The Canadian Legislature of Alberta’s Full Committee has approved Bill 48, the Alberta iGaming Act. With this, the province is close to launching a legal market for iGaming. However, the bill will only become law after it is signed into law by Lieutenant Governor Salma Lakhani.
Bill 48, the Alberta iGaming Act, was passed into law last Wednesday. If the bill passes, Alberta will become the second Canadian province, after Ontario, to regulate the industry. Ontario has had its market regulated since April 2022 and currently has 50 approved operators, including the state-owned lottery and gaming company.
Following Ontario’s lead, the province of Alberta does not intend to limit the number of regulated iGaming operators.
No official date has been announced for the start of legal iGaming in Alberta. Approved activities include online sports betting and online casino games. However, Flutter Entertainment, the parent company of FanDuel, is reportedly planning a tentative start date of 2026.
The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC), which also oversees Play Alberta, will be responsible for overseeing the market. In the meantime, several regulatory details — including revenue sharing — are still being worked out.
Ontario, which reported $1.4 billion in revenue during its first full year of operation, requires operators to return approximately 20 per cent of revenue to the province.
Alberta bill aims to keep gamblers away from illegal sites
Proponents of Bill 48 hope the passed legislation will help mitigate the risks often associated with unregulated sites.
Minister Dale Nally noted during the bill’s introduction that “a significant number of Albertans are potentially falling victim to illegal gray market websites.” This legislation aims to change that.
“Our goal is not to create new players, but to make existing online gaming safer.”
Among the previously defined measures is the introduction of several safe gaming practices, including a centralized self-exclusion system that allows players to block themselves simultaneously from all regulated gaming sites in the province.
Ontario is developing a similar system in collaboration with Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360) and IXUP.
Local entities warn of insufficient supervision
Not everyone in Alberta supports the legalization of iGaming. Gurinder Brar, a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), expressed concern about the lack of clarity in the bill.
“This approach is like buying a car without knowing whether it has brakes or a steering wheel,” Brar said. “It will almost certainly lead to an accident.”
The bill does not provide a recommended tax rate and does not detail licensing fees. Despite this, Nally and other members of the United Conservative Party (UCP) say specific revenue and consumer protection policies will be detailed later this year.
