DAZN Bet Canada Exec: Live Streaming Is Our Edge in Ontario’s Crowded Market

International sports streaming giant DAZN has officially launched its sportsbook and online casino in Ontario, marking the first major step in an aggressive Canadian expansion.

To survive in an iGaming market as crowded as Ontario, operators must focus entirely on long-term customer trust, according to Richard Rawlinson, Managing Director of DAZN Bet Canada. The province currently features a hyper-competitive grid of 47 licensed operators running 81 gaming websites.

DAZN Among 47 Licensed Operators

Ontario marks the company’s first foray outside its European base of operations. The new site went live Tuesday (June 30).

“Ontario stands out as one of the most mature, competitive and highly regulated online gaming markets in North America,” he told onlineslot.cc. “Ontario players have high expectations and a broad choice of operators, so success depends on delivering a differentiated customer experience.”

Rawlinson said the Ontario launch, offering a locally tailored sportsbook and a casino offering that includes slots, table games and live casino, will serve as the foundation for DAZN’s broader Canadian growth strategy.

Alberta Expansion in the Near Future

The company said in a statement that it will expand into Alberta and become one of the early operators in that market, “in the near future”. The Alberta igaming market goes live July 13.

“Our approach is to combine the credibility and sports heritage of the DAZN brand with a product tailored to Canadian customers,” Rawlinson said.

“We also bring experience from operating in multiple regulated markets, which has given us expertise in areas such as customer-centric product development, compliance, and responsible gaming,” he added.

Watch and Wager Concept

DAZN Bet also operates in Spain, Italy, United Kingdom and Germany. Unlike operators like FanDuel and DraftKings, DAZN already owns a large sports media platform, with millions of existing sports subscribers, offering live and on-demand sports via streaming in more than 200 countries and territories.

Building trust among customers, as Rawlinson said, is one thing, but a “watch and wager” business strategy, owning the platform where people can watch games, follow scores, read news and statistics and bet live, will give them a unique edge in Ontario, if they’re able to convert enough viewers into sportsbook customers.

DAZN is already available to people in Ontario. Company CEO Shay Segev said earlier this year he sees the betting platform as a complementary product to its broadcasting offering. The DAZN Bet technology was built via a partnership with Pragmatic Solutions, which was announced in 2022.