Alberta has introduced its regulatory framework for regulated and licensed gaming.
Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Dale Nally has introduced Bill 48, also known as the iGaming Alberta Act, as the foundation for regulated online commercial gambling in the province. The iGaming Alberta Act was crafted at the request of Premier Danielle Smith, who sought a uniform framework for the anticipated arrival of gambling.
The iGaming Alberta Act establishes the new Alberta iGaming Corporation, which would provide oversight of the province’s private-sector market. Under the bill, the Alberta iGaming Corporation would see commercial operators compete with Play Alberta, the sole regulated online gambling platform currently offered by Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC).
The iGaming Alberta Act designates AGLC as the regulator of online gambling to ensure market integrity and compliance, according to a government release.
Under the measure, the Alberta iGaming Corporation would be the conduct-and-manage entity, with a role to iGaming Ontario’s operations in Canada’s most populous province. Operators would sign an agreement with the new corporation, allowing them to offer regulated online gambling.
Player protection in Alberta
The iGaming Alberta Act would create safeguards and resources to ensure safe and fair gaming, including a centralized self-exclusion system that allows Albertans to limit their access to operators seamlessly.
The iGaming Alberta Act also mandates the promotion of responsible gaming through existing programs including GameSense, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation’s responsible gaming program.
“Our goal is not to create new gamblers, but to make existing online gambling safer,” said Nally. “It’s a simple case of ‘If you build it, they will come.’ We know this because they told us that. We know there are responsible operators that want to be part of a safer, more responsible gambling ecosystem, and we know there are illicit operators that don’t want to.”
The iGaming Alberta Act must pass in the Alberta legislature to be enacted. It had its first reading in parliament on March 26 but could face a lengthy approval process, even with Nally’s United Conservative Party holding a parliamentary majority.
Operators anticipate Alberta will open its market in 2026. The CEO of one interested online gaming company, PENN Entertainment CEO Jay Snowden, said last year he expects Alberta to be a top-four market for the company in terms of online gaming revenue.
