PokerStars on FanDuel has told Alberta players that its desktop poker client and mobile applications are coming to the province, marking a planned return 10 days after PokerStars shut its international Alberta poker room.
The Oct. 23 message gave no launch date or further rollout details. US Poker reported that Alberta customers will have to create FanDuel accounts because existing PokerStars accounts will not transfer to the new provincial platform.
The planned service is expected to begin as an Alberta-only poker pool. Alberta and Ontario have not yet implemented shared liquidity, although the Alberta iGaming Corporation has said it is actively examining Canadian shared pools.
As reported on Oct. 13, PokerStars had blocked Alberta access to its international room when the province’s transition period for unlicensed operators ended. The restrictions used both IP-location and account-registration information. Customer balances remained available for withdrawal, while eligible tournament entries were refunded and non-promotional rewards converted to cash.
PokerStars had already withdrawn its Alberta casino and sportsbook offerings on July 13, the day the province’s regulated iGaming market opened. FanDuel subsequently launched its Alberta casino and sportsbook that day for customers aged 18 and older, while its poker product remained unannounced until this week.
888 opened the province’s first locally regulated poker room on Oct. 13 and was still the only regulated poker site available when Pokerfuse published its Oct. 23 report. Its player pool is also confined to Alberta.
The question of pooling remains unresolved at the Supreme Court of Canada, which heard nearly three hours of arguments on Oct. 7 in Atlantic Lottery Corporation et al. v. Attorney General of Ontario. Alberta intervened in support of Ontario’s position on international shared liquidity, but the court reserved its decision and gave no timetable for a ruling.
Alberta had 50 licensed gambling websites run by 29 companies after the Oct. 13 deadline, compared with 22 sites when the market opened in July. The province receives 20% of net revenue from sanctioned platforms, paid into its General Revenue Fund.
