Fanatics has been granted an iGaming operator licence by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, opening the door for the sportsbook and betting brand to enter Canada’s biggest regulated online gambling market.
A company representative said more details on how and when the platform will go live are expected in the coming weeks.
Until now, Fanatics’ betting footprint has been confined to the US, where it runs sportsbook operations across 22 states plus Washington, D.C., and offers casino products in four states. Ontario marks its first serious consumer push into a regulated market outside American borders.
A Crowded Field
Fanatics won’t be short of company. Ontario’s online betting sector already houses 48 licensed operators running 83 separate gaming sites, and the province has seen a wave of new entrants lately, including Hard Rock Bet and DAZN Bet, both of which launched within the last six months.
The market itself is far from small. Ontario’s regulated online gambling sector pulled in more than $4.2 billion in gross gaming revenue in its fourth year running.
Channelization is climbing too — a recent Ipsos survey commissioned by iGaming Ontario and the AGCO found that over 91% of online bettors in the province are now sticking to licensed platforms, up more than 7 points from the year before.
Room to Grow, or Already Full?
Not everyone is convinced there’s space left for newcomers to make a real dent.
Amanda Brewer, senior vice-president of policy and communications at the Canadian Gaming Association, pointed out that with every operator playing by the same rulebook and offering largely the same game catalogue, the real differentiators now come down to app quality, customer service, loyalty perks, and brand affinity — not novelty.
Still, others in the industry argue Ontario’s pull hasn’t faded. One source familiar with the market noted that the province’s combination of a clear regulatory structure and a workable tax rate keeps it attractive to international operators, and suggested Fanatics’ arrival could be the signal other absent major brands need to finally make their move.
