Alberta's regulated iGaming market now lists 50 licensed sites run by 29 companies, more than double the 22 that were live when the province opened to private operators on July 13. The three-month transition period expired on October 13, and platforms without approval must stop taking bets from residents of the province.
BetMGM, Bet365, DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars and Golden Nugget are among the brands now live. They compete with state-owned Play Alberta, previously the only legal online platform in the province. Several companies run more than one brand: Apollo Entertainment has seven sites, Super Group five including Betway, Skill On Net four including PlayOJO. Caesars Entertainment and PENN Entertainment hold three platforms each, DraftKings owns Golden Nugget Online Casino, Bally's runs Monopoly. Dan Keene, CEO of the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC), said another 10 to 15 sites could launch before the end of 2026, for a total of up to 65.
Economics and enforcement
Approved platforms send 20% of net income to the province's General Revenue Fund. A further 3% of GGR is redistributed, with 2% going to First Nations and 1% to social programmes. Operators without approval can keep running in other jurisdictions and may apply for a provincial licence, but violations risk a permanent finding of unsuitability for registration by the AGLC. AiGC will share compliance data with the AGLC.
'If you were operating in Alberta in the grey zone and you are not part of the established regulated market now, you are out,' Keene said. Before regulation, about 70% of online gambling in the province ran on grey platforms.
For operators, Alberta is showing different numbers than the Ontario launch did. BetMGM reported stronger per-player metrics, and its CFO Gary Deutsch said Alberta accounted for 20% of the company's new players in the third quarter. At the September Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, iGaming minister Dale Nally promised to press the illegal market as hard as possible. The October 19 referendum on Alberta leaving Canada is not expected to affect online gambling regulation in the near term.
