theScore Bet Lands Major NFL Partnership in Canada With PENN Entertainment

Ontario's iGaming market continues to grow at a rapid pace, with sports betting handle reaching C$1.03 billion in June 2026, up 34.5% year over year. That came during the FIFA World Cup, but it also showed how quickly major sporting events can drive betting activity. Meanwhile, Alberta opened its regulated commercial iGaming market on July 13, giving operators access to a second major Canadian province.

Now, with the 2026 NFL season underway, PENN Entertainment has landed a major piece of the Canadian sports-betting puzzle. The NFL has named theScore Bet an official NFL partner in Canada for sportsbook and iCasino, giving PENN access to league and team intellectual property, advertising opportunities, hospitality assets and promotional rights. The multi-year agreement also covers PENN's wider Canadian online gaming portfolio, including theScore Casino and Hollywood Casino.

Why the NFL deal matters now

Legal sports betting in Canada is entering football season with more competition than ever. Ontario now has dozens of regulated operators and dozens more gaming websites, while Alberta's July launch has opened another market to established international brands and Canadian operators alike.

The NFL is also aggressively expanding its own sports-betting ecosystem. Ahead of the 2026 season, the league renewed major U.S. partnerships with DraftKings and FanDuel and added Fanatics Betting and Gaming, with deals incorporating betting promotion, NFL digital media and marquee events such as the Super Bowl and Draft.

BetMGM became an official NFL sportsbook partner in Canada earlier this year, while theScore Bet now joins the Canadian partnership ranks alongside DraftKings and FanDuel. The difference is that theScore Bet has something those global brands cannot replicate quite as naturally: a Canadian sports-media identity that predates the legal sportsbook market.

What is theScore Bet?

theScore Bet is the sportsbook arm of theScore, the Toronto-based sports media company that has been part of Canada's sports culture for decades. TheScore traces its roots to 1997 and launched its first sports media app in the mid-2000s. In September 2019, it became the first North American media company to launch a mobile sportsbook, creating an early version of the media-and-betting industry that has since become a key market strategy.

PENN National Gaming acquired theScore in a transaction valued at approximately US$2 billion in 2021. PENN's strategy was straightforward: combine theScore's massive Canadian sports audience, technology and betting product with its broader gaming business.

theScore Bet went live in Ontario on April 4, 2022, offering sportsbook and casino products and integrating the betting experience directly into theScore's sports-media ecosystem. The company positioned the combination as a way for fans to move from scores, statistics and news to betting without leaving the same ecosystem.

In July 2026, theScore Bet, theScore Casino and Hollywood Casino launched in Alberta as the province opened its regulated online gaming market. PENN's Canadian operation therefore enters the NFL season with legal products in both Ontario and Alberta.

What the NFL partnership actually gives PENN

The new agreement gives theScore Bet an official NFL Partner designation in Canada for both sports betting and iCasino. PENN can use NFL trademarks, including team marks and branding connected to the Super Bowl and NFL Kickoff, in approved marketing campaigns. It also gains access to NFL advertising, hospitality and fan-engagement assets, plus opportunities to exchange promotional inventory across NFL and theScore-owned digital channels.

That creates an important opportunity for PENN beyond conventional sportsbook advertising. A bettor reading NFL news on theScore can already move naturally toward theScore Bet. Official NFL rights give PENN another layer of credibility and allow the company to make that connection much more prominently during the season's biggest moments. And because the agreement covers theScore Casino and Hollywood Casino, the NFL relationship can potentially introduce sports fans to PENN's casino products even when they are not betting on NFL games.

The bigger Canadian betting picture

Ontario's regulated market is already mature enough to support intense competition, while Alberta is still in the early stages of building its regulated ecosystem. iGaming Ontario says the province continues to see double-digit year-over-year growth in wagering and gross gaming revenue, with more than one million active player accounts per month. That means customer acquisition is becoming increasingly important.

TheScore Bet does not have to convince Canadian sports fans that theScore exists. It has spent years building that audience. The NFL partnership now gives PENN a much stronger bridge between that audience and one of the most commercially valuable sports properties in North America.

In the short term, expect the biggest impact around weekly NFL games, the playoffs and the Super Bowl. Sportsbook bonuses, branded content and fan experiences can give theScore Bet more opportunities to compete for football bettors while Alberta's market establishes itself.

Rowan Fisher-Shotton, a passionate sports fan and seasoned journalist, hails from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Graduating with honours from Wilfrid Laurier University with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology, Rowan has meticulously honed his skills to become an expert in the iGaming industry, specializing in sports betting analysis and professional sports coverage. Over the past several years, Rowan has developed a deep understanding of effective betting strategies and the dynamics of major leagues like the NBA, NFL, NHL, and NCAA. Now, as an expert in the field, he aims to provide insightful commentary and engaging content to help educate the casual sports bettor. In his off time, you can catch him hitting the gym, nose buried deep in a captivating read or on the hunt for that next winning parlay.