Long-Awaited Alberta iGaming Market Finally Taking Shape

^{With a 2026 launch now confirmed, but with no exact date just yet, regulators have started to brief both operators and players on what they can expect Alberta’s legal online gambling market to look like. (Image: Terrance Klassen / Alamy)} 

After months of radio silence, Alberta’s long-awaited legal online gambling market stirred back to life this week, with the provincial government finally setting out its regulatory framework.

While no exact launch date was issued, it was confirmed that Alberta’s iGaming market will open this year, following the iGaming Alberta Act that passed in May 2025, and will largely mirror Ontario’s model, albeit with a few exceptions.

On Tuesday, Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) published its Standards and Requirements for Internet Gaming (SRIG), an 85 page handbook giving both players and operators an idea of what they can expect both pre and post-launch.

“For Albertans who choose not to gamble, the best option is to not start.” Dale Nally, Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, said in a statement.

“With unregulated iGaming widely available in our province, it is our responsibility to step in, regulate the market, and hold private providers to the highest standards to protect Albertans, particularly our youth.”

At top level, AGLC will serve as the market regulator and will be responsible for enforcing rules, issuing licences and maintaining market integrity, while the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) will manage the commercial relationships with online casinos and day-to-day operations.

This is similar to how Ontario oversees its legal online gambling market with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and iGaming Ontario (iGO).

What operators can expect

For private operators looking to enter Alberta, this similar structure should help provide a soft landing into what will be only Canada’s second regulated iGaming province.

Under the proposed guidelines, online casinos entering Alberta can expect a tax rate broadly comparable to Ontario’s current rate of 20%, albeit with an added contribution.

Operators in Alberta will be allowed to retain 80% of revenue, however 3% of their Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) will be deducted to fund First Nations (2%) and social responsibility initiatives (1%).

After these deductions, they'll pay 20% of their remaining GGR to the government, giving them an effective tax rate of around 22%

With regards advertising and marketing, Alberta is taking another leaf out of Ontario’s book by banning the use of athletes to promote gambling as well as any advertising that could potentially appeal to children.

However, Alberta’s rules on promotional materials seems to go one step further than Ontario's, by requiring all advertising and marketing materials to contain a responsible gambling message.

While operators who use third parties for direct-to-consumer marketing and player referral services must ensure that these third parties don’t work with unlicensed and unregulated casinos and sportsbooks in the province.

Despite no clear date on when the market will officially open for business, AGLC is now accepting applications from online casinos, poker rooms and sports betting sites who wish to offer their services to players in Alberta.

Though a full operational agreement has yet to be established, operators who apply to AGLC for a licence must pay a one-time $50,000 application fee plus an annual registration fee of $150,000, which must be paid for each site the operator runs.

While platform and gaming system providers will pay a $15,000 annual registration fee, with payment providers, oddsmakers and Independent Integrity Monitors paying $3,000 a year.

Once their registration process is complete and fees are paid, operators will be allowed to start advertising and accepting sign-ups from new customers in advance of the market officially opening and players being able to actually gamble.

With regards to land-based casinos in Alberta, these new guidelines also allow for casinos, racing entertainment centres and professional sports teams to partner with online operators to open retail sportsbooks on their premises.

What players can expect

From a player’s perspective, it’s still too early to know which exact operators will apply for an Alberta licence, though given the success of Ontario’s iGaming market it’s likely to be a similar list to the big gaming brands operating there.

At the core of the government announcements was an emphasis on player welfare and responsible gambling. Something which was commended by the Canadian Gaming Association (CGA).

“The CGA and its members commend the Government of Alberta for implementing measures to protect its residents through the establishment of an expanded regulated iGaming market.” said CGA president and CEO Paul Burns.

Among the responsible gambling measures that will be implemented will be a centralized self-exclusion system (CSE).

Very similar to the tool being launched by iGO in Ontario later this year, a CSE allows players to self-exclude from all regulated online and land-based casinos at once, as well as all marketing materials, rather than having to block access to each brand individually.

AGLC has stated that all casinos who wish to be successful in their application for an Alberta licence must integrate with its CSE.

On site, brands will also be required to offer players various responsible gambling tools such as deposit and wager limits and cool-off periods. While they must also provide Alberta gamblers with activity statements and intervene if signs of problem gambling emerge.

Similarly, sites are also required to take the necessary steps to identify suspicious betting patterns and prevent betting manipulation.

The current state of affairs

Currently, the only regulated online gambling site available to people in Alberta is the AGLC-run Play Alberta which offers casino, sports and lottery.

Last year, PlayAlberta, which will continue to operate post-market launch, generated $275 million in net sales, an increase of $35 million from 2024-25.

However, it’s estimated that only 23-32% of all online gambling in the province takes place on PlayAlberta, meaning the majority of Alberta gamblers play on unregulated sites that operate outside of any provincial or national oversight and may not have suitable responsible gambling policies in place.

It’s hoped that the introduction of regulated private online casinos and sportsbooks will help recover revenue that is currently un-taxed and lost to unregulated sites with international licences.