Ontario Lottery and Gaming inks multi-year NHL partnership
PROLINE+ sportsbook becomes sports betting partner in first Canada-facing deal
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) has agreed a multi-year partnership with the NHL in a first of its kind Canada-facing sports betting marketing deal.
Under the terms of the deal, OLG becomes an official NHL partner for sports betting on both its PROLINE+ online sportsbook and the new PROLINE product at retail lottery outlets across Ontario.
The partnership also gives OLG distribution rights to the League’s official logos and cross-promotion across NHL digital and social channels.
The duo will also collaborate on exclusive OLG PROLINE events and promotions as well as special co-branded promotions during select 2021-22 regular season games, the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Stanley Cup Final, and throughout the 2022-23 season.
The PROLINE+ sportsbook will also sponsor the pre-game 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic game between the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs taking place on March 13, the first time the game has been played in Ontario.
OLG chief digital and strategy officer Dave Pridmore hailed the deal, coming as it has ahead of the official Ontario market launch on April 4.
“The OLG-NHL deal is a big win for our valued sports bettors,” Pridmore said.
“A partnership with a world-class organization like the NHL will help complement the ultimate sports betting experience for hockey fans on PROLINE+ and PROLINE at retail, where our players can execute legal single-event wagers and other unique bets on a sport they love,” Pridmore added.
These sentiments were echoed by Pridmore’s opposite number NHL senior VP for North American business development, Kyle McMann.
“As a leading gaming entertainment operator for more than four decades, with an excellent track record in Ontario, OLG is an ideal partner for the NHL to begin our transformative entry into this space in Canada and to further engage our avid Canadian fan base,” McMann said.