Alberta’s regulated iGaming market went live just after midnight on Monday, opening a competitive market for private sports-betting companies and online casinos. The launch made Alberta the second province to open the doors to private online gambling operators, after Ontario.
Nearly 50 companies had paid $200,000 in registration and permit fees before the switch-on, although Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally said he thought closer to 20 would be ready for customers. An AGLC spokesperson said all systems were a go at midnight. One early sign of the market’s effect was Coolbet saying it would pull out of Alberta because of the new rules.
The rollout stems from Bill 48, passed in spring 2025 by Premier Danielle Smith’s government. That law created the iGaming Alberta Act, which set up the Alberta iGaming Corporation to oversee market operations, and named Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis as regulator.
According to the province’s factsheet, operators must build in financial and time-based limits at account registration and keep those tools available afterwards. They must also integrate a centralized self-exclusion platform that lets Albertans bar themselves from land-based and regulated online gambling for six months to three years, and advertising cannot be directed at minors, self-excluded people or other high-risk users.
A separate launch-day report said licensed operators must also obtain RG Check accreditation, promote the self-exclusion system, make it easy to access and refund eligible unsettled futures wagers if a player self-excludes before settlement. It also noted that Alberta is putting centralized self-exclusion in place from day one, unlike Ontario, which introduced it years after legalization.
On the financial side, the factsheet says operators keep 80 per cent of net iGaming revenue, while the province retains 20 per cent for programs and services that support Albertans. Of total gross gaming revenue, 2 per cent goes to First Nations and 1 per cent to social responsibility initiatives, including research, prevention, education and treatment. The government has forecast a $76-million boost to provincial coffers in the first year, though Nally said the framework is about safety and player responsibility first.
Before Monday, Albertans who wanted to gamble online had only the government-owned PlayAlberta or offshore sites that offered no consumer protection. Ontario has allowed online casinos and sportsbooks since 2022, and a March University of Toronto study cited in launch-day coverage found active online accounts per 100,000 people there had risen 239 per cent in three years, to about 7,300 from 2,160, while the rate of men under 24 calling the gambling helpline had climbed by more than 300 per cent since 2022. Nally said Alberta’s numbers could end up similar, but he suggested Ontario’s figures may reflect greater awareness and resources as much as any change in behaviour.
Robert Williams was more cautious, saying he expected only a tiny increase in helpline calls and problem gambling, not as much as Ontario. He also warned that much of the money may not stay in Alberta because many online operators are multinational companies, which he described as an economic vacuum on the province.
