Alberta’s gaming regulator issued licences on 23 July to Entain’s Sports Interaction and PartyCasino, clearing the two brands to move into the province’s digital iGaming market. The approval came more than a week after Alberta opened the market on 13 July.
The move placed the brands into Alberta’s fledgling regulated market. CBC reported that authorities were sifting through 35 applications before opening day, and that dozens of gambling companies had applied to operate in the province.
Alberta opened the market because it believed it was losing revenue to offshore gambling platforms that the government could not regulate or tax. Under the province’s model, operators keep 80% of gambling revenue, 20% goes back to Alberta, 2% is set aside for Indigenous communities and 1% is earmarked for social responsibility.
Before any operator can go live, it must be vetted, sign an operating agreement and comply with Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission policies, Dan Keene of the Alberta iGaming Corporation said. He said companies must also go through an exhaustive onboarding programme to make sure the market is right from the outset.
Keene also set out Alberta’s advertising rules. Active or retired athletes may appear only to promote responsible gaming practices, cartoon figures or symbols that appeal to minors are barred, and ads cannot be placed close to locations visited by children. He said success would be measured by Albertans’ satisfaction with responsible gaming, protection of funds and protection of data.
InterGaming said Sports Interaction offers competitive odds, deep-market coverage, fast payouts, Canadian-based customer support and local operational teams in Calgary. It said PartyCasino enters Alberta with more than 3,000 fully compliant games, live dealer action, tailored slots, 24/7 customer care, rapid withdrawals and player protection.
Shir Magen, Entain’s head of Canada, called Alberta an “exciting next step for regulated online gaming in Canada” and said the company has deep roots in the country. The Alberta launch also comes as the province follows Ontario, which opened its gambling market in 2022 and generated $2.9 billion in total gaming revenue in 2024-25, more than 30% more than the previous year.
Not everyone sees expansion as straightforward. Carrie Shaw of the Alberta Gambling Research Institute said Ontario’s problem gambling rates rose significantly after its market opened and argued a study suggests Alberta could see a similar pattern, although she noted rates elsewhere in Canada fell. Steve McAllister said the government should be able to tell a story of a healthy regulated environment with tax dollars directed toward mental health and education programs around gambling.
