PokerStars on FanDuel has launched in Alberta, returning the PokerStars brand to the province’s regulated online-poker market weeks after its international platform stopped accepting Alberta customers.
The Alberta room is a separate, ring-fenced site for players physically located in the province, Pokerfuse reported. It does not currently share liquidity with PokerStars on FanDuel in Ontario, meaning Alberta customers cannot join Ontario players at the same virtual tables.
This confirms the planned return we reported on Oct. 23, when PokerStars on FanDuel had told customers a provincial launch was coming but had not given a date.
Former PokerStars customers cannot transfer their old accounts to the new Alberta platform. They must open a new account and download the new desktop software or mobile app. Customers who already hold a FanDuel Casino account can use those existing credentials for the poker application, without creating a separate poker-specific account.
The platform offers cash games, tournaments and Spin & Go games. It becomes Alberta’s second regulated poker site, after 888 launched the province’s first locally licensed room on Oct. 13. The two sites did not share players at the time of launch.
PokerStars had operated in Alberta through its international platform before the province’s regulatory changes. FanDuel had already introduced its Casino and Sportsbook products in Alberta on July 13, following the province’s move to regulate iGaming.
Ontario and Alberta had not reached a player-sharing agreement, though the provinces were working toward one. There were no legal barriers to pooling online-poker players once an agreement is in place.
