Betty, a North American gaming firm that has described its goal of becoming the ‘McDonald’s of iCasino’, has bucked current trends by choosing to launch in the UK despite the country’s tough market conditions.
The company is primarily known for its operations in Canada through its licence in Ontario. However, Group Chief Executive Officer Justin Park has confirmed via LinkedIn that the online casino has gone live in the UK.
Market entry into the UK will provide the litmus test for Betty’s unique expansion strategy, which Park describes as a ‘decentralised franchise model’ for expansion.
This means that each new entity, in this instance, Betty UK, will have its own brand, technology, digital user acquisition process, operating playbook and startup capital.
As part of this shift, Betty’s Ontario operations rebranded to Betty Canada under the leadership of Betty co-founder Chavdar Dimitrov as CEO.
Park wrote on LinkedIn in January 2025: “Much like McDonald’s, Betty will establish a worldwide presence by partnering with top-tier managers and providing them with the necessary tools for success.”
He also envisions that each franchise will have its own CEO, who will have a significant ownership stake in the franchise. The UK operation will be led by Adele Barker, who joined Betty from Crab Sports in January.
Betty has pushed to establish itself as a top-tier operator in Ontario since it entered the market in February 2023, and it has cultivated partnerships with some of Toronto’s major sports teams, including the NBA’s Toronto Raptors and the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs.
Park reported that revenue for the company rose from $9.4m to $27.3m from January to December 2025, indicating annual revenue of $328m, as the operator’s Ontario active player base grew from 45,000 to 134,000 in the same year. The company is also pursuing a licence for the soon-to-open Alberta iGaming market.
Swimming against the tide
The expansion of a North American online casino firm to the UK will no doubt raise eyebrows, given the current climate and regulatory trajectory of the market.
1 April marked the beginning of a new tax regime for the UK as remote gaming duty increased from 19% to 40%. Meanwhile, a 25% general betting duty for remote betting will be implemented from 1 April 2027.
Alongside this, the government and GC are still working to implement the final stages of the 2023 Gambling White Paper, including the much-maligned financial risk assessments.
Given these changes, executives of gaming groups such as Entain and Flutter have repeatedly predicted consolidation in the market as smaller firms fall by the wayside in light of the increased financial strain placed on operators.
However, Park previously said that entering into this new market state, rather than reacting to the changes, ‘creates a unique opening’ for the company, as he pointed to the early success of fellow challenger brand Midnite.
He said in a Q4 2025 update to investors: “We’ve already seen how a changing regulatory landscape allowed nimble teams – like Midnite – to start taking material market share. Instead of spending years refactoring legacy code just to stay compliant, they’ve managed to focus on delighting players through product innovation.
“This tax hike will only accelerate this trend. While incumbents are now forced to play defence across both their tech stacks and cost structures, BettyUK is starting with a clean slate. If Betty UK can crack the code, they really have a shot at taking over the market as everyone else retreats.”
iGaming Expert Analysis: By entering the UK through this franchise model, Betty is insulating itself from the potential financial hurdles of gaining market share in the UK, reducing the risk to its core business.
Meanwhile, a fresh perspective may just be what’s needed to forge a successful path through the current headwinds and scoop up players who have been displaced from their usual offering as a result of the changes.
