DAZN Bet went live with an online sportsbook and casino in Ontario on June 30, its first entry into the North American gambling market. The operator, the betting arm of streaming company DAZN, joined a regulated market that has expanded steadily since it opened in April 2022.
DAZN Bet already operates in the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain and France. Ontario is its first Canadian market, following the gaming registration it secured from the province in January.
Ontario’s regulated market
Ontario’s iGaming sector generated CA$4.0 billion in operator revenue in 2025, up 34% year-on-year, according to iGaming Ontario. Licensed operators handled roughly CA$98.3 billion in total wagers during the year, a 26% increase from 2024. Cumulative revenue has topped CA$10.2 billion since the market launched, with online casino products driving most of that activity. Average revenue per active account reached a record CA$334 last year.
DAZN Bet’s arrival brings the province to 48 licensed operators running 82 sports betting and casino sites, not counting the government-owned Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. That is a crowded field for a market that keeps attracting new brands nine years into its life, and it puts DAZN Bet alongside some of the biggest names ranked in Top iGaming Operators in the Americas by Market Cap.
Executives outline the strategy
Valery Gelfman, CEO of DAZN Bet, said the launch reflects a long-term approach to the Canadian market.
“Canada is a market that values integrity and responsible play and we are entering Ontario with a product that is designed for long term sustainability. We are committed to operating with a local mindset and a customer-centric approach.”
Richard Rawlinson, managing director of Canada at DAZN Bet, framed the launch the same way.
“This is the beginning of a long-term commitment to the country.”
DAZN’s existing Canadian sports media presence, including NFL Game Pass and major European soccer rights, gives DAZN Bet a level of brand recognition that newer entrants typically lack. The company has built its European sportsbook strategy around embedding betting features into live sports streams, an approach it intends to extend to Ontario over time.
Alberta launch on July 13
DAZN Bet has also secured registration with Alberta’s gaming regulator, positioning it among the operators entering the province’s market when it opens on July 13, detailed in Alberta iGaming: 28 Operators Registered for July 13 Launch. Alberta has banned public bonus advertising ahead of go-live and its regulator projects CA$76 million in government proceeds during the province’s first year of operation.
Two Canadian market entries within weeks give DAZN Bet a compressed timeline to test its combined sports-and-betting model against operators already active across the country, a landscape mapped in Canada Online Gambling: Traffic Rankings and Licensing 2026.
Alberta’s opening on July 13 will offer an early comparison point for regulators and rival operators, showing whether DAZN Bet’s approach converts existing sports audiences into sustained betting activity across a second regulated market within its first month of North American operations.
Source: DAZN Bet
