Sports streaming giant DAZN now has an online sports betting and casino platform to compete with the best and the rest in Ontario.
The company’s DAZN Bet platform went live in the province on Tuesday, marking DAZN’s first North American gambling market entry. The iGaming platform offers a sportsbook “tailored to Canadian preferences” as well as a full-suite casino of popular slots, table games, and live casino.
Canadian Gaming Business first reported in April 2022 that DAZN was preparing to launch its gaming app in Ontario via a platform partnership with Pragmatic Play. Last December, DAZN EVP of Growth Markets Daniel Berthold told Canadian Gaming Business that the company hoped to satisfy all regulatory and other obligations in Ontario as soon as the first quarter of 2026.
After receiving an Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) license in January, it has taken a little longer than hoped, but is now live as the regulated Ontario iGaming market’s latest entrant. iGaming Ontario currently lists 47 licensed commercial operators running 81 iGaming sites in the province.
DAZN Bet intends to be ‘meaningful player’ in Ontario
DAZN Bet is operational in numerous European markets, including:
- Germany
- Italy
- Spain
- The UK
Now, it has made its North American debut, and it intends to bring something different to the table in Ontario in its quest to “become a meaningful player in the region.”
DAZN Bet CEO Valery Gelfman stressed that the operator intends to enter the province “with a product that is designed for long-term sustainability”, as well as a local mindset and a customer-centric approach.
“Ontario is an important moment for DAZN Bet and a market where trust matters deeply to players,” added the operator’s Managing Director of Canada Richard Rawlinson. “We are combining the strength of a global sports entertainment brand with a localized product that is built for Canadian customers.
“Our focus is on responsible growth, strong compliance, and a customer experience that feels distinctly Canadian. This is the beginning of a long-term commitment to the country.”
Streaming meets betting
In an Ontario market with nearly 50 operators, ranging from U.S. and European online gaming giants to digital arms of land-based casino companies to smaller Canadian-bred brands and more, DAZN Bet will bring something different.
DAZN Group CEO Shay Segev said at DAZN Bet’s initial European launch four years ago that “the convergence of sports media and betting is the future,” and the platform is built on that idea as its foundation.
In Canada, DAZN Bet may be new, but the name of the parent company is hardly unfamiliar. It has established itself as a go-to destination for live sports, holding exclusive or non-exclusive streaming rights to the NFL, MLB Network, English Premier League (via an agreement with primary broadcaster Fubo), all UEFA soccer competitions (until 2027), major boxing events, LIV Golf, and more.
Gelfman said that the operator intends to offer a gaming experience that reflects “the trust and credibility” that the company believes sports viewers already associate with the streaming platform.
“In a way, we are almost a little bit of a different beast in the standard of online betting companies, because we’re coming in as a broadcaster,” Segev said at ICE back in January. “We don’t want to create just another betting site.”
In its European markets, where allowed, DAZN integrates live odds and betting functionality into its live streams, allowing viewers the choice to directly tie together their sports-watching experience with gambling. In-play odds appear alongside live streams, statistics, highlights, and social features.
“When you go to DAZN, you go because you like sports,” added Segev at ICE. “If you want to bet, it’s completely optional … But if they can only watch it on DAZN, they should be able to bet on DAZN. So this is where we’re going with that.”
That approach is not entirely novel in North America, or even in Ontario — anyone watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup on TSN in the province this summer will have seen FanDuel splashed across broadcasts, as well as a FanDuel odds functionality in the World Cup section of the TSN app.
But no brand has yet delivered a unified, global watch‑and‑bet platform in Ontario. DAZN intends to prove it can be done.
DAZN Bet will also launch in Alberta
Ontario is DAZN Bet’s first stop in Canada, but it will not be the last.
The brand received its Alberta iGaming operator license in late May and is one of roughly 50 sites registered to do business when that province launches regulated iGaming on July 13.
DAZN Bet confirmed on Tuesday that it will expand into Alberta and become one of the early movers in the market “in the near future.”
