PENN Entertainment’s theScore Bet announced a multi-year partnership with the Canadian Football League on July 20. The deal makes it the league’s official authorized gaming operator and its official sports betting and online casino partner in Ontario and Alberta.
The announcement came a week after theScore Bet launched in Alberta on July 13. It had already been live in Ontario since April 2022, and five of the CFL’s nine franchises are in those two provinces.
The partnership gives theScore Bet branding across CFL Fantasy and the league’s new mobile app, which is due this fall. It also includes integrated betting odds and scoreboard sponsorship across CFL.ca and LCF.ca, broadcast and in-stadium branding, and digital media activations and contests throughout the CFL season and at the 113th Grey Cup in Calgary.
A CFL release on May 25 had already introduced CFL Fantasy presented by theScore Bet as a free Game Zone offering. Users can draft 13 CFL stars, including at least one Canadian, and create or join leagues with four or six teams.
Game play runs through weekly lineups and head-to-head contests in Weeks 1-16 of the regular season, before playoff rounds in Weeks 17-19. Each account that creates or joins a league is also entered into a draw for a trip for two to the 113th Grey Cup in Calgary, with tickets, flights and accommodation.
The launch statement said theScore Bet would power CFL Fantasy, create custom betting markets based on fantasy rosters and integrate live odds into the game for a more personalized experience. Justin Hergianto, PENN Interactive’s vice-president of marketing, called the CFL a natural partner because it occupies a special place in Canadian sports culture.
Tyler Keenan, the CFL’s chief revenue officer, said Alberta is home to some of Canada’s most passionate football fans and pointed to Calgary’s Grey Cup hosting duties as a chance to create more opportunities for fans to engage with the league. theScore Bet already has other Canadian sports ties, including a decade-long deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, official sports betting rights with the NHL in Ontario, and partnerships with the PGA Tour and Golf Canada.
