract” rather than a “bet.”
The CGA has long held that sports wagering, in whatever form it takes, should be offered only through provincial gaming regulators, and that the framework governing a product should be determined by what it does, not by what it is called. Today’s guidance affirms that principle, as CSA and CIRO have drawn a clear and sensible line: the distinction between a sports contract and a sports bet should not be reduced to semantics.
In case you missed last week’s newsletter, a white paper created by Wealthsimple’s two senior legal beagles, the case was made for gaming regulators to steer clear.
. . . sports outcomes, should be assigned to gaming regulation while the rest stay under securities regulation. This is unworkable and does not reflect the structure of these contracts or markets. A contract on the outcome of a soccer match and a contract on the level of inflation are, mechanically, the same instrument. Each is a binary contract that derives its value from an underlying event, and each reaches a Canadian client through a chain of intermediaries.
Dividing up the regulatory oversight of derivatives instruments that operate in identical ways, and differ only by subject matter, is the wrong approach. It would be unprecedented in Canada. We do not operate in a system where securities issued by telecommunications companies or banks are regulated differently than securities issued by mining companies or technology companies. Securities are securities, and issuers must all follow the same set of rules, no matter the industry they operate in.
As of our deadline last night, we hadn’t seen a response from Wealthsimple to last week’s CSA/CIRO announcement.
The Logic’s finance reporter Claire Brownell, in a LinkedIn post, very nicely provided a trio of possibilities on what could happen next.
As of today, our . . . er. . . prediction is that Canadian stakeholders won’t take the same mud-packed path as its neighbours on the south side of Lake Ontario. Those waters were muddied even further last week with the legal wranglings around prediction markets likely headed to the Supreme Court and no end in sight to the fight between the gambling industry and PMs.
Oh yeah, and the NFL regular season is just around the corner.
Ontario online gambling market still exploding, sets revenue record for online casinos
More than four years in, Ontario’s online gambling market continues to boom, and online casinos are driving the explosion.
July figures released last week by iGaming Ontario show it was not only the second-best month in history based on gross gambling revenue, but the total of $413.6 million is also up more than $100 million – or 33 per cent – compared to July of 2025.
The record total of $425.4 million was set in December of 2025. July was the fourth straight month that exceeded $400 million and the seventh time in the last nine months.
Online casino revenue of $330.4 million in July was an all-time record for Ontario and accounted for 80 per cent of the total revenue in the month. It was the fifth straight month and the eighth time in the last 10 months that online casino revenue has $300 million.
Revenue for sports betting was $77.8 million in July, down marginally from $78.6 million in June. July is, typically, a slower month for sports betting. However, year-over-year, the July figure was up 48 per cent from $52.7 million in July of 2025. That is likely due to the World Cup being held this year in June and July. Still, the most recent month’s total is down significantly from the November through January period dominated by football, basketball and hockey. November of 2025 was the first and only time online sports betting revenue has exceeded $100 million.
Some other notable figures:
Year-to-Date (through July 2026 compared to first seven months of 2025)
Total online gambling revenue of $2.7 billion up 26 per cent from $2.2 billion
Total online casino revenue of $2.2 billion up 30 per cent from $1.7 billion
Total online sports betting revenue of $533 million up 19 per cent from $449 million
Year-to-Date compared to the first seven months of 2023 (the first full year the market was open)
Total revenue is up 118 per cent compared to January through July of 2023 ($1.24 billion)
Online casino revenue is up 59 per cent compared to January through July of 2023 ($890 million)
Online sports betting is up 69 per cent compared to January through July of 2023 ($315 million)
Lifetime totals:
Total online gambling revenue: $12.97 billion
Online casino revenue: $9.81 billion
Online sports betting revenue: $2.9 billion
Online poker revenue: $265 million
Tax revenue from online gambling: $2.59 billion
One month in: Reflections from Alberta’s newest regulated market
A month-plus after launching in Alberta, Betty is already seeing the value of entering Canada’s newest regulated iGaming market.
From conversations with players to community activations and day-to-day engagement, the first month has reinforced the importance of understanding local audiences while continuing to deliver an experience rooted in trust, transparency and responsible gaming.
While it’s still early days, Alberta has demonstrated many of the characteristics of a modern regulated market, giving operators an opportunity to build meaningful relationships with players from the outset.
“The first month in Alberta has reinforced the importance of listening,” says Andrea Stodart, Vice President of Marketing at Betty. “Every conversation with players, whether online or in person, helps us better understand what they value and where we can continue improving the experience.”
As Alberta’s regulated gaming market continues to develop, Betty says those early learnings will help shape its approach to future innovation, player engagement and long-term growth in Canada.
AGCO monetary penalties to operators now exceed $1.5 million
Thanks to a $100,000 monetary penalty issued last week to NorthStar Gaming, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has now issued more than $1.5 million in such penalties to online gambling companies since Ontario’s market opened in April, 2022.
As we reported last week, in the last 52 months, the AGCO has issued monetary penalties to 17 different operators. It also issued a five-day suspension, but no financial penalty, to PointsBet.
