Will Alberta achieve the same level of success in online gaming as Ontario, while avoiding the growing challenges they experienced?
Alberta is preparing to enter the online gambling market, following in the footsteps of Ontario, which legalised its commercial online casino market in April 2022. The Alberta iGaming Corporation has been established, responsible for setting standards, ensuring safe and more responsible gaming rules, along with managing the operator registry.
Ontario's success can be attributed to its robust regulatory framework that balances consumer protection with innovation. The province has generated approximately $100 million annually and seen a 32% increase in betting handle in 2024, demonstrating strong revenue potential and market growth.
However, Ontario's launch faced initial operational hurdles. Strict compliance with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) forced some operators to rebuild or heavily modify their platforms, resulting in delayed go-lives, buggy geolocation and payment flows, and stripped-down product offerings compared to their global sites. AGCO and iGaming Ontario were still refining processes and rules, particularly around affiliate marketing and responsible gaming, leading to quick overhauls of marketing strategies and potential sanctions for operators.
Alberta benefits by learning from Ontario’s early experience, including the importance of regulatory openness, responsible gambling focus, and legislative groundwork. Alberta plans to emulate Ontario’s open-licensing approach, allowing multiple operators and sharing liquidity with Ontario to enhance player pools and competitiveness. The province also emphasizes responsible gambling by involving indigenous partners and stakeholders early, a practice Ontario has also pursued to mitigate gambling harms and maintain market sustainability.
Alberta has passed Bill 48 (the iGaming Alberta Act), setting the legal framework for a regulated market and moving quickly toward launch. However, the province can learn from Ontario’s early stumbles to avoid similar issues. For instance, Ontario’s initially ring-fenced regulated market limited player pools, a problem Alberta’s plan to share liquidity with Ontario aims to avoid. Alberta can also design clearer, balanced advertising regulations to protect the market’s reputation without stifling growth, addressing concerns around sports betting advertising restrictions and public backlash around ad saturation.
Alberta's iGaming market will launch to approximately 4.8 million residents, under a flat personal-income tax and a distinct corporate-tax structure. This means licensing fees, revenue-sharing formulas, and deposit limits must be calibrated for a smaller market with different fiscal and demographic realities.
Operators in Alberta can expect updates on subjects like licensing requirements, tax rates, and launch dates soon. Alberta should customize its framework to fit its unique tax regime, geography, and population to avoid Ontario’s early turbulence and build a more sustainable and potentially profitable iGaming ecosystem from day one.
Robust anti-money laundering measures and responsible gaming tools are being implemented in Alberta's iGaming market to ensure player safety. Alberta plans to launch iGaming in early 2026, making it the second province in Canada to open a regulated online casino market.
Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, Dale Nally, mentioned that there are no further developments as of yet regarding Alberta's new iGaming Market as they are still participating in consultations. Some Ontario players reverted back to less regulated offshore sites than navigating through the new safeguards in Alberta's iGaming market should aim to address this issue.
In summary, Alberta’s iGaming plans are shaped by Ontario’s successes and challenges, positioning Alberta for promising market growth if it effectively leverages shared liquidity, responsible gambling initiatives, and streamlined regulation to avoid Ontario’s early market limitations and regulatory controversies.
The Alberta government, while planning to launch its online casino market, aims to learn from Ontario's early experiences to implement robust regulations, focusing on the balanced integration of technology, responsible gambling, and finance. By emulating Ontario's open-licensing approach and involving indigenous partners, Alberta intends to mitigate gambling harms and ensure market sustainability, thereby generating significant revenue potential.
To avoid Ontario's initial operational hurdles, Alberta should design clear advertising regulations, calibrate its licensing fees, revenue-sharing formulas, and deposit limits according to its unique market characteristics, and prioritize anti-money laundering measures and player safety. Despite the delay in its launch, Alberta aspires to create a more sustainable and profitable iGaming ecosystem from its inception, leveraging sports and investing opportunities to attract operators and players.
