Alberta Sets Licensing Framework For Online Sports Betting, iGaming Launch

• Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis released new rules and regulations for future sports betting operators
• The Alberta iGaming bill passed last spring
• Sports betting is expected to launch in the province in the first half of 2026

Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis officials last week released new rules and regulations to set the eventual framework for sports betting and iGaming operators in the province.

While a launch date for online sports betting and iGaming has yet to be set in the province, the new rules promulgated by Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis (AGLC) sets the necessary framework and requirements for operators to receive a license. These new regulations pave the way for operators such as DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics Sportsbook to do business in Alberta, much like they currently do in Ontario.

Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally noted in an interview with the Edmonton Journal he expects to see the market go live in “a few months.”

Loosely Based on Ontario Model

Nally’s bill was approved in the spring and is loosely based on Ontario’s legalization model. It allows for multiple private-sector operators to do business in Alberta, allowing those operating in the gray market to license themselves in the province. It also establishes the Alberta iGaming Corporation to regulate, license, and oversee the operations of iGaming.

PlayAlberta is currently the only legal Alberta sports betting app and regulated iGaming site in the province, it is not necessarily the only operator currently in the province. A number of operators are currently offering gaming in Alberta as part of the gray market, where they offer their games to Canadian sports bettors and customers but the government collects no tax revenues from their services.

Under the bill, licenses operators will have to pay 20% of net gaming revenue to the province, while keeping the remaining 80%.

Ontario is currently the only province in Canada that allows multiple regulated iGaming and sports betting operators. Ontario currently has 48 registered iGaming operators in the province. It taxes iGaming and sports betting at a rate of 20%.

New Regulations Set License Rates, Exclusion Requirements

The newly released regulations sets the licensing rules for future operators to do business in Alberta. Operators must pay a $50,000 CAD application fee and will be beholden to $150,000 CAD renewal fee.

The rules set the minimum age of play at 18.

Additionally, all licensed operators will have to promote the AGLC’s self-exclusion program and responsible gaming materials in the province. Operators are required to allow players to easily access the AGLC’s centralized self-exclusion tool through the iGaming sit and have controls in place to prevent self-excluded players from accessing their account or from engaging in gaming activity.

If a player enrolls in a self-exclusion program, an operator will be required to refund any player’s wager if the event or series of events have yet to begin. However, operators are not required to refunds a player’s bet if the player enrolls after the commencement of the event.