From Boston to Toronto

DraftKings was founded in Boston in 2012 as a daily fantasy sports company. By 2018 it had pivoted to sports betting. By 2022 it was in Ontario. The company came through Crown DK CAN Ltd., operating DraftKings Casino and DraftKings Sportsbook as separate registered products under iGaming Ontario.

The Ontario launch was part of a broader international expansion. DraftKings had watched its U.S. numbers climb steadily post-PASPA and identified Canada as the most accessible adjacent market. Language, culture, and sporting interests overlap significantly between Ontario and the northeastern United States.

What DraftKings does well

The sportsbook is the core product. DraftKings offers same-game parlays, live betting across all major leagues, and one of the cleaner mobile interfaces in the Ontario market. For NHL and NBA fans specifically, the depth of markets is hard to beat. Player props, game props, and same-game combinations are available well before tip-off or puck drop. winshark

The casino has grown substantially since launch. The slot library now covers most major providers. The live dealer section is solid, running on Evolution Gaming infrastructure like most Ontario competitors.

Golden Nugget in the mix

In 2025, DraftKings added Golden Nugget Casino to its Ontario portfolio. Golden Nugget is a legacy Las Vegas brand that DraftKings acquired in 2022. The Ontario version targets players who want a slightly more traditional casino feel compared to the DraftKings main brand. Both run on the same backend with different front-end branding.

The market position

DraftKings competes directly with FanDuel for the sports-first player segment. The two brands dominate sports betting in Ontario in a way that mirrors their U.S. duopoly. Casino-first players tend to spread more across the market, giving smaller operators more room. But for someone whose primary interest is betting on sports, the Ontario market effectively comes down to a FanDuel vs. DraftKings decision for most players.