theScore Bet will be more closely tied to the Canadian Football League (CFL) thanks to a new multi-year deal with the league.
On Monday, the PENN Entertainment-owned, Canadian-rooted sports betting and online casino platform announced a national partnership that makes the gaming brand an official authorized gaming operator of the league.
As part of the deal, which Canadian Gaming Business first discovered in June, the CFL and theScore will collaborate to deliver fan activations throughout the remainder of the 2026 season, which kicked off on June 4 and ends with the 113th Grey Cup on Nov. 15 in Calgary, and beyond.
“The CFL occupies a special place in Canadian sports culture, making this a natural partnership for theScore Bet and theScore,” said PENN Interactive Vice President of Marketing Justin Hergianto.
“As Canada’s Sportsbook, we’re proud to partner with Canada’s league to create more connected experiences for fans. Whether they’re following scores and breaking news in theScore, managing their fantasy team or placing a bet through theScore Bet, we’re making it easier than ever for fans to engage with the CFL throughout the season.”
Alberta offers new opportunities for theScore Bet
PENN and theScore Bet announced the deal exactly a week after theScore Bet’s official launch in Alberta, Canada’s newest regulated commercial gaming market.
theScore Bet began taking bets in Alberta shortly after midnight on July 13, when the province officially opened its doors as a regulated market. Around 15 separate operators went live at some point on day one.
The pact between the CFL and theScore Bet extends to Alberta and Ontario. In addition to theScore Bet, PENN also operates two online casino-only platforms, theScore Casino and Hollywood Casino, in both of Canada’s commercial regulated iGaming markets.
Alberta is home to two CFL franchises: the Calgary Stampeders and the Edmonton Elks. PENN Interactive noted in a press release that five of the league’s nine teams now play in provinces where theScore Bet operates.
“Alberta is home to some of the most passionate football fans in Canada, making this an exciting time to welcome theScore Bet to our CFL family of partners,” said the league’s Chief Revenue Officer Tyler Keenan.
“With Calgary set to host the 113th Grey Cup, this partnership creates even more opportunities for fans to engage with our game and be part of the excitement. Together, we’ll create innovative ways for fans to follow, experience and celebrate CFL football.”
The deal stretches beyond just theScore’s gambling platform; as part of the partnership, theScore’s legacy media app will also expand its CFL coverage through enhanced league content and more fan engagement initiatives,
theScore Bet tapped as presenting CFL sponsor
The official confirmation of the multi-year partnership comes less than two months after the two entities agreed to make theScore Bet the presenting sponsor of the league’s fantasy game, CFL Fantasy. The free-to-play product allows football fans to draft rosters of real-life players to compete in season-long contests in both private and public leagues.
theScore Bet is also a presenting sponsor of the forthcoming CFL app. The sponsorship facilitates scoreboard and betting odds integrations across the league’s app, theScore’s legacy media app, and theScore Bets sportsbook platform.
The CFL also has partnerships with other gaming brands in Canada.
Last year, it secured a multi-year deal with Soft2Bet’s Canadian B2C brand ToonieBet, and it also recently renewed its partnership with FanDuel Canada, expanding it to cover both Ontario and Alberta. The CFL and FanDuel Canada first agreed to a partnership in July 2023, which made FanDuel the league’s first authorized gaming operator.
