Alberta Sports Betting Bill Continues to Progress in Committee

• Alberta’s sports betting bill is moving through the Committee of the Whole
• A number of responsible gaming amendments were voted down
• The bill will have its third reading in the committee soon

Alberta sports betting legislation continues its march forward, as the Committee of the Whole discussed the provincial sports betting legislation for the first time this week.

Members of the New Democratic Party proposed a number of amendments to change the responsible gaming elements of Service Alberta Minister Dave Nally’s Bill 48: the iGaming Alberta Act, all of which were defeated by a 38-16 vote.

Nally’s legislation establishes the Alberta iGaming Corporation to oversee the operation of a private regulated market and bring new gaming operators under the umbrella of regulated provincial gaming.

Third Reading on Bill Upcoming

Members of the New Democratic Party (NDP) introduced a number of amendments to Nally’s act this week, most of which centered around responsible gaming elements and player protection services. Gurinder Brar, NDP Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, proposed an amendment requiring the Alberta iGaming Corporation to undergo periodic mandatory independent evaluations of its effectiveness and set up a dedicated online responsible gambling program for customers.

The amendments were defeated by a 38-16 votes, however, as the controlling United Conservative Party members expressed their desires that responsible gaming practices be included in the province’s sports betting regulations, not its laws.

Several members of the NDP also noted that the bill felt incomplete. The bill still does not included set tax rates or licensing fees for the incoming licensed operators.

If passed on third reading, the bill will have overcome its most difficult hurdles and will likely be signed into law.

New Sports Betting Framework in Alberta

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.

The bill will allow 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.

Ontario is currently the only province in Canada that allows multiple regulated iGaming and sports betting operators. Ontario currently has 49 registered iGaming operators in the province. It taxes iGaming and sports betting at a rate of 20%.

Alberta’s expanded market launch date has had several predictions, with regulators at one point hoping for a late 2024 launch. During his initial press conference to introduce the bill, Nally provided some clarification on when this could get off the ground.

While not giving an exact date, Nally said he hopes it will launch in late 2025 or in early 2026.