Gambling Weekly News Summary in Canada – 2026/05/02
FanDuel agrees partnership with Toronto Tempo
Sports betting firm FanDuel has signed a deal with the Toronto Tempo, becoming the franchise’s first official sportsbook partner ahead of its inaugural season.
According to FanDuel, the partnership includes brand integration and fan engagement initiatives, as well as in-arena and digital activity tied to the team, which is one of two new teams being added to the league in 2026, and the first from Canada.
In a statement on the deal, the Vice President of Marketing at FanDuel, Tom Burdakin, emphasized the potential of the relationship between the company and the league,
“Partnering with the Toronto Tempo in their inaugural season is an exciting opportunity for FanDuel customers and basketball fans. As a company that shares the same passion for community and empowering women’s sports, we are proud to support a new franchise that will celebrate fans and elevate women’s professional sports in Canada.”
Toronto’s season kicks off at home on May 8 when the visiting team is the Washington Mystics. The other new expansion team, the Portland Fire, have their inaugural game on the following day.
Kambi selected to build multi-province platform
Game technology company Kambi Group has been selected to provide the technology to support a multi-province initiative involving the Atlantic Lottery Corporation and the British Columbia Lottery Corporation.
The agreement comes at the end of a joint procurement process and will involve Kambi with building a betting platform that will run in seven Canadian provinces, supporting online and in-person betting. The software will provide a common framework but will allow each provincial operator to keep regulatory control in its own jurisdiction.
British Columbia Lottery Corporation oversees the gambling sector in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, while Atlantic Lottery Corporation operates across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of Kambi, Werner Becher, the agreement was a vote of confidence in his company’s operations,
“Being selected to power this multi-province sportsbook solution is a strong endorsement of Kambi’s trusted technology, regulatory expertise and proven ability to deliver at scale.”
First Nations leader raises concerns about Alberta Gambling Launch
A First Nations leader in Alberta has raised concerns about the impact of the province’s planned launch of a new regulated online gambling market, which is due to begin on July 13, following legislation that was passed last year.
The provincial government says that 2% of gross online gambling revenue generated by the sector will be allocated to First Nations communities, which they say is intended to offset potential declines in revenue from land-based casinos.
Speaking in an interview on CBC News, however, the Grand Chief of Treaty 8 First Nations, Trevor Mercredi, questioned whether the proposed share would be enough,
“Two per cent is the number that they’re willing to share, but not share the rest of the details. It’s very concerning at this point in time because it has the potential to impact the nations.”
Government officials have argued that online gambling is already widespread through unregulated channels and that regulation may stabilise the market, but some economists warn that even modest declines in casino revenue could have broader economic effects, including reduced funding for community programmes and employment.
Ziv (Steve) Chen
CEO at Major League Content
Ziv has been working in the iGaming industry for more than two decades, serving in senior roles in software developers like Playtech and Microgaming. He then followed his lifelong passion of writing and became a fulltime journalist, covering casinos, sports betting, legislation and other gambling topics and news with a specialty in North America.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziv-steve-chen-94b01b5/
