Ontario’s regulated iGaming market has a new entrant, and it’s a familiar name in North American gambling. Hard Rock Bet officially launched in the province this week, two months after receiving a license to enter its first Canadian province.
Hard Rock Digital officially announced on Wednesday that the Hard Rock Bet sportsbook and casino are now available as a website and app in Ontario with an offering that includes more than 3,000 online slots, table games, and live dealer titles.
The company obtained a license from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) effective May 14, 2026. Its launch this week constitutes its first iGaming expansion north of the Canada–U.S. border; Hard Rock Bet already offers online sports betting in 10 states:
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Florida (where it holds a monopoly on legal sports betting)
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Michigan
- New Jersey
- Ohio
- Tennessee
- Virginia
Now, Ontario becomes Hard Rock Bet’s 11th real-money gaming market, and just the third in which it offers both sports betting and online casino, after Michigan and New Jersey. The platform uses technology from leading providers including Playtech, which has a minority ownership stake in Hard Rock Digital.
“Expanding into Ontario with Hard Rock Bet marks the first time we’ve brought our platform to an international audience,” said Hard Rock Digital CEO and Executive Managing Director Marlon Goldstein. ” … By investing in local talent, local partnerships, and localized customer support, we’re creating an experience designed specifically for Ontario players.”
Hard Rock’s Ontario entry a long time coming
Hard Rock Digital is headquartered in Florida and owned by the state’s federally recognized Seminole Tribe, the owner of the parent Hard Rock International company.
Hard Rock Bet’s absence from Ontario until now had made it one of the outliers among major U.S. iGaming brands; the likes of FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars, bet365, BetRivers, and Bally’s all have a longstanding presence in the province’s regulated market.
While Hard Rock Bet has not been operational in Canada until now, Hard Rock Digital has had an office in Toronto for years, which serves as both a regional office and the HQ for its Hard Rock Games social gaming division. All told, Hard Rock Digital has around 200 employees in Ontario.
Last year, it looked for a while as though the company may end up acquiring PointsBet Canada as part of Australian sports betting operator Betr’s ultimately unsuccessful bid to buy PointsBet. Betr confirmed its proposal included a non-binding agreement to sell PointsBet’s Canadian licenses, databases, intellectual property, and technology assets to Hard Rock Digital for US$29.6m. However, PointsBet’s board and shareholders ultimately opted for a competing offer from Japanese tech giant MIXI instead of Betr’s bid.
Hard Rock Digital retained its interest in entering Ontario’s highly competitive market and pursued its own path to licensure, and it is finally officially live and operational in the province. It said that it has a commitment to building “a truly local presence” in Canada, and it will roll out a consumer-focused marketing campaign in the next few weeks to support its entry into the market.
Ottawa casino offers cross-channel opportunities
That doesn’t mean the wider Hard Rock gaming brand hasn’t been present in Canada before. Great Canadian Casino Vancouver in British Columbia used to be Hard Rock Casino Vancouver until the venue changed hands and was rebranded in late 2023.
In Ontario, a little over 12 months ago, on July 3, 2025, the long-awaited Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa opened its doors in Canada’s capital. Hosted on the site of the former Rideau Carleton Casino, which Hard Rock International has operated since 2017, the venue is the company’s first fully integrated casino resort in Canada.
The $350m brick-and-mortar venue hosts 1,500 slot machines, 40 table games, a high-limit gaming area, a full-service 150-room hotel, a 2,000-seat Hard Rock Live theatre, and more than 10 restaurants and bars including a Hard Rock Café. However, in April of this year, Hard Rock shut down the racing operations at the adjacent Rideau Carleton Raceway.
In Wednesday’s statement, Hard Rock Digital touted that land-based casino as a differentiator in Ontario’s crowded market. The province hosts almost 50 different iGaming operators, but only four can boast of a full brick-and-mortar casino:
other than Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG), Caesars Entertainment, and Mohegan, none can boast a full brick-and-mortar casino.
“Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa has the reputation of bringing people together for amplified entertainment experiences, and now that reach extends far beyond our physical doors,” said the venue’s President Christine Crump. “With the launch of Hard Rock Bet, we can now stay connected with our guests and players wherever they are, on property or off.”
Will Hard Rock Bet launch in Alberta?
While Hard Rock Bet has finally gone live in Ontario, a second province is now available to the operator if it is interested in pursuing the opportunity.
Alberta opened its Ontario-style commercial iGaming market last week, on July 13. Hard Rock Digital is not currently listed as a registrant by Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis and, as it was with Ontario, the company itself has been tight-lipped on potential Alberta plans.
Hard Rock Digital once again declined to comment on anything related to Alberta when asked this week by Canadian Gaming Business.
