Stake Canada has received conditional registration from Alberta’s gambling regulator and is targeting an Oct. 12 start for an online casino and sportsbook, a day before the province’s deadline for licensed operators to leave the unregulated market.
The company cannot accept wagers until it has completed a commercial operating agreement with the Alberta iGaming Corporation, which administers the market and its revenue arrangements. Gambling.com reported that the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission granted the conditional registration on Oct. 6.
As reported in September, Stake had already appeared on the AGLC’s iGaming operator registry while awaiting the remaining approvals needed to launch. The Alberta move would be Stake’s first licensed Canadian market, following regulated operations in Italy, Denmark, Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Argentina.
The regulatory and commercial roles are split between the two provincial bodies. AGLC registers operators and enforces compliance, while AiGC manages market operations and requires each operator to sign an operating agreement. Alberta’s official market framework requires operators to meet rules on game integrity, fairness, player protection and preventing underage gambling.
The province opened its private-operator iGaming market on July 13, after nearly two years of preparation, with the stated aim of moving players from illicit sites to regulated services with consumer protections. More than 50 platforms have since been approved and roughly 30 are operating, according to industry coverage.
Under the provincial model, operators retain 80% of net gaming revenue and 20% goes to Alberta’s General Revenue Fund. The framework also allocates 2% of total gross gaming revenue to First Nations initiatives and 1% to social-responsibility programmes. Participating sites are covered by a centralized self-exclusion system, and AiGC is working with the Responsible Gambling Council on mandatory Responsible Gambling Check accreditation.
