Alberta iGaming Corp marked the first month of the province’s regulated online sports betting and internet casino market on Thursday, saying the rollout had been encouraging. In a post on its website, chief executive Dan Keene said the agency would not get everything perfect right away, but would keep improving the system with Alberta’s interests in mind.
The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission remains the regulator, while AiGC runs the commercial side of the market. As reported in July, Alberta opened the regulated market on 13 July with Play Alberta and 22 private-sector sites.
A month later, the market had Play Alberta and 27 private-sector competitors, as more brands came online after launch. Before the change, Play Alberta had been the province’s only provincially regulated online gambling site.
Keene cast the market’s purpose as channelization, not expansion. AiGC wants 75% of online wagering to flow through approved operators within the first two years, up from an estimate that about 70% of Alberta iGaming was taking place with grey-market operators before launch.
AiGC has also put a revenue figure on the new framework. One forecast puts first-year tax revenue at $76 million for Alberta’s government.
The agency has tried to present the new system as one built around player protection and a flexible rulebook. Its website says the rules rest on SRIG standards and the operator agreements and policies that govern the market, while Keene said responsible gambling remains the cornerstone of the effort and that the rules could be refined as the market develops.
Support from industry has also surprised him on the upside. Keene said adoption, awareness of regulated options and collaboration are signs the market is moving in the right direction, though some registered brands, including BET99 and Betway, had still not launched by Thursday.
Operators that want to operate in Alberta have until 13 October to meet requirements, and the province has said strict enforcement will apply after that date.
