FanDuel eyes Canadian growth with new management hire
Former Deloitte Canada partner Dale Hooper links up with US sports betting giant in newly created role
FanDuel has appointed Dale Hooper to be its new general manager of Canada as part of a concerted push by the US market leader into the Canadian market.
In the newly created role, Hooper will be responsible for developing and implementing FanDuel’s long-term Canadian strategy based on the regulatory and legalization process in each province.
He most recently served as a partner in the Canadian office of worldwide accountancy and auditing firm Deloitte, where he focused on the emerging cannabis industry.
Hooper previously served as president and CEO of Cannabis Compliance Inc (CCI) before the firm’s acquisition by Deloitte in December 2019.
He has also held multiple leadership roles at Rogers Communications and spent 13 years at PepsiCo Canada, including more than two years as VP of marketing and consumer insights.
Hooper began his career at Cadbury Canada, working in a variety of sales and marketing roles.
Hooper will report directly into new FanDuel Group CEO Amy Howe.
“Dale has a proven track record running high growth enterprises along with strong relationships that will be invaluable to our success in Canada,” said FanDuel Group CEO Amy Howe.
“He is a respected leader known for his ability to scale business units effectively, a critical skill set, as we aim to bring the excitement of our sportsbook and igaming products to Canadian citizens. It’s with great excitement that I welcome him to our team,” Howe concluded.
Single-event sports betting in Canada became in June following a long and detailed parliamentary process, and several provincial lotteries wasted little time offering wagering on individual games in a bid to compete with the offshore market.
Meanwhile, Ontario is in the process of licensing commercial operators to enter the country’s most populous province to offer online gaming as well as single-event sports betting.
Rival sports betting operator PointsBet has invested heavily in building out its Canada-facing team, while Penn National Gaming is expected to utilise the brand cut through of its newly acquired theScore business.