Online gaming officially launched at midnight on Monday in the Canadian province of Alberta, with 23 operators going live.
The province follows Ontario as the country’s second regulated online gaming market. For card players, no poker platforms were available at launch, but PokerStars and partypoker have indicated the companies would enter the province with an Alberta platform soon.
Other online poker companies may enter the province if a shared liquidity agreement is reached with Ontario or other regulated markets outside Canada. Some have indicated players would still be allowed to play on their international platforms as well.
Other Casino & Sports Betting Options
Beyond the coming poker options to the province, several other online casino and sports betting operators are now live. Those approved by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) include:
- bet365 Casino
- Betway
- DraftKings
- Lucky Days
- bet365 Sportsbook
- Caesars Palace
- FanDuel Casino
- Stardust
- BetMGM
- Caesars Sportsbook
- FanDuel Sportsbook
- theScore Bet (Penn)
- BetRivers (Rush Street Interactive)
- Casino Days
- Golden Nugget (DraftKings)
- theScore Casino (Penn)
- Betty
- DAZN Bet
- Hollywood (Penn)
- Tonybet
- BetVictor
- Delta Casino
- Horseshoe (Caesars)
Another 31 operators have been approved, but are still waiting to go live. Some of those include 888, Bally Bet, Monopoly Casino (Bally’s), and PointsBet.
Each brand pays a one-time $50,000 application fee to operate and a $150,000 annual registration fee. Operators will pay a 20% tax on revenue in the state as AGLC attempts to move players into a regulated environment.
“We had to find that sweet spot,” Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Dale Nally said this week. “New York State charges a 51% tax rate, and they had four operators go live when the market launched [in 2022]. We have 22, so we know we’re pretty close to getting the tax rate right.
“At the end of the day, this is not about the revenue. This is about the channelization. How much of that black market can we channelize into the legal regulated market?”
Shared Liquidity Issues
For online poker players, seeing Alberta create a robust online market seems unlikely. The province has just 4.3 million people and sharing liquidity provides the preferred route for larger player and prize pools.
The prospects of that happening remains unknown. Ontario became the most successful ringed-in market in North America after launching regulated online gaming in 2022.
However, the province has been pursuing shared liquidity with other regulated markets, which could potentially include those in Europe, the U.S., and Alberta.
Ontario won a ruling in the Ontario Court of Appeal in November that would allow operators to pool players with those in other provinces and countries. That was appealed to the Canadian Supreme Court in March by the Canadian Lottery Coalition, which represents several provincial lottery operators.
Alberta’s attorney general has now been approved to intervene in the case and offer the province’s views on the issue in court and in written testimony. The result of the case could have a major impact on the Canadian online poker landscape.
