Alberta is likely to become the next Canadian province to offer regulated igaming, as the government officials continue their meetings with various industry stakeholders this month.
For some time, discussions have been going about overhauling igaming regulation in the state and creating a regulated market more similar to that of Ontario than the one currently existing in Alberta.
The conversations currently happening with Alberta’s First Nations, commercial casino owners, and online casino operators, are all steps towards creating a regulated market. Judging by how the process went in Ontario, Pokerfuse reports that Alberta online poker and casino games could come sometime in 2025.
According to Minister of Service and Red Tape Reduction in Alberta Dale Nally, the process is ongoing, and the government is doing its best to accommodate all interested parties.
In an interview for Poker Industry PRO, Nally’s press secretary Brandon Aboulatif said: “We are committed to working with our partners to finish developing and implementing the province’s online gaming strategy, with a focus on responsible gaming and provincial and Indigenous revenue generation.”
“We recognize that it is important that any expansion of Alberta’s igaming strategy is done in a way that makes sense for our unique gaming market and serves the interests of all Albertans.”
In the meantime, the Court of Appeal of Ontario should bring a decision on whether a shared liquidity pool breaks the Criminal Code of Canada. Should that verdict go in the wrong direction, the Supreme Court of Canada might be the next step.
Alberta Will Likely Set Up a Gaming Regulator
One of the key steps in creating a regulated igaming market is creating a regulatory body to oversee it, and that body will likely be a part of the Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis Commission (AGLC).
When Ontario was first launching its regulated igaming market, it created iGaming Ontario (iGO), a separate gaming regulator as a subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). iGO oversees only igaming operators and as such is able to focus its attention on the regulated operators in the province.
Similarly, it is expected that Alberta’s AGLC would set up a separate regulator for igaming, whose only purpose would be to license and oversee the igaming regulators within the province.
GGPoker Could Lead the Regulated Poker Market
Once igaming is regulated in Alberta, operators like GGPoker, 888poker, PokerStars, BetMGM Poker, and PartyPoker will all likely look for their entry points into the new market.
However, GGPoker currently ranks as the most likely to dominate the market, considering it already operates in Alberta’s gray market and many players from the province already play at GGPoker.
Should the sites become licensed, many players would likely look to continue with a familiar brand, and GGPoker would have a great advantage over other operators who don’t cater to players in Alberta at this time.
PokerStars finds itself in a similar position, as the operator also caters to Canadians from most provinces, including Alberta, via its international online poker platform.
Yet, it remains to be seen which operators apply for an igaming license when the time comes and which of those licenses will be granted by the province’s regulators.
Should the plans come to pass, Alberta would become the second-biggest regulated igaming market in Canada behind Ontario.
At the same time, a number of states within the US are looking to push the igaming agenda forward, with the launch of New York online poker or California online poker a step that many Americans continue to hope for with each passing year.
