Alberta legalized commercial online casinos through Bill 48, but the market isn’t live yet. Private operators are expected to launch in 2026, bringing clearer regulation, more player protections, and a move away from grey-market sites.
We pulled together the latest confirmed information so players can stay informed, keep track of what’s coming, and be ready when Alberta’s regulated online casino market finally goes live.
Where Alberta’s iGaming Market Stands Today
As of now, commercial online gambling in Alberta is legally enabled but not yet live. That distinction matters.
In May 2025, Alberta passed the iGaming Alberta Act, commonly referred to as Bill 48. With that vote, Alberta became Canada’s second province, after Ontario, to authorise a commercial iGaming framework. The law is real. The intent is clear. The market itself, however, hasn’t opened its doors yet.
Here’s what’s confirmed and not up for debate.
Only one regulated online platform currently operates in the province: PlayAlberta. It’s run by the provincial regulator and has been live since 2020. Beyond that, no private online casinos or sportsbooks are licensed in Alberta at this stage. There’s no official launch date on the calendar either, but all credible signals point to 2026.
One line from industry reporting sums it up well:
“Commercial online gambling is now legal in Alberta, but for now, the doors remain closed.”
That’s the starting point.
Why Alberta Decided to Regulate Online Casinos
One thing that often gets lost in political debates is the simple reality of what people are already doing. In Alberta’s case, multiple studies and government statements confirmed the same thing: residents were gambling online at scale, mostly outside the regulated system.
The numbers are hard to ignore.
Recent research commissioned by the Canadian Gaming Association and conducted by Ipsos painted a clear picture of real player behaviour:
Around 90% of Alberta online gamblers used unregulated or “grey market” sites during a recent three-month period.
77.3% gambled only on unregulated platforms.
Just 10.4% used PlayAlberta exclusively.
Overall channelization, meaning players who used PlayAlberta at all, sat at 22.7%.
From a policy standpoint, that’s a flashing warning light. Gambling activity existed. The province simply wasn’t overseeing most of it.
A major consumer protection gap
The same research uncovered another issue that changed the tone of the conversation. Around 55% of players using unregulated sites believed those platforms were regulated. In other words, more than half of those players thought they had consumer protections that didn’t actually exist.
That misconception became central to the government’s case for reform.
Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally addressed this point directly:
“I get asked all the time, ‘Are you bringing online gambling to Alberta?’ The answer is no. It’s already here, and it’s happening in an unregulated fashion.”
The framing matters. The goal, at least on paper, wasn’t to create new gamblers. It was to put guardrails around behaviour that was already widespread.
Alberta’s Path to a Regulated iGaming Market (2024–2026)
Alberta didn’t flip a switch and suddenly decide to regulate online casinos. The path unfolded step by step, with policy signals, legislation, and regulatory work stretching from 2024 into 2026. Seeing the sequence helps explain why the market is legal on paper but not live yet.
June 2024 – Ontario becomes the blueprint
In June 2024, Alberta publicly confirmed what many in the industry had suspected. The province would follow an Ontario open-market model rather than expanding the PlayAlberta monopoly.
That meant a few specific commitments. First, Alberta signalled that multiple licensed operators would eventually be allowed to compete. Second, the province committed to separating the market regulator from the entity that manages commercial operations. Third, and most importantly, the focus shifted toward channelizing existing demand instead of pretending it didn’t exist.
Ontario’s experience wasn’t being copy-pasted, but it was clearly being studied.
March–May 2025 – Bill 48 passes
Bill 48, the iGaming Alberta Act, moved through the legislature in spring 2025 and passed without amendments. That alone is notable. Despite public debate and criticism, the law cleared all readings intact.
What Bill 48 did was establish the legal foundation for a commercial iGaming market. It didn’t open the market overnight, and it didn’t answer every operational question. But it created the framework that regulators and policymakers could now build on.
Late 2025 – Regulatory work continues
This is the phase Alberta is still in.
Key policies remain under development, including tax rates, licensing fees, advertising standards, and potential limits on the number of operators. Government officials have repeatedly stated that these details will be handled through regulation rather than legislation.
From a player’s perspective, that’s frustrating. From a regulatory perspective, it allows flexibility. Whether that flexibility becomes a strength or a weakness will depend on execution.
2026 – Expected market launch
Based on statements from government officials, industry conferences, and operator earnings calls, the consensus points to early 2026 as the likely launch window. Some companies are planning for Q1 or Q2 2026. Others are hedging toward later in the year.
What Is the iGaming Alberta Act (Bill 48)?
At its core, Bill 48 legalises commercial online casino and sportsbook operations in Alberta. It also creates a dual-structure market similar in concept to Ontario’s.
Two bodies sit at the centre of this framework.
The first is Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis, better known as AGLC. It remains the market regulator and continues to operate PlayAlberta.
