Coolbet is exiting Alberta as the province’s regulated online gambling market opens, saying it can no longer keep offering services there without a local licence. Reporting on the exact cutoff differed, with one account putting the shutdown on July 12 and another on July 13, the day the new market goes live.
According to Covers, Coolbet had already stopped taking deposits, new registrations, bonuses and promotions. Existing users could still log in and withdraw their balances through August 31, but account access was set to end on September 1.
Any bet left unsettled by July 12 would be voided and refunded, including parlays. For combo bets, undecided legs would be voided and the odds reset to 1.00. World Cup wagers and futures were excluded from that process and would be settled normally, with the tournament final scheduled for July 19.
Alberta’s transition rules require grey-market operators that are relaunching in the province to make sure outstanding bets are satisfied or cancelled before they stop unregulated operations, and to tell players the timelines and procedures for closing their accounts. The province’s January factsheet says operators in registration may advertise and sign up customers, but cannot add funds or take bets until registration, a commercial agreement with the Alberta iGaming Corporation and launch notice are all in place.
The same document says Bill 48, passed in spring 2025, created the iGaming Alberta Act, established the Alberta iGaming Corporation to oversee market operations and designated the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission as the regulator. Alberta will also launch with a centralized self-exclusion system, set 18 as the minimum age for online betting and bar advertising aimed at minors, self-excluded people and high-risk players.
Play Alberta, the AGLC-owned site, remains the only online sportsbook authorized to take bets in Alberta, while play outside it has been described as the grey market. Coolbet’s Alberta exit follows its withdrawal from Ontario in April 2023, about a year after that province regulated its market.
