Alberta opens online gambling market, following Ontario's lead
Alberta has officially opened its online gambling market to private operators, following a model similar to Ontario's. The province aims to shift players from the unregulated black market to a legal, regulated framework with enhanced safety guardrails.
Why it matters
This policy shift represents a growing trend in North American provinces to capture tax revenue while implementing consumer protection measures for online betting.
The new market came into effect as of Monday morning. Alberta is now the second province in Canada to open its market to private operators, after Ontario did so in 2022.
Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally told CBC News that 22 operators are now allowed to take bets in the province, with more expected over the coming three months.
Operators will take 80 per cent of gambling revenues, with the province taking the remaining 20 per cent.
Nally estimated the province will earn $76 million in the first fiscal year of the new regulations, but said it was never about the money.
"Seventy per cent of online gambling that was happening in the province was occurring in the black market and there's no player safety controls," Nally said. "They have no player responsibility guardrails, and so we wanted to put in a legal, regulated framework that put player safety first."
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