Stake Canada Ltd has obtained iGaming registration from Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis, taking a formal step toward launching an online casino and sportsbook in the province. Registration does not yet permit the company to begin operating: Stake still needs a full gaming licence and an operating agreement before its planned Alberta debut.
Covers reported on Sept. 26 that AGLC listed Stake Canada as an “iGaming – Operator” in its iGaming registration stream. The regulator’s register covers companies that have completed registration and paid initial fees. At that point, Stake was not among the 31 operators displayed on the Alberta iGaming Corporation website.
Stake’s general manager, Kris Abbott, said the company expected licensing and an operating agreement to follow soon. Pokerfuse reported that the company expected to complete full registration and launch within the coming weeks.
The initial Alberta product will comprise sports betting and casino games. Online poker and fantasy sports will not be included. Stake is also awaiting approval from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, having submitted its documentation there after delaying its entry while it developed an in-house gaming platform.
Stake Canada is a subsidiary of Australia’s Stake Gaming and Easygo Group, established to expand Stake brands into Canada. Pokerfuse cited recent statistics estimating that Stake’s offshore Canadian business generated close to C$1 billion a year and accounted for more than 30% of overall Canadian online-gambling traffic. The company is seeking to shift from its offshore model, whose international casino platform is regulated in Curaçao, into provincial regulated markets.
As this publication reported on July 13, Alberta opened its private-operator online-gambling market, becoming Canada’s second such provincial market after Ontario. AGLC vets operators and enforces compliance, while AiGC handles commercial contracts. Under the province’s model, operators retain 80% of revenue and the government receives 20%; 3% of gross gaming revenue is allocated upfront to First Nations and mental-health and addiction-treatment programmes.
Alberta gave offshore operators three months after the market opened to become fully compliant. Licensed companies must follow AGLC’s internet-gaming rules. Alberta also has a centralised self-exclusion system that can cover online services and retail gambling venues.
