ToonieBet Bets on Curling's Future with Rock League Partnership

ToonieBet Bets on Curling’s Future with Rock League Partnership

April 6, 2026 – Soft2Bet’s Canadian betting brand ToonieBet has struck a deal as the official sports betting partner of Rock League, a newly formed professional curling competition making its debut this week in Toronto.

Rock League is curling’s first professional league, bringing together six mixed-gender teams from Canada, the United States, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. Canadian sides Maple United and Shield Curling Club are among the competing clubs. The league is operated by The Curling Group, which also runs the Grand Slam of Curling, and was co-founded by former PointsBet Canada executive Nic Sulsky.

The inaugural season runs April 6–12 at TMU Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto. Games are streamed live via CBC Gem and cbcsports.ca in Canada and on ESPN+ in the U.S., with playoff and championship matches airing nationally on CBC TV.

Through the partnership, ToonieBet gains visibility across the league’s digital and social channels along with an in-arena presence throughout the season.

“Sports betting is an increasingly important part of the sports entertainment ecosystem, and we’re excited to work with ToonieBet to create engaging, responsible experiences for our fans,” said Keesje Kort, VP of Sponsorship at The Curling Group.

The Curling Group plans to expand Rock League to multiple venues across a full five-week season in 2027.

A BRAND BUILT FOR CANADIAN AUDIENCES

The deal adds to a growing portfolio of Canadian sports relationships for ToonieBet, which launched in Ontario in 2024. The brand already holds a multi-year agreement as an official betting provider of the Canadian Football League and previously partnered with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators.

Soft2Bet General Counsel David Yatom Hay has described these sports tie-ins as central to the company’s strategy of making its product, brand, and engagement approach genuinely resonate with players in each jurisdiction it enters.

ALBERTA EXPANSION ON THE HORIZON — BUT UNDER A DIFFERENT NAME?

Soft2Bet is one of several operators seeking regulatory approval to enter Alberta, which is expected to launch commercial regulated iGaming later this year. The company is applying both to operate a consumer-facing platform and to offer services to other operators.

Whether ToonieBet will lead that push remains an open question. Yatom Hay noted that Alberta represents a “distinctly different region” with its own demographics and competitive landscape, and that no final decision has been made on extending the ToonieBet name there.

Whatever brand Soft2Bet brings to Alberta, Yatom Hay said it will follow the same hyper-local playbook — including the pursuit of sports partnerships that connect with local fans. “The objective is not simply visibility, but relevance,” he said, “ensuring the experience feels tailored to Alberta players and connected to the sports they care about.”