Key Takeaways
- BetMGM’s official sports betting operator partnership with the NFL in Canada now covers Alberta as well as Ontario.
- BetMGM has made several moves to cement its early presence in Alberta since the province opened its doors in July 2026.
- Meanwhile, the NFL recently unveiled a new Canadian online sports and casino agreement with PENN Entertainment’s theScore Bet.
BetMGM renewed its Canadian partnership with the NFL this week and extended it to cover sports betting in Alberta as well as Ontario.
BetMGM first became an official sports betting partner of the NFL in Canada in August 2022, soon after Ontario opened its commercial iGaming market in April of that year. That deal gave BetMGM the rights to use official league and team marks in Canada and to advertise on NFL-operated digital platforms, among other things.
Now, after BetMGM went live in Alberta on day one of that province’s market on July 13, 2026, the operator and league have extended their collaboration into that province.
The partnership also allows BetMGM to run NFL-related integrated marketing activations and premium hospitality experiences in Canada, and the parties will work together on responsible gambling and integrity initiatives.
“We are pleased to extend our partnership with BetMGM for another year, continuing a relationship that has delivered exciting experiences for fans who engage with the game through betting,” said NFL Canada GM Gavin Kemp. “As the sports betting landscape continues to evolve, we remain committed to working with partners who share our focus on responsible gaming, ensuring fans can enjoy the excitement of the NFL in a safe and informed way.”
BetMGM signed Canadian deal with Vikings in September
BetMGM Chief Revenue Officer Matt Prevost added that the operator shares the NFL’s view that sports betting must be built on fair competition and responsible gambling.
“Together, we’ll continue to give fans in Ontario and Alberta a premium way to engage with the NFL, with responsible gaming built into every part of it,” said Prevost.
The NFL Canada renewal comes a few weeks after the Minnesota Vikings signed BetMGM as the team’s official sports betting and online casino partner in Canada. That included not only name and image rights but also the launch of an exclusive Vikings-branded casino game in both Ontario and Alberta.
Neither online sports betting nor online casino is legal in Minnesota, and Vikings Chief Marketing Officer Martin Nance highlighted the importance of connecting with Canadian fans.
Which sports betting operators are NFL partners in Canada?
BetMGM is not the NFL’s only official gaming partner in Canada. In fact, it is one of four, alongside:
- DraftKings
- FanDuel
- PENN Entertainment
In early October, PENN announced that its three licensed Ontario and Alberta iGaming platforms (theScore Bet, theScore Casino, and Hollywood Casino) now hold league and team intellectual property and advertising rights. Unlike BetMGM’s deal, PENN’s deal spans both online sports betting and online casino.
BetMGM ramps up Alberta visibility
Since going live as a day-one operator in Alberta’s market, which has already swelled to include more than 50 licensed iGaming sites after just three months, BetMGM has taken several steps to boost its prominence in the province.
Last week, it extended its partnership with Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid into the Oilers’ home province, and it will soon launch a new commercial featuring the Canadian hockey icon.
It has also focused on its online casino offering, which CEO Adam Greenblatt called “the powerhouse of our business” earlier this year. BetMGM has brought its popular Game of Thrones (and now House of the Dragon) slots to Alberta from Ontario, and also started streaming live dealer table games to Alberta users from Las Vegas studios via MGM Resorts International’s MGM Live collaboration with Playtech.
BetMGM also unveiled an initiative in August wherein BetMGM Rewards members in Alberta can link their player account with their Marriott Bonvoy hotel account and use BetMGM Rewards points for hotel stays worldwide.
It all seems to be working, as BetMGM executives said earlier this month that the operator has seen a better-than-expected start to life in Alberta.
“We modeled our own forecast for Alberta to mimic the trajectory takeoff that we had in Ontario a few years back,” CFO Gary Deutsch said on an earnings call on Oct. 13 . We have ramped up faster and higher than that trajectory, so that is positive.”
Could BetMGM open a retail sportsbook in Alberta?
The BetMGM-NFL press release noted that the partnership covers both digital and retail channels in Ontario and Alberta.
BetMGM offers online sports betting and casino in both provinces. It does not currently have a retail betting presence, but Alberta’s iGaming regulations allow for casinos and sports arenas to work with iGaming licensees to open retail sportsbooks.
Is that something that BetMGM might consider?
Prevost told Canadian Gaming Business in a recent interview that it remains “unexplored” at the moment, as BetMGM is focused on making its cross-channel digital offering the best that it can be in the province. However, he noted that the company’s retail sportsbooks in the U.S. have provided an additive experiential offering that can benefit both BetMGM and its casino or sports team partner.
