DraftKings Targets World Cup Betting Boom With Alberta Sportsbook Launch

DraftKings confirmed this morning (July 9) that it will launch its online sportsbook and casino platforms in Alberta when the province’s new regulated iGaming market goes live on Monday, July 13, alongside its sister brand, Golden Nugget Online Gaming.

“Getting out the door on Day 1 is critical from a customer acquisition perspective,” Greg Karamitis, DraftKings’ Executive Vice President and General Manager of Sports said in an interview with Casino.org.

“Every sports moment is a moment that people want to be able to engage with the platform, and it’s critical for us to be there for those moments,” he added.

World Cup Launch Party

In advance of the market launch, DraftKings will be hosting a watch party on Saturday (July 11) at the Wildhorse Saloon in Calgary, part of a series of World Cup watch parties the company has hosted in Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami and Hoboken.

Saturday (July 11) is a busy day on the World Cup schedule, with Norway playing England followed by Argentina playing Switzerland in quarter-final matches. 

The World Cup semi-finals get going Tuesday (July 14), marking the first time in which Albertans can start making actual bets on regulated sites. 

Calgary Watch Party

“Even with Canada getting knocked out, there’s so much enthusiasm right now, and missing these windows where you can give fans a great experience in any given sports moment would be a miss for us,” Karamitis said. 

“You want to be one of the first ones out there that people can experience, so that people can see how good we are, especially if they sample some others. I feel like when customers try multiple offerings, they tend to come back to us because of the quality of the offering.

As of this morning, according to Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC), 49 operators had successfully completed the registration process and paid their fees. 

Those companies still need to finish off the dual-step process with Alberta iGaming Corporation (AIGC) to be ready to go live on Monday, July 13.

FanDuel also announced yesterday (July 8) that it will be going live Monday.

Ontario Lessons Learned

Continuing his comments Karamitis said the key in separating from other operators in a market as robust as the one in Alberta will be understanding the local environment, especially on the sports side. 

That operational tunnel vision is the top lesson the company took from its 2022 Ontario launch, he added. Having only operated in the U.S. market prior to entering Canada, DraftKings initially failed to prioritize hyper-local content, completely missing the opportunity to prominently feature the Toronto Maple Leafs in its early days.

“So in every jurisdiction we’re in, our sports offering is going to be super authentic and absolutely top tier,” he said.

Building Alberta Connections

Karamitis noted that Alberta boasts a “really strong sports culture,” highlighting that DraftKings has made a “ton of investments” in its sports betting product, particularly within hockey.

As an example, Karamitis—an American based in Boston—referenced the Edmonton Oilers specifically. He pointed to the injuries the team battled last season, noting that despite an early playoff exit, “they are still in their [Stanley Cup] window right now,” led by superstar Connor McDavid.

That local enthusiasm is exactly what DraftKings aims to tap into with its localized market offerings. Karamitis also emphasized a necessary strategic focus on the Canadian Football League (CFL), given the massive popularity of the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Elks across Canada’s western provinces.

Live Betting Differentiation

Alberta marks the second Canadian province and the 34th North American jurisdiction to offer DraftKings Sportsbook. Alongside its two Canadian provincial footprints, the DraftKings Casino platform is live in five U.S. states, while its Golden Nugget Online Gaming casino brand operates in four.

Because licensed operators in Alberta are prohibited from advertising sign-up bonuses and inducements publicly, DraftKings plan to differentiate itself through the user experience. Once a patron boards the platform, the operational focus shifts heavily to keeping users engaged with the real-time, micro-betting ebbs and flows of a game.

Customer Experience Focus

To illustrate this approach, Karamitis pointed to the dramatic Argentina versus Egypt Round of 16 match on Tuesday, July 7, where Argentina rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 following a late equalizer by Lionel Messi and a game-winner from Enzo Fernández.

“That game was wild, and anyone that follows sports knows it,” Karamitis said. “You don’t want to be just putting up a moneyline and leaving it at that. You want to tap into the fact that Egypt was up 1-0, then 2-0, and then you felt the surge of Argentina as the momentum shifted.

“I was actually texting back and forth with the office at that point saying, ‘Meetings are canceled, we’re watching the rest of this. Can Egypt hold on?’ You want to reflect that exact narrative energy in your on-site offerings.”

Expansion Beyond Alberta

Karamitis believes that real-time features—such as text notifications sent directly to a bettor’s phone as an event unfolds, combined with on-site content reflecting what fans are talking about in the moment—will be the true differentiator for sportsbook operators in Alberta.

Achieving that requires extreme backend processing speed to keep markets updated, alongside integrated social features that foster a community feel on the app.

While speculation grows across Canada regarding which province will be next to mirror Ontario and Alberta by introducing an open commercial iGaming framework to compete with state-run crown corporations, Karamitis emphasized that DraftKings is taking a measured approach.

“You’ll continue to see regulations emerging, new territories and new states opening up, and we’ll continue to look to expand into them along the way,” he added.