PENN’s theScore Bet inks CFL deal

• theScore Bet becomes an Official Authorized Gaming Operator and Official Sports Betting and Online Casino Partner of the CFL in Ontario and Alberta.
• The deal follows theScore Bet’s launch in Alberta’s regulated iGaming market on July 13.
• The agreement formalizes theScore Bet’s existing role as presenting partner of CFL Fantasy and the CFL’s upcoming mobile app.

theScore Bet and the Canadian Football League have signed a new multi-year partnership that formalizes and expands the sportsbook’s gaming and media rights across the league, days after theScore Bet’s launch in Alberta’s regulated iGaming market.

Official partner in two provinces

Under the deal, theScore Bet becomes an Official Authorized Gaming Operator and an Official Sports Betting and Online Casino Partner of the CFL in Ontario and Alberta. The agreement also extends the reach of theScore, the operator’s sports media app, adding enhanced content and fan engagement features across North America as part of the same partnership.

The deal follows PENN Entertainment’s launch of theScore Bet as three brands in Alberta’s regulated market on opening day, extending its presence into one of Canada’s largest football markets.

With Alberta now live, five of the CFL’s nine teams play in provinces where theScore Bet operates, covering Ontario franchises in Hamilton, Toronto and Ottawa alongside Alberta’s Calgary and Edmonton clubs.

Fantasy and app rights

theScore Bet remains the presenting partner of CFL Fantasy, the league’s free-to-play game that launched in May, and of a new CFL mobile app scheduled to launch this fall. The new agreement, confirmed less than two months after the CFL Fantasy tie-up, formalizes those roles alongside theScore Bet’s status as an official gaming and betting partner in Ontario and Alberta.

The deal also covers integrated betting odds and scoreboard sponsorship on the league’s English and French-language sites, CFL.ca and LCF.ca, plus broadcast and in-stadium branding, digital marketing campaigns and fan activations throughout the season, including at the 113th Grey Cup in Calgary.

Justin Hergianto, Vice President of Marketing at PENN Interactive, said:

“The CFL occupies a special place in Canadian sports culture, making this a natural partnership for theScore Bet and theScore.”

“As Canada’s Sportsbook, we’re proud to partner with Canada’s League to create more connected experiences for fans. Whether they’re following scores and breaking news in theScore, managing their fantasy team or placing a bet through theScore Bet, we’re making it easier than ever for fans to engage with the CFL throughout the season.”

Grey Cup timing

Tyler Keenan, the CFL’s chief revenue officer, tied the announcement to Calgary’s upcoming hosting duties.

“Alberta is home to some of the most passionate football fans in Canada, making this an exciting time to welcome theScore Bet to our CFL family of partners.”

“With Calgary set to host the 113th Grey Cup, this partnership creates even more opportunities for fans to engage with our game and be part of the excitement. Together, we’ll create innovative ways for fans to follow, experience and celebrate CFL football.”

Crowded operator field

theScore Bet is not the only sportsbook chasing CFL exposure out of Alberta’s launch. Rival bet365 entered the province and signed its own CFL partnership on the same opening day, positioning itself as a competing Official Sports Betting Partner of the league.

The broader Alberta rollout has drawn a wave of operators into the market in quick succession. FanDuel launched its casino and sportsbook backed by a renewed CFL tie-up of its own, while DraftKings opened its Alberta operation alongside the Golden Nugget brand.

Tonybet secured its license from the AGLC in the same window, and supplier Pragmatic Play certified its content for the province on day one.

theScore’s media app will expand its CFL coverage through additional league content and fan engagement initiatives as part of the broader agreement, adding a media dimension to a deal built primarily around betting rights and sponsorship.