The $100,000 penalty to NorthStar Gaming (Ontario) Inc. was for “alleged failures to comply with provincial anti-money laundering (AML) requirements,” read a press release. It was the second monetary penalty NorthStar has been handed by the AGCO.
In the most recent case, “NorthStar Gaming’s own AML policies identified a player’s disclosed occupation as high risk and required the player to be classified as high risk and undergo Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD), including verification of source of funds, once the player’s lifetime deposits reached $25,000.
“The player opened an account with NorthStar in March 2024 and reached the $25,000 deposit threshold within the same month. Despite the player’s disclosed occupation and the threshold being reached, NorthStar did not classify the player as high risk, initiate the required EDD assessment or verify the player’s source of funds.
“The AGCO’s compliance review was prompted after the player was charged by police in connection with Project Outsource, a joint law enforcement effort targeting criminal activity, including extortion and violence, in the towing industry.”
The commission’s latest disciplinary act caught the attention of Derek Ramm, the global head of advisory services for Kinectify and a Canadian Gaming Association board member, whose LinkedIn post prompted some debate.
SBC Summit brings together the most senior decision-makers from across the global gaming industry, including operators, regulators, suppliers, affiliates, investors and media leaders.
As a partner of SBC, Gaming News Canada is offering a 30% discount code on VIP passes AND conference, networking, and business passes. Visit the summit website and use the PARLEHPARTNERVIP code when you register.
People on the Move
After 52 months in the Vice President, Brand & Marketing Officer’s chair at OLG, Maxine Chapman is leaving to become President and CEO at Destination Ontario.
Fredrik Ogren is leaving Betsson Group and his Chief Technology Officer post.
Former Continent 8 Technologies North American sales head Aidan Rees-Williams is appointed Chief Revenue Officer at Viadex Global.
Oksana Tsyhankova takes her leave from Soft2Bet as Chief Commercial Officer to join Cyprus-based NDA in the same role.
Booming Games appoint Michael Waterfield as Chief Commercial Officer.
Josh Champion, ex of Betting Hero, is the new Head of Growth at PlayerProps.ai.
Marissa Carbone Hayes is named Head of Marketing at GamesBeat.
Tanya Kane has a new title at Flutter Studios as head of Studio Operations.
Cecilia Scott is leaving the American Gaming Association and her role as Senior Director, Marketing & Industry Communications.
Ian Rowe has a new title at BCLC: Director of Lottery.
Paul Adams leaves his Senior Manager, Casino Operations role at BetMGM to join Hard Rock Digital as Director of Revenue for its Ontario enterprise.
Jay Berger is promoted to Director of Product at FanDuel and Tom Winrow-Jones is named Director, Trading Operations & Protection.
Jorge Morales is named Director of Americas at Games Valley.
Graeme Savill is appointed Head of Business Development at Backseat Gaming.
DraftKings appoints Caitlin Brosque-Hewitt as as Financial Crimes Investigations Senior Associate.
David Del Bianco bids adieu to Playtech to become Money Laundering Reporting Officer at SuprNation.
Fanatics promote Anil Ramchand to Senior Treasury Manager.
Masooma Dhoajiwala is named a Responsible Gaming Officer at Momentum.
Mike Breen joins the Editorial team at NEXT.io.
Quinn Allen has a new position at Legend as an Editor with Sportsbook Review.
Seth Waterhouse comes on board at Games Global as a Senior Market Strategy Manager.
We Are Social introduce Josh Stein as Chief Creative Officer and Curtis Diggins as Group Director, Sport.
The Hockey News appoints Shannon Ross as Deputy Publisher.
USports, the national governing body for Canadian university sports, promote Tara Hahto from her current position as Director of Compliance and Eligibility to Chief Operating Officer.
Classified (Jobs) Information
On the Home Front
There’s a remote opportunity for a Chief Compliance Officer to help a business with its work in Finland and Canada.
Lahal Management has an opening in Coquitlam, B.C., for a Director, Compliance – Casino Management.
FINTRAC Canada is hiring a 10-pack of Risk Oversight Analysts.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario is searching for a Legal Counsel.
Canadian media outlet The Logic is looking for a Manager of Client Partnerships.
On the South Side of Lake Ontario
Wanted by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority: a Vice President of Digital and Content Marketing.
FanDuel has room for a Senior Product Analyst at its New York offices.
DraftKings has a remote opportunity in Massachusetts for a Lead Analyst, People Analytics.
In Hollywood, Fla., Hard Rock Digital is hiring a Manager, Corporate Strategy – Hispanic Audience.
Red Bull has a position available for a Senior Manager, Gaming Player Marketing.
Microsoft is seeking a Senior Director, Gaming – Measurement and Insights.
NFL HQ is on the hunt for a Vice President, Product & Design.
In New York, Jomboy Media is hiring a Brand Sponsorship Manager.
Wanted at The Seattle Times: a Sports Multiplatform Editor.
Abe Madkour and the gang at Sports Business Journal are seeking a Reporter, College.
Sports Illustrated in on the lookout for a Sportswriter to cover the WNBA and NCAA women’s hoops.
