Alberta opened its regulated online gambling market to private operators on Monday, putting a new system of registration, oversight and player-protection rules in place from day one. The launch makes Alberta the second province in Canada, after Ontario, to legalize commercial online gambling platforms.
Roughly 50 apps and sites had already registered ahead of the opening, industry coverage said. Play Alberta is now one of several provincially regulated options, and the province’s transition rules had allowed operators to advertise to prospective customers during registration, but not add funds to accounts or take bets until registration and due diligence with AGLC, a commercial agreement with the Alberta iGaming Corporation and a launch notice from the corporation were all complete.
The government says the change is meant to boost tax revenue and dismantle a grey market it estimates accounts for about 70% of online gambling activity in Alberta. It has also said it wants 70% of online gambling to be with locally regulated operators after the first year. Alberta has pointed to Play Alberta’s $269 million in revenue in 2025 and Ontario’s $2.9 billion open market as part of the case for the shift.
The legal framework was laid by Bill 48, passed in spring 2025, which created the iGaming Alberta Act and amended the Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Act. The act established the Alberta iGaming Corporation to oversee market operations and named AGLC as the regulator, while January amendments to the Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Regulation filled in the transition measures for a private market.
Sportsline said AGLC will audit gaming sites, enforce compliance and integrity standards, and can fine operators or suspend licences for serious breaches. The transition rules also require operators and suppliers to be registered in Alberta unless an exemption applies.
The province’s revenue split is set out in the factsheet. It says 80% of net iGaming revenue goes to operators, 20% is retained for programs and services supporting Albertans, 2% of total gross gaming revenue is allocated to First Nations and 1% supports social responsibility work such as research, prevention, education and treatment. Gross gaming revenue is defined as bets placed minus winnings paid out and eligible deductions.
Advertising rules are also tight. Alberta says ads must not be intentionally directed at self-excluded or high-risk people, must not target minors or feature anyone who is or appears to be a minor, and must be truthful. Industry reporting added that the new system also curbs widespread promotion of free bets and other incentives, while limiting the use of athletes and celebrities. Gaming News Canada editor-in-chief Steve McAllister told CityNews that commercials featuring athletes are 'strictly focused on responsible gaming.’
The day-one self-exclusion system is central to the new market. The factsheet says Albertans can ban themselves from land-based and regulated iGaming platforms in one place, and people who self-exclude are blocked from entering an iGaming site or collecting prizes under the program. Sportsline said GameSense provides educational tools, a self-assessment test and live help, while Game Break is the self-exclusion program run through it; during an exclusion period, access to the market is shut off and direct marketing stops. The factsheet described those social responsibility requirements as critical to making online gambling safer and minimizing harm to Albertans.