The second is the newly created Alberta iGaming Corporation. Its role is to conduct and manage the commercial market, including contracting with licensed private operators.
What the law intentionally leaves open
Just as important is what Bill 48 does not do. It does not set tax rates. It does not establish licensing fees. It does not cap the number of operators. It does not define advertising rules.
Minister Nally explained the reasoning behind that choice plainly:
“We didn’t want to hard-code those things into legislation. Regulation allows us to adjust on a dime.”
Whether that adaptability proves beneficial will become clearer once the regulations are published.
Who Will Regulate Alberta’s Online Casinos
AGLC remains responsible for compliance, integrity, and consumer protection across the province’s gambling sector. That includes both land-based casinos and online platforms.
AGLC will also continue to operate PlayAlberta as a government platform, even once private operators enter the market. That dual role mirrors Ontario’s approach, where the regulator oversees both public and private offerings.
Role of Alberta iGaming Corporation
The Alberta iGaming Corporation acts as the market’s conduct-and-manage authority. It will contract with licensed operators, oversee market participation, and coordinate the commercial side of iGaming.
Structurally, it resembles iGaming Ontario, though it operates under Alberta law and within Alberta’s political and economic context.
Responsible Gambling: What Is Confirmed So Far?
One of the clearest commitments in Bill 48 is the creation of a province-wide, centralised self-exclusion system.
This system is intended to cover all regulated online platforms, land-based casinos, and racing entertainment centres. For players who choose to self-exclude, the goal is consistency rather than fragmented, site-by-site tools.
Age and safety standards
The minimum legal age for online gambling in Alberta will remain 18+. The province has also confirmed that the new framework will integrate with existing responsible gambling programs, including GameSense.
As Minister Nally put it:
“Gambling is never safe, but you can make it safer.”
What is still undecided
Several key responsible gambling measures remain undecided at the time of writing. These include advertising restrictions, mandatory spending or time limits, and pre-commitment requirements. All are expected to be addressed through regulation rather than legislation.
That uncertainty is one reason experts continue to urge caution.
What the New Market Means for Players
Up to now, the focus has been on policy and structure. For players, the important part is what changes once the market goes live and how that affects everyday online gambling in Alberta.
More choice, less confusion
For players, the most immediate change will be access. A regulated market with multiple licensed operators means more choice in platforms, games, and features than PlayAlberta alone can offer.
It also means clearer identification of regulated versus unregulated sites. Given how many players previously believed grey-market platforms were regulated, that clarity isn’t trivial.
Stronger consumer protections
A unified self-exclusion system, regulator oversight, and formal complaint processes all point toward stronger consumer protections than those available on offshore platforms.
Players will have clearer avenues for recourse if something goes wrong. That’s not glamorous, but it matters.
What this does not guarantee
There are no guarantees around bonuses, payout speeds, or better odds. Competition exists, but outcomes will vary by operator. Regulation sets minimum standards. It doesn’t turn every platform into a player’s dream site.
Public Reaction and Expert Concerns
Public reaction to Alberta’s iGaming plans has been mixed, and often sceptical.
Common concerns include addiction risks, advertising volume, comparisons to Ontario’s ad-heavy environment, and broader questions about government priorities, particularly healthcare versus gambling expansion. There’s also been visible scepticism toward new Crown corporations and how effectively they’ll be run.
None of that should be dismissed. Public trust will influence how the market is perceived long after launch.
Expert warnings
Researchers and clinicians have echoed a consistent message: expansion must be paired with real safeguards.
That includes advertising controls, monitoring of harm indicators, and evidence-based policy adjustments. One University of Calgary researcher summed it up this way:
“With an expansion, the devil is in the details. We need to monitor whether safeguards actually minimize harm.”
Alberta vs Ontario
Ontario launched regulated iGaming in April 2022. By its third year, the province reported channelization of roughly 83.7% into regulated platforms and more than $1.4 billion in tax revenue collected since launch.
Those figures are frequently cited in Alberta’s discussions, sometimes optimistically, sometimes cautiously.
Alberta operates in a different environment. There’s no provincial sales tax. The population is smaller. The land-based casino and charity funding models differ.
Ontario serves as a reference point, not a revenue guarantee.
What to Expect in 2026 – and What to Watch
In 2026, players should expect final regulations to be published, operator licensing to begin, and the market to launch at some point during the year.
Several questions remain open, including advertising rules, tax and fee structures, the number of licensed operators, and the publication of a public registry of regulated sites.
Those details will shape how the market feels in practice.
What Alberta’s iGaming Shift Means for Players
Online gambling already existed in Alberta. What’s changing is the framework around it.
Regulation brings oversight, transparency, and player protections that didn’t exist in the grey market.
The shift isn’t about more gambling. It’s about clearer rules around an activity that was already taking place. How well those rules work will depend on how carefully Alberta follows through.
That’s where things stand. We’ll keep watching.