Alberta is discussing a memorandum of understanding with Ontario that could allow regulated online poker players in the two provinces to compete in the same cash games and tournaments. No agreement has been reached, and the provinces’ player pools remain separate for now.
The Alberta iGaming Corporation confirmed on Oct. 19 that it was “actively looking at shared liquidity pools within Canada,” NEXT.io reported. The proposed arrangement could allow operators licensed in both provinces to offer games involving players from either jurisdiction, creating a potential market spanning more than 21 million people.
For Alberta, the prospect addresses the commercial constraints of a smaller standalone network, where limited player numbers can make it harder to maintain games across different stakes and consistently fill tournaments. A larger pool could support more tables, entries and prize pools, although those outcomes would depend on which operators participate, their network connections and the games they offer.
Ontario has operated a regulated private-operator iGaming market since 2022. Alberta’s regulated poker market opened Oct. 13, initially with 888 as its first locally regulated poker room and an Alberta-only player pool. As reported Nov. 2, PokerStars on FanDuel’s subsequently launched Alberta room also remains separate from its Ontario site.
The domestic proposal is separate from a Supreme Court of Canada case on international shared liquidity. The court heard arguments Oct. 7 on whether Ontario can offer peer-to-peer games, including poker, with players outside Canada, and reserved judgment without setting a timetable. AiGC has said it will assess international opportunities after that ruling; a favorable decision would not itself connect poker networks, which would still require regulatory and operator arrangements.
The potential Alberta-Ontario compact has drawn skepticism from some industry participants. Sarne Lightman, managing director of NSUS Group, said a two-province pool would not meaningfully alter the market or compete with unregulated global sites. GGPoker, which withdrew its Alberta licence application after deciding the market was not commercially viable, similarly said Ontario-Alberta sharing would still lack the scale for a sustainable top-tier poker room and that it would reconsider entry if international liquidity became possible.
Ontario’s peer-to-peer poker wagering was about CA$122 million in the iGaming Ontario report for August, just over 1% of the province’s CA$9.74 billion total wagering. The figures underline poker’s relatively small share of Ontario’s regulated market while the two provinces explore a domestic pooling agreement.
