There is still no firm launch date for Alberta’s regulated online gambling market, but there is progress this week when Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) published its Standards and Requirements for Internet Gaming (SRIG) on Jan. 13.
Alberta’s iGaming will be run like Ontario’s, wherein the AGLC is the market regulator and the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) is the conduct-and-manage agency that is roughly equivalent to iGaming Ontario (iGO).
Unlike the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), AGLC will be both regulator and operator. It will continue to run Play Alberta, the province’s current regulated iGaming platform that will soon compete with commercial licensed online sportsbooks and casinos. Per various analyses, Play Alberta currently holds roughly 25% to 30% of iGaming play in the province.
While AGLC is now accepting applications from operators and suppliers, the commercial online casino and sports betting market launch is still months away. In the meantime, the 85-page AGLC standards answer some key questions that were left hanging when the province passed the iGaming Alberta Act in spring 2025.
Tax rate and licensing fees
Applicants to enter Alberta must complete a two-step process where they first register with the AGLC and subsequently sign a commercial agreement with the AiGC.
AGLC confirmed that operators will pay a one-time $50,000 application fee and a $150,000 annual registration fee, and must pay the annual fee for each iGaming site they intend to run in the province. Platform providers and gaming suppliers will pay a $15,000 annual registration fee, while other suppliers like payment providers, oddsmakers and Independent Integrity Monitors will pay $3,000 per year. Further costs may be incurred via the operating agreements with the AiGC.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Gaming Association (CGA) and other stakeholders urged Alberta to adopt a similar tax rate to Ontario’s 20% of non-adjusted gross gaming revenues. Alberta appears to have heeded that call.
While not specified in the standards, the CGA confirmed that the big difference from Ontario is that Alberta will deduct 3% of operators’ GGR before taxing it. A total of 2% will go towards First Nations funding and another 1% will be dedicated to social responsibility initiatives. After those deductions, operators will pay 20% of their remaining GGR to the government, equating to an effective tax rate of around 22%.
All registering operators and suppliers must end any unregulated gaming activity in Alberta’s iGaming market in order to be eligible for licensure. Another note dictates that operators must ensure that none of the third parties they use for direct-to-consumer marketing or player referral services also work with unlicensed operators.
How can (or can’t) operators advertise?
Once fully registered and paid, operators will be allowed to start advertising and signing up customers immediately in Alberta in the ramp-up to the market actually beginning play.
Like Ontario, Alberta will place numerous restrictions on how operators can promote themselves through advertising and marketing. Ontario has various requirements for operators, such as mandatory responsible gambling messaging and only using public figures to advertise RG resources.
Similarly, Alberta’s standards stipulate numerous things, including that “advertising and marketing materials must contain a responsible gambling message.” An Alberta government release issued on Wednesday added that gaming companies will be required to ensure advertising does not target minors and that pro athletes are not used to promote gambling activities, like in Ontario.
AGLC puts player protection top of mind
As promised by Minister Dale Nally during legislative discussion of Bill 48 last year, Alberta’s regulations will place a strong focus on player protection.
Written into the iGaming Alberta Act itself was the use of a centralized self-exclusion system (CSE), similar to the “overdue” tool iGO is aiming to launch for Ontario in mid-2026. All licensed platforms must integrate with the CSE, which will allow a player to opt out of all iGaming sites, all land-based gambling venues or both categories at once. Operators will need to block any self-excluded players from all marketing. Operators must also offer players standard in-app RG tools such as deposit and wager limits and cool-off periods.
As Ontario does, Alberta will also mandate that operators take steps to prevent betting manipulation. Licensees will also have an obligation to establish controls to identify suspicious betting activity and report it to an Independent Integrity Monitor. AGLC has a detailed list of instructions for what needs to be reported, to whom, and how quickly.
Casinos can offer retail sportsbooks
While the standards concern the upcoming market, one brick-and-mortar gaming note is that land-based casinos in Alberta will be able to partner with licensed iGaming operators to open retail sportsbooks at their sites.
Racing entertainment centres and professional sports teams will also be eligible.
So, Albertans could feasibly see a BetMGM, DraftKings, or theScore-branded sportsbook open up near them in the not-too-distant future.
iGaming Corporation recruitment ongoing
Minister Nally’s office told Canadian Gaming Business in November that the intent is to finalize the regulations soon. A spokesperson also added that work was underway to finish building out the AiGC.
AGLC Vice President of Gaming Dan Keene is currently serving on secondment to Nally’s ministry as special advisor for iGaming Alberta and is also the AiGC’s interim CEO. Consulting firm Odgers Canada is leading recruitment for several other key positions, including chief compliance and operations officer, chief financial officer, chief information officer and general counsel.
Meanwhile, Nally spoke exclusively to Canadian Gaming Business about the newly unveiled regulations.
