No surprise, Alberta to legalize online gambling
The waiting is almost over, as Alberta is just a stroke of a fancy pen and a short ceremony away from embracing regulated online sports and casino betting. With Bill 48, the iGaming Alberta Act, the province will become the second in Canada to regulate gaming as soon as it receives royal assent (part of the Canadian legislative process).
Alberta would be the next, and it’s been known for months. The question has been: When will it actually happen?
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New Government Agency To Provide Oversight
Cabinet minister Dale Nally has been able to make a great deal of political hay of the process of regulating gambling in Alberta. Now Nally has to juggle creating a new government body, the Alberta iGaming Corporation, to oversee operations and negotiate contracts with private operators while keeping Minister for Red Tape Reduction on his business card.
No limit on operators
The Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) will regulate the market, and the new bill doesn’t include a cap on the number of operators. AGLC will continue to operate Play Alberta, the province's sole regulated online gambling platform.
Last fall, Nally hinted that regulation could be a go for the NFL season, but it now seems like Q1 2026 is more realistic. That’ll change the answer to the question of what’s good about winter in Alberta from not a damn thing to gambling is now legal.
Operators of books in Ontario, such as BetMGM, Caesars, and several others, have said they’re planning to enter the Alberta market in Q1 2026.
Canadian Gaming Association Welcomes the Decision
Paul Burns, the president and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association, used his LinkedIn profile to describe the development as “a great milestone...congratulations to Minister Dale Nally and the Government of Alberta for reaching this significant milestone and advancing towards the provision of regulated iGaming and enhanced consumer protections for its citizens.”
And speaking of consumer protection, Alberta hates to play second fiddle to Ontario in anything (it does hold the current top spot in bellyaching about being part of Canada), but the province’s version of regulation has something Ontario’s doesn’t: a self-exclusion platform for gamblers across all commercially regulated sites.
“More details on key regulations and policies related to revenue, consumer protection, and specific social responsibility policies will be shared later this year, following further engagement,” Nally said in the legislature.
Regulation, not legislation
While Nally has been questioned repeatedly about how responsible gambling and player protection will be guaranteed, the minister has always said it’s his feeling that those are issues for regulation, not legislation, a decision he says will make the industry more nimble.
Also to be decided are the tax rate and licensing fees on gambling.
Online gambling is already here
Obviously, just like everywhere else, there is already online gambling in Alberta, just not the kind that gladdens the tax collectors.
Last year, AGLC estimated Play Alberta takes in about 45% of the province’s online gambling revenue, but industry analysts say a lower figure, closer to 25%, would be more accurate.
