When Alberta launches commercial online gambling this year, betting on elections and other political events will be banned.
Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) confirmed the new rule has been added to its Standards and Requirements for Internet Gaming (SRIG) in a bulletin issued on Tuesday.
“AGLC is committed to reviewing policies to meet the needs of stakeholders, while maintaining an effective regulatory environment,” stated the commission, which will be the regulatory body in the province’s iGaming market. “As a result, a policy amendment has been made to Section 4.6 of the SRIG … to prohibit betting on political events (e.g., elections, by-elections, leadership contests).”
Wagers on political events have been added to the list of prohibited wagers in Alberta’s SRIG, selection that already included “reasonably objectionable” wagers such as bets on human suffering, death, or non-consensual violence; bets on animal fighting or cruelty; bets on assets and financial markets such as stocks or currencies; bets which mimic the structure of financial instruments, products or markets; and bets on minor league sports in Canada.
“Alberta’s gaming market has stayed clear of political event betting since single-event wagering was permitted beginning in 2021,” an AGLC spokesperson told Canadian Gaming Business. “As we progress towards an open iGaming market later in 2026, AGLC updated its policies to give better clarity to operators that may seek to establish a presence in the province.”
Alberta breaks from Ontario
While Alberta has largely followed Ontario’s iGaming playbook in building the framework for its own upcoming market, by prohibiting bets on politics, it has taken a stance that differs notably from the position of Canada’s first and so far only regulated iGaming province.
In provinces outside Ontario, including in Alberta as of right now, the respective crown lottery corporation is the only authorized gaming operator. Those platforms do not tend to offer bets on Canadian politics. After all, a government-run betting site offering bets on what might happen within or to the government is an inherent conflict of interest at face value.
But the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) allows its nearly 50 licensed operators to offer some bets on politics if they so wish, including on Canadian or foreign elections.
The AGCO’s own standards for iGaming define “novelty event” bets, defined as “any bet placed on a non-sporting event where real-world factual occurrences are the contingency on which an outcome is determined.” The regulator confirmed to Canadian Gaming Business last year that wagers on political events fall under that category, although specific markets are subject to AGCO approval.
Political betting has generally been a more controversial and higher-profile topic in the U.S. than in Canada, particularly as event contracts offered by prediction market platforms such as Kalshi have risen to prominence over the last couple of years. Some states explicitly ban betting on elections, such as Arizona, which filed a criminal complaint against Kalshi in state court this week, claiming a violation of that ban.
Ontario sportsbooks pursued political betting
In contrast, in the run-up to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s win in the April 2025 Canadian federal election, Ontario residents could gamble on the outcome at a wide range of leading sportsbooks including FanDuel, BetMGM, bet365, theScore Bet, PointsBet, Bet99, Sports Interaction and many more.
In a story that was published in the June 2025 issue of Canadian Gaming Business magazine, a FanDuel spokesperson explained that the leading sportsbook considers political betting to be similar to sports in that it offers outright winners and futures.
“Our team specializes in building markets that touch the most topical storylines across sports, entertainment, pop culture, and even politics,” said the spokesperson. “Our goal is to engage in the conversations that our customers are already having, offering odds on the moments that resonate.” However, FanDuel stressed that its novelty markets in Ontario, including politics, have low restrictions on how much users can stake on a bet on a political market.
Other Ontario-licensed operators also offered comment to Canadian Gaming Business last year.
“Given how passionate the political climate is in North America currently, combined with the wide spectrum of opinions that naturally follow political races, political betting has developed into a viable betting market category,” said a BetVictor Canada spokesperson. “Wagers are made by customers for one reason: they have an opinion on which side will prevail in a contest. Political betting follows that playbook exactly, allowing customers to express their opinions on the expected probability of a certain outcome.”
In Alberta, though, the crowd of operators that have registered to do business in the province will have to adjust their betting menus accordingly.
