Blog

• 0
• 0
•  1617

According to recent reports, authorities in Alberta, Canada, recently decided to open the province's online gambling market to private companies. The plan aims to launch a regulated online gambling market by 2026. 

With that said, let's dive straight in and take a look at everything we know so far about the Alberta government's recent decision to open the province's online gambling market to private companies. 

What do we know so far about Alberta's plans to launch a regulated online gambling market?

The recent decision to launch a regulated online gambling market in Canada's Alberta will be similar to what happened in Ontario. A dedicated, all-in-one governing body/gaming commission/licensing authority will be created to oversee a regulated online gambling market in the province. 

Some have said that the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) will not be responsible for overseeing the province's newly launched iGaming market. 

The proposed iGaming Alberta Act would form a new Crown corporation known as the Alberta iGaming Corporation to oversee iGaming, but others have stated that the AGLC will still be in charge of regulating the market.  

Some of the world's biggest operators already accept real cash wagers from people living in Alberta. They are referred to as 'grey market' sites, and up until now, the only website that is licensed and regulated by the AGLC to offer real money gambling services here is Play Alberta. 

As soon as they become licensed in Alberta, they will no longer be called grey (or black) market iGaming companies. 

As it stands, people who want to play online casino games in the real money mode and place sports bets typically have no other option than to play on 'offshore' iGaming sites that operate outside of Canadian jurisdiction, because there is no law that prevents people living here from playing on these sites. 

According to Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally, significant sums of money currently go to offshore operators and bolster foreign economies, but this will soon stop, and the revenue generated from iGaming activities will instead be pumped into the Alberta/Canadian economy.

The aim of the new legislation is to develop a mature regulatory framework and provide a safe environment for Alberta citizens to play their favourite games at the best online casinos in Alberta instead of having to play on an offshore site. 

Will players be better protected when the first Alberta-licensed iGaming sites start popping up?

Player protection will be the number one priority, meaning anyone who joins an online casino or sports betting site that's fully licensed and regulated here in Alberta will have access to a range of safer gambling/self-exclusion tools. 

For example, players will be able to set a range of limits on their accounts to help ensure they manage their bankrolls in a responsible way and remain well within any sensible spending budgets they decide to set before depositing and playing. 

Deposit limits, session time reminders, win/loss limits, spending caps, time-outs, and self-exclusion options will likely be the main tools made available to people who join Alberta-licensed iGaming sites. 

What will Alberta-licensed online casinos look like, and what should players look out for?

Alberta-licensed and regulated online casinos will look pretty much like the ones that people in Alberta already play on today. The only real difference is that players won't have to settle for playing on offshore sites. 

In other words, many of the top iGaming brands that already offer their services to players in this market will now hold an official license that makes them legally permitted to operate here. 

They will be controlled by reputable operators with excellent standing in the global iGaming industry, and they will have thousands of computer-generated and live dealer games from various market-leading, multi-award-winning software providers such as:

• Evolution Gaming

• Games Global

• Blueprint Gaming

• NetEnt

• Playtech

• Red Tiger Gaming

• Pragmatic Play

• Play'n GO

• IGT Play Digital

• iSoftBet

• Yggdrasil Gaming

They should also have games with high or above average RTP% (return to player) payout rates of around 93.00% to 98.00% from several other top-tier providers, such as Big Time Gaming, Push Gaming, Skywind, ELK Studios, Thunderkick, Light & Wonder, Quickspin, Relax Gaming, and countless others. 

The trusted operators of these newly licensed Alberta casino gaming websites will provide 24-hour toll-free player support, and their friendly and professionally trained support agents must demonstrate excellent customer service skills. 

These sites will have top-notch cybersecurity measures and industry-standard data protection/privacy policies to protect players, and they must be transparent in their day-to-day operations and funding. They will be accessible from any decent-working, Wi-Fi/internet-enabled smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer, and they will be free to join. 

The bonuses and promotions available on these sites will be frequent and generous, with fair and realistic wagering requirements attached. 

Finally, they will all accept Canadian dollars and welcome a broad range of perfectly secure Canadian online payment methods, such as Interac, Visa, Mastercard, Skrill, Neteller, PayPal, Trustly, Payz, bank transfers, MuchBetter, Apple Pay, AstroPay, Paysafecard, and many others. 

Final thoughts

Alberta officials have stated that the newly regulated market could arrive before the end of 2025. If not, it will be in early 2026. 

The emphasis will not be on enticing more people to gamble but on providing more safeguarding tools and better data protection for existing players who already enjoy placing bets on their favourite offshore sites.