Alberta will officially open up its online gambling market to allow licensed sportsbooks and online casinos to start doing business on July 13.
The provincial minister responsible for iGaming, Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Dale Nally, informed stakeholders of the official go-live date in a letter dated March 30 that was viewed by Canadian Gaming Business.
“The launch of a regulated iGaming market is an exciting chapter for our province, and I am confident that we can work together to build a market that is both competitive and socially responsible,” wrote Nally. “Alberta’s future in iGaming is bright, and, with your partnership, we will ensure it is a success for everyone.”
Nally’s letter was co-signed by Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) Chair Larry Spagnolo and Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) Interim Chief Executive Officer Dan Keene.
“Beginning July 13, operators will be able to conduct and manage their legally registered iGaming platform in Alberta,” noted an update made to the AGLC website on March 31.
What will Alberta’s iGaming market look like?
Alberta will be the second Canadian province to launch regulated commercial online sports betting and online casino, more than four years after Ontario was the first to go live in April 2022. In all other provinces, the respective regional government-run lottery corporation’s platforms are the only officially authorized ones.
AGLC will be the market regulator, as well as the operator of Play Alberta. That platform is the only one currently authorized to offer online gambling in Alberta, although the province estimates that around 70% of all iGaming play right now is happening on unregulated and unapproved sites and apps.
Alongside AGLC, the AiGC will be a separate conduct-and-manage agency, in a similar vein to iGaming Ontario in that province.
Alberta will tax all licensed online gambling operators at 20% of their gross gaming revenue across both online sports betting and online casino, a rate that will be applied after 2% has already been deducted to go towards First Nations funding and 1% has been put towards social responsibility initiatives.
The Canadian Gaming Association (CGA) congratulated Nally, AGLC and the AiGC on their work, writing that “we commend your commitment to prioritizing player protection and implementing robust regulatory standards to ensure a safe market environment.”
What must happen by July 13?
Alberta passed Bill 48, the iGaming Alberta Act, in spring 2025, clearing the way for the province to set up and launch a commercial online gambling market. AGLC opened the registration process for operators and suppliers in January 2026.
Earlier in March, the regulator outlined multiple reasons why July 13 was a key date, even before Nally’s letter confirmed it as the launch date this week.
By July 13, all applicants for a license must have registered with AGLC, signed a commercial agreement with the AiGC, and paid all fees. They must also commit to integrating with the province’s centralized self-exclusion program, which will allow gamblers to opt out of all iGaming platforms, all land-based casinos and racing entertainment centres, or everything at once.
Also, companies that currently offer unregulated gambling services in the province must end those grey-market operations by July 13. If they don’t, they may be deemed ineligible for a license. All bets will need to be settled or cancelled and all funds returned to players. Those processes must restart from scratch if and when an operator re-enters the province under licensure. AGLC can give a three-month grace period for that process, up to Oct. 13, if it feels it is warranted on a case-by-case basis.
In recent weeks, several operators had cited the end of Q2 (June 30) or the start of Q3 (July 1) as a rough target timeline for Alberta launching. Nally previously noted mid-July as a critical time for the province’s plans in an interview with Canadian Gaming Business a few weeks ago.
“We have some temporary regulatory requirements that we put up, and the expiration on those is the second week in July,” Nally said at the time. “You can take that as a very big hint that we won’t be having this conversation in July … We have a date in mind. We’re just not ready to put out the media just yet.”
In his March 30 letter, Nally noted that his office, AGLC and the AiGC heard from the industry that many operators needed more time to prepare for all the requirements of going live, suggesting that what may have previously been an earlier target launch date was pushed back.
Now, finally, Alberta is ready.
Which sportsbooks and casinos will be in Alberta?
AGLC noted earlier in March that as of March 17, more than 55 operator sites had shown “strong interest” in launching in Alberta. The number of different companies seeking an operator license will likely be lower, as several operators including Betway and Jackpot owner Super Group and Caesars will offer multiple brands in the province.
Nally stated that “many” of the recipients of his letter this week have completed the registration process. As of Tuesday afternoon, the AGLC website noted that the regulator is currently experiencing a high volume of inquiries related to Alberta iGaming.
“To ensure efficient processing, priority will be given to organizations that have initiated the registration process and paid the required fees,” said the commission.
Operators that Canadian Gaming Business has noted have confirmed plans to apply for Alberta registration include:
- Bet99
- BetMGM
- BetRivers
- Betty
- Caesars
- DraftKings
- FanDuel
- High Roller Technologies
- NorthStar Gaming
- PointsBet
- PowerPlay
- Soft2Bet
- Super Group
- theScoreBet
- TonyBet
Alberta front and centre at SBC Summit Canada
Minister Nally, other Alberta iGaming leaders including AiGC’s Keene, and leaders from many of those operators will be speaking at SBC Summit Canada 2026 in Toronto on May 20, less than two months before Alberta’s launch.
Want to hear more stories like this? Check out the new SBC Media YouTube channel, the new home of all things multimedia at SBC, where our team deep-dives into the biggest stories from across the sports betting, iGaming, affiliate and payments industries.
