Canada has a complex regulatory landscape for gambling. The popular pastime is only legal when it’s an activity regulated by one of Canada’s 10 provinces, three territories, or First Nations authorities. This means that commercial gaming, including online gambling, is allowed if it’s approved or conducted by local authorities.

The Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) operates the Play Alberta platform. It is the only regulated online gambling website in Alberta, although players can still gamble on the so-called "grey market," which refers to offshore gambling websites that aren't officially licensed by the province but are still accessible to Alberta residents.

Alberta’s Legal Progression to Broader Market Regulation

A big step toward licensed online gambling in Alberta was the introduction of Bill 16. It addressed multiple pieces of legislation, including the Gaming Liquor and Cannabis Act, which could see it pave the way for a regulated iGaming in the Canadian province.

Bill 48, designated the iGaming Alberta Act, was introduced on March 26th by Dale Nally, Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction. It aims to establish a regulated and competitive online gambling market in the province.  

Nally explained: 

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“We know no form of gambling is truly safe. But we can help make it safer by making sure it comes with key social responsibility tools.” 

According to Nally, the overarching goal is to bring more players into a legal system, add consumer protections like self-exclusion tools, and keep gambling revenue in the province rather than lose it to unregulated or offshore sites.

If Bill 48 is passed, the iGaming Alberta Act would create a new Crown corporation, the Alberta iGaming Corporation, to oversee the new market and regulate private online gambling companies. The rules and potential safeguards for gamblers would be determined by the future Crown corporation and the government. 

 Government Concern Over Unregulated Gambling Sites

Launched in 2020, Play Alberta offers over 356,000 local players access to casino games, sports betting and lotteries. This saw it generate $235 million in government revenue in 2024, an increase of more than $42 million over the previous year.

Despite this success, Play Alberta is the only legal online gambling platform in the province, which makes the market vulnerable to abuse from unlicensed operators.

Minister Nally estimates that less than half of the online gambling activity in the province takes place on Play Alberta, which could mean many Albertans are at risk of mistreatment, while also translating to a sizeable revenue loss for the government.

Not only do unlicensed offshore gambling companies not pay taxes, they do not contribute to the Province’s safer gambling programs, nor do they add any new jobs or uplift the local economy, which licensed gambling companies do.

 Alberta Seeks to Emulate the Regulatory Success of Ontario

Not looking to reinvent the wheel, Alberta is aiming to emulate the regulatory success attained by Ontario in establishing a legal online gambling market that includes offshore operators.

Ontario is the only other province to have tried this approach. While it's difficult to ascertain how much Ontario’s online gambling industry would have grown had it not opened it up to private companies, the industry has gone from strength to strength since the changes implemented in 2022.

This has positively impacted Ontario’s revenue collection, which has continued to grow since expanding legal online gambling. The province receives 20% of gambling revenue from regulated companies.

For Alberta, implementing a comprehensive online gaming strategy within a sound regulatory framework like the one Ontario has showcased would protect players and significantly boost provincial revenues.