TLDR
- Alberta’s iGaming market launched July 13 with 22 platforms going live, ending the province’s single-operator monopoly.
- Major brands including FanDuel, DraftKings, bet365, BetMGM and Caesars are now available to Alberta residents.
- Play Alberta, the former sole legal operator, remains active alongside the new commercial platforms.
- Another 28 registered operators have not yet launched, meaning more brands could join in coming months.
- Analysts project Alberta’s gambling revenue could reach nearly C$2.8 billion within two years of regulation.
Alberta’s online gambling market officially opened on Monday. Twenty-two platforms went live on the first day of the province’s new multi-license system.
The launch makes Alberta the second Canadian province to allow multiple licensed online gambling operators. Ontario was the first.
Before this change, Play Alberta was the only legal online gambling site in the province. That government-run platform still operates today alongside the new private companies.
Major Operators Go Live in Alberta
Several well-known gambling brands started operating in Alberta this week. These include FanDuel, DraftKings, bet365, BetMGM and Caesars.
Other platforms launched too, such as Golden Nugget, theScore Bet, BetRivers and TonyBet. Some companies operate multiple brands under one license.
The Alberta iGaming Corporation, known as AiGC, oversees the new market. It held a launch event in Edmonton with government officials and industry leaders.
Alberta’s Minister of Service, Dale Nally, said the province wanted to protect residents, especially young people. He said the goal was a safe and regulated environment for online gambling.
AiGC reported that about 70% of Alberta’s online gambling previously happened on unregulated offshore websites. Those sites often lacked consistent player protections.
AiGC’s chief executive, Dan Keene, said the new system was built to channel players toward safer, regulated options. He said growing the market was not the primary goal.
All approved operators must follow responsible gambling rules. These include age checks, deposit limits, time limits and self-exclusion tools for players.
Operators will pay a 20% tax on their net revenue under the new framework. Most of that money goes to Alberta’s General Revenue Fund.
A portion of the tax revenue is set aside for specific programs. Two percent will go to First Nations, and one percent will fund gambling addiction research and mental health treatment.
More Operators Set to Launch Soon
Not every approved company launched on day one. Alberta’s records show 28 registered brands had not gone live as of July 13.
These include Bally’s, Super Group brands like Betway and Jackpot City, and Entain’s Sports Interaction. Other pending brands include Betano, PointsBet, BET99 and PowerPlay.
This suggests Alberta’s market will keep expanding over the next several months. More platforms are expected to become available to residents.
Industry analysts expect Alberta to become one of Canada’s largest regulated online gambling markets. H2 Gambling Capital projects the province’s revenue could reach C$1.7 billion in its second year of regulation.
That would bring Alberta’s total revenue to close to C$2.8 billion within two years. Analysts also expect more players to shift from unregulated sites to licensed ones over time.
H2 estimates that regulated platforms could capture 87% of Alberta’s online gambling activity in the coming years, up from about 32% today. That pattern would mirror what happened in Ontario, where more than 90% of players now use regulated sites.
Ontario is still expected to remain Canada’s biggest regulated market overall. However, analysts say Alberta shows strong potential per capita as more operators come online.