Across the Ponds
Among the current openings at Betty are a Head of LiveOps, a Head of Payments, and a Head of AML, and also for a Senior Data Scientist.
Relax Gaming in searching for a Head of Product.
Entain is in the market for an AI Director and an AI Transformation Manager.
Better Collective is looking for a Sales Director, Gaming, Esports & Sports Partnerships (UK & Europe).
In Melbourne, BetMakers Technology Group is searching for a Marketing & CRM Specialist.
In Gibraltar, BVGroup is hiring an E-Gaming Content Manager.
TikTok has an opening in Israel for a Business Partnerships Lead (Gaming).
West Ham United is in hiring mode for a Head of Content.
The International Olympic Committee is seeking a Sports Data Specialist.
Reading and Reflecting
Just as we hit the Send button on the newsletter this morning, a media advisory landed in our inbox. “Toronto drivers can fill up for free today as DraftKings brings its Gameday Fuel initiative to Danforth Gas & Wash in Scarborough.
DraftKings will provide free gasoline for passenger vehicles from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET, while supplies last.”
Mark Keast reported for Casino.org the pointed words from the elected official in charge of Alberta’s regulated market for the chair of the BCLC about his criticism of the Ontario and Alberta regulated gambling models.
In his just-released autobiography, Canadian media personality Rick Campanelli opens up about his addiction to gambling.
A nice bit of chronicling by Tom Nightingale on the most popular sports and online casino games in the early weeks of Alberta’s regulated market.
In his Not The Public Broadcaster blog, Bruce Dowbiggin points at sports betting as the catalyst for the end of “absolute” sports fandom.
Financial Post columnist Jack Mintz had an at-times confusing take on legal gambling in Canada and taxation. To clarify the situation in Ontario’s regulated market, the provincial government has in place a 20-per-cent gross gaming revenue share with operators (excluding OLG), which also pay federal and Ontario corporate income tax on profits.
Courtesy of Geoff Zochodne’s X account, Circa Sports boss Derek Stevens had an update on Canadian visits to Vegas.
ESPN gambling beat reporter David Purdum delivered last week a must-read feature on a University of Cincinnati student who became addicted to betting.
American sports media personality Bill Simmons admitted on his podcast last weekend to using his daughter’s boyfriend to place wagers – a no-no.
In the latest poll conducted by The Athletic, Zack Meisel reported on the experience of MLB players with backlash they receive from social media and betting buffoons.
It took longer than expected but the NFL has its sports betting partnerships in place for the 2026 season and beyond.
The Australian government is putting more teeth into its rules around sport integrity.
According to reporting and analysis by CNN, young American adults between 18 and 21 have traded an estimated $5.4 billion with Kalshi this year.
There’s new research in the U.S. that the number of diagnosed gambling disorder cases has risen more than 60 per cent in states with legal sports betting.
There’s reporting in New York Times on the road towards the elimination of skill games in Pennsylvania.
There was reporting of the exclusive variety Monday by Front Office Sports scribe Ben Horney of the United States Tennis Association’s new U.S. Open partnership with Kalshi. Count long-time tennis journalist and CBS 60 Minutes correspondent Jon Wertheim among the non-enamoured crowd with the announcement.
A PGA Champions Tour player was suspended last week for betting on. . . . golf. As my much, much better half says, you can’t fix stupid. By the by, Covers is tracking incidents involving athletes and betting on sports.
On a somewhat related note, can’t we all agree that offering bets on a sporting event played by children goes beyond the pale?
Kindbridge Research Institute has released a new report examining gambling behaviours and other issues among first responders in the U.S.
Scott Longley made a guest appearance on iGaming Business.com to do some keyboarding about the rise of the betting development “shop”.
It’s full steam ahead for DraftKings’ prediction markets product in California, where sports betting is verboten.
Speaking of DK, it has launched a new marketing campaign featuring Kevin Hart and Nick Jonas getting together for a road trip.
BetMGM’s new “It Happens Here” campaign features Don Draper/Paul Marks/Roy Tillman/Vice Admiral Cyclone Simpson/St. Louis Blues super fan.
Also, exclusive reporting from Fortune’s Camila Grigera Naon on DraftKing co-founder Matt Kalish receiving a multimillion-dollar marketing deal from the operator for his new business.
Daniel O’Boyle reported for InGame on BetMGM’s new app containing a few features from prediction markets.
Dave Michaels of The Wall Street Journal has the latest on insider trading concerns on prediction markets.
Someone isn’t all that excited about the San Francisco Giants’ partnership with Kalshi.
Jeff Edelstein dug deep for InGame into the ties between prediction markets and the business of sports betting information.
Fanatics is a little lighter in the digital wallet for its dealings in Colorado with a self-excluded gambler.
The owners of Bede Gaming are keen to do business in the land-based casino market in France.
Bet365 is up and running in West Virginia.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news by following us on LinkedIn and Twitter, ensuring you never miss out on breaking updates.
To discuss our coverage of your company’s news and announcements and to become an advertiser on Gaming News Canada, please contact steve@gamingnewscanada.ca.
