The Canadian Football League announced last week that it is naming FanDuel the league’s first authorized gaming operator and an official sportsbook partner.
“We’re excited to work with FanDuel to deliver an exciting and innovative betting experience,” Tyler Mazereeuw, chief commercial officer of the CFL, said in a press release. “While opening this new avenue of fandom is important to our league, wagering should only be done responsibly by adult fans who are 19 years of age and over with the means to do so.”
FanDuel will offer customers “an industry-leading CFL betting experience,” which includes moneyline wagers and futures bets. It also includes a robust menu of in-game prop bets, like anytime touchdown scorer, passing, rushing, and receiving yardage, and more. Customers can also create same-game parlays for CFL matchups.
“We are very proud to kick off our partnership with the CFL, a league with some of Canada’s most passionate fans,” Dale Hooper, general manager of FanDuel Canada, said in the press release. “The CFL is a Canadian institution, and we are excited to provide sports bettors with an industry-leading experience.”
The CFL season began on June 8 and will run through the end of October.
FanDuel’s football influence grows
FanDuel is also an official sports betting partner of the NFL, and its relationship with TSN makes it a natural fit to work closely with the CFL. FanDuel and TSN formed a multi-year partnership in April 2022, with FanDuel becoming the official sportsbook partner for TSN, which broadcasts CFL games across Canada.
“FanDuel is the undisputed leader in sports betting, and with the launch of sports betting in Canada they were the clear choice for us as a sportsbook partner,” Stewart Johnston, TSN’s senior vice president, said at the time.
The CFL and FanDuel hope the sports betting partnership will increase fan engagement in games.
“We look forward to working with the CFL and TSN to continue to drive interest in this great league and the next generation of stars by contributing insights that add another element to the great storytelling that is taking place,” Hooper said.
Responsible gambling a focus
The CFL’s press release emphasized the importance of responsible gambling for bettors, and it also mentioned safeguarding the integrity of the league. The CFL recently implemented a policy to protect against match manipulation, and it worked with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports to launch an online learning course for players and league personnel about the policy and how match fixers might work to target them.
League officials want bettors to have access to a safe and secure betting market that promotes responsible gambling best practices.
“Responsible gaming is the foundation of FanDuel’s core values, and is built into everything the company does — from employee training, to in-product features and marketing strategy,” Hooper said in the release. “Responsible gaming is an essential element in all decisions.”
