Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s PROLINE+ sportsbook has been named as the first official sportsbook partner of the National Hockey League (NHL) in Canada.

The multi-year deal is the NHL’s first sports betting partnership in Canada and will see OLG become an official NHL partner for sports betting on both its PROLINE+ digital sports betting platform and the new PROLINE product at retail lottery outlets across Ontario.

The partnership will provide OLG with distribution rights to the league’s official logos and cross-promotion across NHL digital and social channels.

In summary, the partnership includes unique and engaging NHL content delivered across proline.ca and NHL digital platforms, exclusive OLG/PROLINE and NHL events and promotions at retail outlets and online, and special co-branded promotions for sports betting enthusiasts during select 2021-22 regular season games, the Stanley Cup Playoffs and Final, and the and 2022-23 season.

PROLINE+ will also be the presenting sponsor of the PROLINE+ NHL PreGame at the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic, the official fan festival of the March 13 outdoor game between the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ont. This will be the first year that the NHL Heritage Classic is held in Ontario.

“The OLG-NHL deal is a big win for our valued sports bettors,” says Dave Pridmore, OLG’s Chief Digital and Strategy Officer. “A partnership with a world-class organization like the NHL will help complement the ultimate sports betting experience for hockey fans on PROLINE+ and PROLINE at retail, where our players can execute legal single-event wagers and other unique bets on a sport they love.”

“As we prepare to stage our sixth NHL Heritage Classic this weekend in Hamilton, we’re thrilled to announce PROLINE+ by OLG as the NHL’s first Official Sports Betting Partner in Canada,”  said Kyle McMann, NHL Senior Vice President, North American Business Development. “As a leading gaming entertainment operator for more than four decades with an excellent track record in Ontario, OLG is an ideal partner for the NHL to begin our transformative entry into this space in Canada and to further engage our avid Canadian fan base.”

This is OLG’s second official partnership with a major sports league. The corporation previously announced before Super Bowl LVI that it has signed a five-year deal for PROLINE to be the first official Canadian sportsbook partner of the NFL.

These announcements have come just weeks before the OLG will a horde of competitors in the market as Ontario opens up its iGaming and sports betting industry to private-sector operators on April 4.