While Alberta’s government continues to prepare to welcome commercial online sportsbooks to the province, the government-run operator is striking more deals with provincial sports teams.

Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) announced on Thursday that its Play Alberta platform is now the official sports betting partner of the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

Through a multi-year partnership, the field at the Elks’ Commonwealth Stadium will be rebranded as Play Alberta Field for all Elks home games. The collaboration will also include further branding opportunities, as well as activations and contests for fans.

“Since Play Alberta’s launch five years ago, our team has made it a priority to connect with the communities where our players live and work,” said AGLC CEO Kandice Machado in a release. “We are very excited to join the Edmonton Elks on the field on game days during upcoming CFL seasons. Play Alberta Field at Commonwealth Stadium allows us to partner with the Elks and showcase two brands built for Albertans in a historic Edmonton location.”

Chris Morris, Elks president and CEO, pointed to the synergies between the two organizations.

“This partnership is about more than just putting a name on the field – it’s about building something meaningful for our fans and our community,” he said. “Play Alberta is an Alberta-based organization that shares our values and our commitment to giving back. Together, we’re creating new ways for fans to connect with our team and experience the game day atmosphere in a whole new way.”

It’s the latest sports team partnership for what it, for now, Alberta’s online regulated and approved online sportsbook. Play Alberta already has deals with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames — sponsoring the home jerseys of both of Alberta’s pro hockey teams this season — and was also the official sportsbook of the Calgary Stampede last year.

Through its deal with Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC), Play Alberta is the official sportsbook of not only the Flames but also the CFL’s Stampeders, the American Hockey League’s Wranglers and the Roughnecks box lacrosse team.

Play Alberta sports presence could come in handy when competition arrives

All of those deals, including the new Elks partnership and stadium rebranding, will increase Play Alberta’s visibility in its own market.

That could be useful for AGLC given that the crown corporation will soon be competing with numerous commercial sportsbooks for Albertans’ time and money.

The provincial Assembly passed Bill 48, the iGaming Alberta Act, earlier this month and the legislation is just awaiting the ceremonial step of Royal Assent before officially being enacted. While details of what Alberta’s online gambling market will look like are scant right now, the consensus is that it will broadly follow Ontario’s open-market model by not setting a cap on the number of online sports wagering licenses that can be handed out.

In advance of big names such as BetMGM, bet365, FanDuel, DraftKings, theScore Bet and more potentially entering the province, AGLC — which will both operate Play Alberta and regulate the new market, under the terms of the legislation — has modernized and expanded Play Alberta. Last fall, it introduced a sportsbook-first app and in March, on the day that the Alberta government officially introduced Bill 48, it announced a rebrand of its logo and colour scheme as well as the addition of online casino, live dealer, e-instant and lottery offerings.

Per AGLC, Play Alberta generated an estimated $270 million in net sales in 2024-25, an increase of more than $35 million from the previous year. The crown corporation estimated last year that the platform holds around 45% of Alberta’s online gambling market; data provided to Canadian Gaming Business by market research firm H2 Gambling Capital suggests it was more like 28%.