From Ontario to Alberta: Four Years That Shaped FanDuel's Next Canadian Launch

It's midnight in Alberta, and teams across FanDuel are completing their final checks before regulated online gaming goes live in the province.

With the click of a button, FanDuel's pre-registration portal disappears. Seconds later, the first deposits are placed, first bets and casino spins are made, and online gaming is officially available in Alberta.

For Dale Tang, Senior Director looking after Commercial, Retention & Analytics for FanDuel Canada, the moment was four years in the making:

"I felt calm at launch because of all the work that had gone into preparation. All of the time spent planning—the communication and coordination—the launch leadership team did an incredible job rallying everyone who contributed to make it a success."

Alberta marks FanDuel's first Canadian Sportsbook and Casino launch since Ontario, giving the company its first chance to put four years of experience into practice.

Lessons from Ontario

Ontario was FanDuel's first major international launch and the foundation of its Canadian business. When the province regulated online gaming in April 2022, the small team had a big goal: establish FanDuel as a market leader in Canada.

“It really was a true One Team effort,” said Tang. “And now we have a team that's already gone through the Ontario launch—all the pain points and the lessons from that launch—and we're applying them to Alberta."

FanDuel entered Alberta with its proprietary sportsbook and casino platform, an experienced Canadian team, and boots on the grounds that helped shape its understanding of the market.

Getting to Know Alberta

Before launch, the team spent months learning what made Alberta unique—from their affinity for casino gaming to their passion for hometown teams like the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames.

Canada's advertising regulations, which limit how operators can promote, also pushed the team to think differently.

Activations leading up to launch included the Thrillionaire Questionnaire roadshow, which traveled across Alberta engaging fans with local trivia for the chance to win a prize. FanDuel also built its local presence through sponsorships at the Calgary Stampede.

"I actually find it to be a fun challenge because it means we have to be more creative," said Tom Burdakin, Marketing Vice President for FanDuel Canada. "It makes us think more deeply about how we communicate with our customers.”

Rethinking the Playbook

It was clear that Casino had to be at the center of this strategy.

"The biggest lesson we learned from Ontario was that we didn't lean into Casino hard enough early on. In Canada, Casino represents a much bigger share of the market,” said Tang.

Online casino accounts for roughly 80%+ of Ontario's online gaming market. FanDuel expects this to be even stronger in Alberta.

That insight shaped nearly every aspect of the Alberta launch. FanDuel built a Casino-first strategy, including an exclusive partnership with Light & Wonder that brought the popular Huff N' Puff franchise to players in Alberta for launch.

One Team in Action

What started as a four-person local operation in April 2022 has grown into a well-coordinated effort spanning teams across Canada, U.S., and international.

"We are very interconnected with the U.S. business, while still maintaining the entrepreneurial culture that's made the Canadian team successful,” said Burdakin.

With Alberta live, the team's focus quickly shifts from launch day to long-term success.

"Our goal is to be number one in combined Sportsbook and Casino market by the end of year one," Tang said. "It's an ambitious goal, but our ambition shouldn't be anything less."

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