Hard Rock Bet lands Ontario iGaming registration

• Hard Rock Digital received an iGaming operator registration from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario on May 14, valid until May 13, 2027.
• Ontario marks the Seminole-owned operator’s first Canadian market; it is already active in 10 US states.
• The registration precedes a required contract with iGaming Ontario, meaning a live launch date has not yet been confirmed.

Hard Rock Bet has secured an iGaming registration in Ontario, moving the Seminole-owned platform closer to its first Canadian market entry and raising fresh questions about its appetite for the upcoming Alberta market.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) issued the registration to Hard Rock Digital Canada Ltd. on May 14, according to the regulator’s public registry. The registration runs until May 13, 2027. The development was first reported by SNBET.ca.

Not live yet

The registration authorises Hard Rock Bet to operate in Ontario once it completes a separate contract with iGaming Ontario, the agency that manages commercial relationships with licensed operators in Canada’s most populous province. Hard Rock Bet has yet to launch its Ontario sports betting and iGaming offering.

The Hard Rock Bet platform is already live in 10 US states, covering online sports betting across most markets and online casino in New Jersey and Michigan. Ontario will be its first market outside the United States.

Hard Rock Digital has an office in Toronto, and Hard Rock International opened the $350m Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Ottawa last year, its first fully integrated casino resort in Canada.

Ottawa as anchor

The Ottawa property provides a strategic foundation for omnichannel operations. Its brick-and-mortar presence in Canada’s capital gives Hard Rock a base from which to direct Ontario-based digital users toward its land-based venues, and vice versa.

A Hard Rock Digital spokesperson told Canadian Gaming Business that Ontario is an “attractive” market, citing the Ottawa opening and omnichannel potential. The company added it had no announcements to make at that time regarding entry.

Hard Rock’s path to Ontario was not straightforward. During the 2025 bidding war between MIXI and Betr for PointsBet, Betr’s ultimately unsuccessful offer included a non-binding proposal for Hard Rock Digital to acquire PointsBet Canada‘s assets.

A later bidder’s statement valued the agreement at around C$40m, covering PointsBet’s Ontario iGaming licence, operations, any other Canadian provincial licences or applications, and all Canadian customer databases, intellectual property and Canada-specific technology assets.

The transaction did not complete. Hard Rock has since pursued its own registration independently.

Alberta on the horizon

The Ontario registration immediately draws attention to Alberta, where a competitive iGaming market is scheduled to open on July 13. Ontario and Alberta are the only Canadian provinces to have adopted a competitive model in which private-sector operators can obtain licences and legally take bets under provincial regulation.

Hard Rock Bet’s imminent Ontario launch will test whether the brand seeks to extend its Canadian footprint by obtaining a licence in Alberta. The company did not respond to questions on the subject before publication.

Alberta has already registered 28 operators ahead of its July launch, and Flutter recently integrated PokerStars into FanDuel in Ontario. Hard Rock Bet’s entry adds another major US brand to a regulated market that has attracted sustained operator interest since Ontario opened in April 2022.

With its iGaming Ontario contract still to be finalised, operators and competitors will be watching closely to see whether Hard Rock moves quickly to replicate that model in Alberta.