Alberta Sets Table for New Sports Betting, iGaming Operators in Province

• New legislation introduced by Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally paves the way for new iGaming, sports betting operators in province
• Bill 48: the iGaming Alberta Act will bring new operators under umbrella of Alberta’s regulated gaming market
• Currently, only one operator is regulated to operate in the province

The Great White North is looking to expand its iGaming and sports betting services.

Service Alberta Minister Dave Nally recently introduced Bill 48: the iGaming Alberta Act, which establishes the Alberta iGaming Corporation to oversee the operation of a private regulated market and bring new gaming operators under the umbrella of regulated provincial gaming.

Currently, PlayAlberta is the province’s only legal, regulated iGaming site, which is overseen by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC).

Capturing New Gambling Revenues

While PlayAlberta is currently the only legal Alberta sports betting app, regulated iGaming site in the province, it is not necessarily the only operator currently in the province. A number of operators are currently offering gaming in Alberta as part of the gray market, where they offer their games to Canadian sports bettors and customers but the government collects no tax revenues from their services.

Unregulated gaming is currently widely available across the province, Nally said. Albertans can utilizes and place bets with operators that provide no player protections, responsible gaming measures, or tax revenues to Alberta. PlayAlberta only has about an estimated 45% of the market, maybe even less, Nally said.

“Our goal is not to create new gamblers, but to make existing online gambling safer. As the gaming industry continues to evolve globally and in Alberta, it is important that we modernize Alberta’s approach to gaming to protect the health and safety of Albertans, particularly our youth. The legislation we are introducing, if approved, would take the first steps towards this,” Nally said in a press release.

The bill will allow multiple private-sector operators to do business in Alberta, allowing those operating in the gray market to license themselves in the province. It also establishes the Alberta iGaming Corporation to regulate, license, and oversee the operations of iGaming in the province.

Ontario is currently the only province in Canada that allows multiple regulated iGaming and sports betting operators. Ontario currently has 49 registered iGaming operators in the province.

“We want to make sure these sites are safer for Albertans who choose to use them,” Nally said in a press conference.

When Can This Launch?

The bill must first be approved by the Alberta government before the province can welcome newly regulated, licensed operators into its boundaries. More work on the legislation still needs to be done, such as settling on a final tax rate, which has not been included in the document or mentioned in Wednesday’s press conference.

Ontario set their tax rate at 20%.

Nally did not put a date on a potential launch, but did give a timeframe for when it may be live in the province.

“I’m reluctant to put a date on it, but it will certainly be later on this year or even early next year, that it will be operational,” he said.