DraftKings will be an exclusive sponsor of NHL on Prime’s ‘Wednesday Night Hockey’ in Canada throughout the 2026-27 NHL season.
The gaming giant announced on Monday that it has signed an agreement with Prime Video that makes it the exclusive sportsbook and online casino integration sponsor of NHL on Prime. The deal includes every ‘Wednesday Night Hockey’ game as well as select Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage on the streaming service.
DraftKings will get the benefit of exclusive integrations before and during ‘Wednesday Night Hockey’ games, including branded pregame and intermission features, commercial spots and broadcast sponsorship, and score clock elements. The operator said that its presence during NHL on Prime coverage is “designed to complement the viewing experience for hockey fans in Canada.”
NHL on Prime in Canada is shifting from ‘Monday Night Hockey’ to Wednesdays this season, with 27 national regular-season game broadcasts (each involving at least one Canadian team) beginning with the Toronto Maple Leafs against the New York Islanders at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday, Sept. 30. This season’s NHL on Prime coverage also includes the rights to two first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series and one second-round series.
DraftKings gets hockey boost for key Canadian markets
The deal comes at a time when DraftKings, like many iGaming operators, has just started doing business in a second Canadian province.
The operator has offered online sports betting and casino in Ontario since 2022, and launched both its flagship sportsbook and casino app and its separate Golden Nugget Online Casino platform in Alberta on day one of that province’s new regulated market on July 13.
DraftKing is already an official partner of several sports leagues with Canadian teams and audiences, including:
- The NBA
- The NHL
- The WNBA
Now, through the NHL on Prime deal, it gets more visibility and more engagement around Canada’s national winter sport in two provinces that between them host four of Canada’s seven NHL franchises.
“Canada remains an important part of DraftKings’ continued growth, and this exclusive deal with Prime Video creates an exciting new way to connect with hockey fans throughout the season,” said DraftKings Chief Marketing Officer Stephanie Sherman. “NHL on Prime brings together the sport’s most passionate audiences, and we look forward to creating engaging experiences around the games and moments fans care about most.”
In Alberta specifically, DraftKings could look to establish an even stronger presence with future partnerships.
“Absolutely, we are exploring and are going to explore sports partnerships,” DraftKings co-founder and President of Operations Paul Liberman told Canadian Gaming Business in Edmonton on the province’s market launch day, July 13. “You get such passionate fanbases here, and loyal. I think it’d be crazy not to explore that. Hopefully, it’ll come with time.”
Liberman also floated the idea of exploring the potential for establishing a retail sportsbook at a pro sports stadium, something which Alberta’s iGaming regulations allow.
“We’ll see how that evolves. Those are conversations that happen. You know, if it’s at the Oilers stadium, maybe it makes sense.”
Operators strengthen Canadian sports ties
DraftKings is one of several major iGaming operators in regulated Canadian online gambling markets that have recently announced a sports-focused partnership aimed at a Canadian audience.
For example, PENN Entertainment-owned Canadian sports and gaming brand theScore Bet is not only now an official partner of the Canadian Football League (CFL) but also the prominent presenting partner of the league’s new app and its free-to-play CFL Fantasy game.
Meanwhile, BetMGM and the Minnesota Vikings announced this month that the operator is the NFL franchise’s official sports betting and online casino partner in Canada.
