First the NFL, now the NHL.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG) and the NHL announced a new multi-year partnership Wednesday that makes PROLINE+ an Official Sports Betting Partner of the NHL.
It’s the NHL’s first sports betting partnership in Canada, according to a news release, and gives PROLINE+ a leg up for the launch of an open, regulated competitive market in Ontario starting April 4.
Six Ontario sports betting licenses have already been handed out, and operators are digging deeper with alignments with sports leagues and sports organizations to get an edge in terms of market share.
It was just one month ago that PROLINE became the first official NFL sportsbook in Canada.
OLG Has Been Busy
When BetOntario.com last spoke with Dave Pridmore, OLG’s chief digital and strategy officer, around the Super Bowl, he did tell us OLG wasn’t focused too much on the new competition coming into the province. It was just going to keep doing its thing, and there would a stream of announcements to follow.
Well, there certainly has been. On top of the NFL and NHL deals was the rollout of the OLG’s retail platform across the province.
Under this deal announced Wednesday, the OLG becomes an official NHL partner for sports betting on both the PROLINE+ digital sports betting platform and the PROLINE product at retail lottery outlets across Ontario. That includes distribution rights to the NHL’s official logos and cross-promotion across NHL digital and social channels.
Presenting Sponsor of Outdoor Game
First up in terms of how the relationship will look to the public is the upcoming Leafs-Sabres outdoor game scheduled March 13 at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton. PROLINE+ is now a presenting sponsor of the pre-game.
“A partnership with a world-class organization like the NHL will help complement the ultimate sports betting experience for hockey fans on PROLINE+ and PROLINE at retail, where our players can execute legal single-event wagers and other unique bets on a sport they love,” Pridmore said said in the release.
The battle is in Ontario, with the objective to further engage the fan base better than the next sportsbook. The partnership between the NHL and OLG also includes NHL content delivered across proline.ca and NHL digital platforms, exclusive OLG/NHL events and promotions, and special co-branded promotions for sports bettors during 2021-22 regular season games, the Stanley Cup playoffs and finals, and into next regular season, the release said.
"As a leading gaming entertainment operator for more than four decades with an excellent track record in Ontario, OLG is an ideal partner for the NHL to begin our transformative entry into this space in Canada and to further engage our avid Canadian fan base," Kyle McMann, NHL senior vice president, for North American business development, said in the release.
