Fanatics Casino Is Officially Live in Ontario

Despite being one of North America’s biggest gambling brands, Fanatics Betting & Gaming (FBG) has always taken time and care before ramping up in new markets. The same approach appears true in its expansion into the regulated Canadian market.

Since Ontario officially opened its iGaming market to private operators in April 2022, it wasn’t until August 11, 2026 that FBG secured the green light from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) to bring its iGaming products to the province.

Then, on September 1, 2026, the brand soft-launched Fanatics Casino, becoming the province’s 49th online operator. More surprising was that its sportsbook rollout was missing during the soft launch. However, the operator’s President of Gaming, Conor Grant, told Canadian Gaming Business that it will add its sports betting product and expand into Alberta in 2027.

“It’s going to take us a little bit of time to get up to speed where we want to be, but this has been a target market for us for a while,” Grant said. “We’re two-and-a-half years into our journey in the U.S. and we’ve been the fastest-growing there, so Ontario was a natural extension for us. This is our first foray into an international market. We’re treating it as an international market and not a 51st state.”

Why Casino Over Sportsbook?

Ever since its debut in 1995, the Fanatics brand has been well-recognized in sports. In fact, its apparel and merchandise business boasts several Canada-facing sports league and team partnerships, including:

• The National Hockey League’s (NHL) 32 teams, as the official team jersey provider
• Hockey Canada
• Major League Baseball (MLB)
• Canada Soccer
• The Toronto Blue Jays
• Canada Basketball
• The NBA’s Toronto Raptors

So when FBG launched Fanatics Casino Ontario on September 1, 2026, it came as a surprise to some — but according to Grant, there’s a method to its methodical approach.

Casino has always been the leading vertical when it comes to Ontario iGaming revenue. In July 2026 alone, Ontarians wagered over $8.78 billion on casino games, up 6% from June and 30% year-over-year, setting a new all-time monthly record. That makes casino an attractive option for any brand entering Ontario, even one better known for sports.

“There were a couple of factors in the decision to lead with casino. The market is predominantly casino, it’s very heavily skewed in that direction, and we also knew we could get casino live much quicker,” said Grant. “The other big element is that, like other U.S. operators, we’ve been getting into the prediction market space. But we will absolutely follow [in Ontario] in 2027 with our sportsbook proposition.”

What the Fanatics Casino App Brings to Ontario

Fanatics Casino Ontario comes with a curated library of 500+ high-quality titles across slots, table games, and live dealer options. The providers powering this hand-picked lineup include Playtech, Evolution, and IGT.

But what stands out most about this operator is its exclusive casino gaming deal with WWE. In March 2026, Fanatics announced the release of ‘WrestleMania: Road to Gold,’ its first proprietary slot game, developed by White Hat Gaming under the partnership. The slot features 20 professional wrestling stars and takes players through WWE’s premium live events with progressive bonus rewards inspired by SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, and Money in the Bank, plus commentary from Michael Cole, one of WWE’s iconic voices since 1997.

Grant also said Fanatics plans to explore more proprietary casino content and intellectual property partnerships in Ontario and beyond. It also intends to step up its Canadian casino marketing — rather than simply replicating its U.S. campaigns, Fanatics will take a targeted approach, choosing personalities and strategies more likely to resonate with Canadian players.

Fanatics Plans to Launch in Alberta in 2027

While Ontario marks FBG’s first international expansion outside the U.S. states where it runs its casino and sportsbook products, a spokesperson confirmed to Canadian Gaming Business that plans to expand to Alberta are on the agenda for 2027.

“Alberta is on the roadmap,” Grant said. “It’ll be 2027. We will land in Alberta; it’s just going to take us a little bit of time.”