Alberta Making Progress Toward Ontario-Like Online Sports Betting, IGaming Market

Alberta is putting the pieces in location to establish its own Ontario-like system for online sports betting and web gambling establishment betting.


The Western Canadian province would be the first to follow Ontario's example, and it could do so by next year, according to some in the betting industry. Bruce Caughill, managing director for Canada at BetRivers, had this to state throughout a panel at last week's SBC Summit North America conference in New Jersey.


It's been intriguing to see it unfold, since there is a desire in the Alberta government to make this take place yesterday, but I believe they're starting to understand that to make things take place even rapidly takes a while.


Laying a legislative foundation


Caughill kept in mind legislation was tabled last month in Alberta that might enable the provincial government to a different entity to "conduct and manage" online gaming. That entity would be in addition to the provincially owned Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis Commission, or AGLC.


AGLC is presently the only authorized iGaming operator in Alberta by means of its Play Alberta platform. If Alberta were to embrace an Ontario-like system, however, AGLC could be just one of lots of regulated operators in the province, which has a population size similar to that of Kentucky and Oregon. Ontario developed an additional "conduct and manage" company of its own, iGaming Ontario, before launching its competitive market for online gaming.


Bill 16, the legislation containing the new powers to "carry out and handle," the legal term for managing gaming in Canada, was passed by a committee of the entire in the Alberta legislature on Tuesday.


Caughill stated he anticipates provincial legislators to approve it "shortly," which would put 2025 in play for a launch of a competitive iGaming market in the province.


Secondly, there seems to be every sign that they're simply going to white label the Ontario licensing regime. That's sort of the hope that you can shift right into that design if you're already in Ontario.


Confidence from the courts


Ontario's iGaming market released in April 2022 and now consists of practically 50 operators, including the provincial lotto, in addition to more than 1.3 million active player accounts. The regulatory framework was likewise bolstered today by an Ontario court dismissing a legal difficulty of the province's online gaming scheme.