What Happened

Alberta has been named repeatedly in industry commentary and news coverage as the province most likely to follow Ontario in opening a competitive, regulated iGaming market. The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) and the provincial government have made public statements over several years indicating interest in reviewing the online gambling landscape.

As of publicly available reporting, Alberta has conducted consultations and commissioned analysis on its online gambling framework. PlayAlberta, the AGLC’s own online gambling platform, already operates within the province, providing a digital footprint for the Crown to build from. Whether Alberta will adopt a model that welcomes private operators — and under what regulatory structure — remains a policy decision that has not been formally announced.

Why It Matters

Alberta is Canada’s fourth-largest province by population and home to a significant share of Canada’s gambling expenditure. It has an existing retail gambling infrastructure operated through the AGLC, including casinos, racing entertainment centres, and video lottery terminals. An open iGaming market in Alberta would represent the second major provincial expansion of competitive online gambling in Canada, potentially influencing how other provinces approach the question.

What the public record shows:

  • AGLC has acknowledged publicly that it monitors Ontario’s iGaming model and has studied its outcomes
  • Alberta’s government has referred to reviewing gambling modernization in budget and policy documents
  • Industry bodies representing operators have engaged with Alberta officials, and documented submissions exist in the public record
  • No formal regulatory framework for private iGaming operators in Alberta has been enacted or announced as of the publication of this article

What is not publicly established:

  • Whether Alberta will adopt Ontario’s dual-regulator model or an alternative structure
  • What timeline, if any, has been internally set for a market launch
  • Whether the AGLC’s PlayAlberta platform would remain in a competitive market or shift to a facilitation role
  • Specific revenue-sharing terms or licensing requirements that would apply to private operators

The Policy Considerations Alberta Faces

Any provincial decision on iGaming involves weighing several factors:

Revenue: A competitive market generates licensing fees and revenue-share payments to the provincial government. Ontario’s model produces reported fiscal benefits, though detailed operator-level figures are not publicly disclosed by iGO.

Consumer protection: A regulated market is argued to offer better consumer protections than offshore platforms, which lack complaint mechanisms, responsible gambling tools calibrated to local standards, and regulatory accountability.

Market cannibalization: Existing AGLC retail gambling revenues and PlayAlberta online revenues could be affected by private competition. The balance between growing the overall regulated pie and redirecting existing spending differs materially from province to province.

Criminal Code compliance: Any Alberta model would need to satisfy the Section 207 federal framework, likely requiring a provincial Crown entity to formally conduct and manage the lottery scheme under which private operators are authorized.

Comparisons with Ontario

Ontario’s model is the obvious reference point, but Alberta would not necessarily replicate it. Ontario’s dual-structure with AGCO as regulator and iGO as commercial vehicle reflects Ontario-specific institutional history. Alberta might structure its Crown’s role differently, or consolidate functions within AGLC. The degree to which private operators would be subject to prescriptive technical and advertising standards comparable to AGCO’s is not predetermined.

What’s Next

Industry and media observers are watching for formal government announcements, legislative proposals, or AGLC consultation papers that would signal concrete progress. The absence of a public timeline should not be interpreted as absence of intent, but equally, reported industry enthusiasm does not translate directly into regulatory action. Monitoring official provincial sources — AGLC publications, budget documents, and the Alberta government’s regulatory agenda — is the most reliable method for tracking actual progress.

Sources