It’s been smooth sailing in Alberta thus far for legislation that will overhaul regulated sports betting and iGaming in the Western Canadian province.
Key insights
- A bill that will allow private-sector operators of online sportsbooks, casino sites, and poker rooms to set up shop in Alberta is advancing in the provincial legislature.
- The governing United Conservative Party has a majority in the Alberta legislature, which means there is little that can be done to stop its progress.
- Alberta is seeking to become the second province in Canada to launch a competitive iGaming market, after Ontario.
Bill 48, the iGaming Alberta Act, passed its second reading on Wednesday in Edmonton. The bill was then referred to the legislature’s “Committee of the Whole,” where it will undergo a clause-by-clause review of its provisions and where amendments to the legislation can be proposed.
While the legislation was debated by members of the Alberta legislature before its second reading, it cleared the hurdle with relative ease.
The governing United Conservative Party has a majority of seats in the provincial parliament, meaning it can more or less vote through whatever it sees fit, Bill 48 included, provided all members remain onside.
'Grey' be gone!
Still, passing second reading is a significant milestone for Bill 48 and for regulated iGaming in Alberta.
The province is attempting to become the second in Canada, after Ontario, to launch a competitive market wherein private-sector operators of online sportsbooks, casino sites, and poker rooms, can get licensed and offer their products under local regulation.
Currently, the only provincially regulated option in Alberta is Play Alberta. The site is run by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis Commission (AGLC), a government agency.
However, as in most other parts of Canada, Albertans can easily access online sportsbooks and casino gambling sites that are regulated abroad or outside the province. Those “grey market” sites account for more than half of the online gambling activity in Alberta, according to the province.
One of the purposes of Bill 48, which was formally introduced on March 26, is to create an Ontario-like iGaming market with plenty of choice for consumers. That way, grey market activity can be channelled onto apps and sites that become provincially regulated; in Ontario, those options include bet365, DraftKings, and FanDuel.
Many of those same operators could turn up in Alberta, to compete with Play Alberta for business.
“There are a significant number of Albertans who are potentially being preyed upon by grey market sites or illicit sites,” Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally said during debate on the bill earlier this month. “This legislation proposes to change that.”
Bill 48 still needs to go through the Committee of the Whole process and receive its third reading before it becomes law. It also garnered some criticism from the opposition NDP during second reading debate.
TKTK
While the legislation lays the legal groundwork for a new Alberta sports betting and iGaming market, it leaves some questions to be answered about the rules operators will be required to follow, such as those for advertising and responsible gambling.
“This approach is just like buying a car without knowing if it has brakes or a steering wheel,” NDP critic Gurinder Brar said on April 9. “It’s bound to lead to a crash.”
Nally and the Conservative government have said regulations will be introduced to fill in the blanks left by the legislation. This was also the approach taken in Ontario, where legislation was followed by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission laying out the standards that iGaming operators are expected to follow.
Alberta does want a centralized self-exclusion system in place before its new iGaming market launches, with Nally saying that launch could happen later in 2025 or early 2026.
Nally is the sponsor of Bill 48 and the Alberta government's point man for online gambling reform, which has been in the works for more than a year.
Ontario, though, debuted its new iGaming market in April 2022 without a centralized self-exclusion system, which would allow someone to ban themselves from all sites in the market simultaneously. The province is now working to remedy that fact.
Progress in Alberta: the iGaming Alberta Act passed second reading yesterday in the provincial legislature. Unsurprising given the UCP majority.
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) April 17, 2025
However, Bill 48 now heads to Committee of the Whole for clause-by-clause consideration and potential amendments. pic.twitter.com/O5Lb3LLQb6
In addition to running Play Alberta, the AGLC will regulate Alberta’s new iGaming market.
Bill 48 will also create the Alberta iGaming corporation, with which private iGaming operators could sign contracts outlining their obligations to the province and authorizing them to take bets. Those contracts could also detail how much revenue must be handed over to Alberta.
Nally said during second reading debate that Bill 48 is not a “cash grab” and that the province isn’t trying to create new gamblers, just provide more protections for existing ones. That said, there will be revenue for the province.
“Once the regulated market is established, Alberta’s government will be able to capture gambling revenues currently lost to unregulated sites often located outside of Alberta,” Nally said earlier this month. “This new revenue can be used to support First Nations as well as social responsibility initiatives and other government priorities.”
