Fanatics Cleared to Launch Online Casino in Ontario

^{Fanatics gets the green light for its Ontario casino, but its sportsbook stays on the sidelines, for now.}

Fanatics Betting & Gaming has been cleared to launch an online casino in Ontario.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario issued an internet gaming operator registration to FBG Enterprises Canada, Inc. on Aug. 11, with Fanatics Casino listed as the registered gaming site. 

The registration is valid for two years, through Aug. 10, 2028.

Notably absent from the registration is Fanatics Sportsbook, the product that built the company's US business. 

No separate sports betting registration has been issued in Ontario, so it remains unclear whether or when Fanatics plans to bring its sportsbook north of the border.

The operator still needs to execute an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario before it can accept players in Canada's largest regulated market.

No launch date has been set, and Fanatics had not detailed its plans at the time of the licensing.

Each licensed site in Ontario carries a regulatory fee of $100,000 a year, on top of the commercial terms operators strike with iGaming Ontario.

The Last Big US Name to Arrive

Fanatics had been the last major US operator absent from Ontario, having stayed out of Canada while rapidly expanding at home.

The company built its scale by acquiring PointsBet's US business in 2024 and now offers sports betting in 23 states plus Washington, D.C., yet its flagship sportsbook product remains unlicensed in Ontario for now. 

It runs an online casino in four states, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and some industry analyses rank it third in the US by sports-betting market share, behind FanDuel and DraftKings.

An affiliated Fanatics Markets prediction-markets platform already operates in some US states where Fanatics does not offer regulated betting.

Not the Same as PointsBet Canada

Crucially for players, the licence does not fold PointsBet's Canadian brand into Fanatics.

Fanatics only bought PointsBet's US operations. PointsBet Canada continues to run separately, now majority owned by MIXI Australia, a subsidiary of Japan's MIXI Inc.

That means Fanatics will arrive in Ontario as a distinct, new-brand option rather than a rebrand of an existing site.

Joining a Crowded Field

Ontario's regulated market already hosts close to 50 operators running more than 80 licensed sites.

Fanatics will line up against US rivals including Bally's, bet365, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel, theScore Bet and BetRivers, with Hard Rock Bet having launched only in late July.

Fanatics has not registered its online casino in Alberta, the other Canadian province with an open online market, which launched in July.

Chief operating officer Scot McClintic signalled the move as far back as December 2024, telling Canadian Gaming Business, "We definitely want to be in Canada."

With the licence now in hand, the only question left is when Ontario players, and potentially bettors, can download the app and start wagering.