New Alberta iGaming Legislation Clears Another Hurdle
Bill 48, Alberta's latest legislation on igaming, has progressed further this week by successfully passing its second reading in the provincial Legislative Assembly.
Ontario-Type Gaming Marketplace
The next step involves having the legislation debated in a committee comprising all Members of the Legislative Assembly to convene, converse, and deliberate on the bill's clauses. Changes to the legislation will be taken into account.
Paul Burns, President and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association, expressed to Casino.org that the CGA is “eager” to collaborate with the Alberta government at this point in the process.
The United Conservative Party, led by Premier Danielle Smith, has a majority in the legislative assembly with 47 seats, while the NDP serves as the official opposition with 36 seats (two seats are held by other parties, and two seats are currently vacant).
New Regulatory Framework
"It’s got a committee process and they expect it to pass before the spring session legislature finishes [no later than the first Thursday in June],” Burns said. “So, expected timing is in the coming weeks. They’re going to start to talk about some broader consultation, and then obviously they get to work, starting to establish the agency. It’s moving at its pace, so we’ll see how that goes. But they’ve set the structure, they set the direction, so now everyone gets to work and we’re looking forward to working with them on that.”
Bill 48: iGaming Alberta Act establishes the regulatory structure for a private, open, competitive igaming market in the province, similar to Ontario's, with operators such as PointsBet, theScore BET, NorthStar, FanDuel, DraftKings, and more ready to compete against the government's Play Alberta igaming platform, which currently has a monopoly.
Bill 48 aims to establish the Alberta iGaming Corporation, which will manage regulated online gambling activities in the province, focusing on consumer safety and responsible gaming.
Focusing on the Grey Market
The board of the corporation will consist of as many as seven directors designated by the Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction (Dale Nally).
The goal is to move individuals from unregulated providers or the grey market into a more transparent system.
“My sense is the government will pass this bill in mid-May, which is good, but realistically, there is still much to do,” said a senior industry source. “One of the key lessons learned from the Ontario experience is there are things that can and should be automated – AML (anti-money laundering) for instance. Introducing a centralized self-exclusion program before launch is another. I don’t think anyone predicted iGaming Ontario would have 100 plus employees when they celebrated their third anniversary. Building an efficient, lean conductor, and manager will be a priority for Alberta.
End of Q1 or Q2 2026 Launch?
“I think the position the Alberta government will take is, one, we are going to regulate, two, we are taking all of the responsible steps to move toward that goal, three, I think we will start to hear messaging from them, suggesting they are focused on getting it right, as opposed to getting it done fast.
"Lots of people continue to speculate that the market could launch by the end if this calendar year . I think that is very optimistic. End of Q1 or Q2 next year seems more realistic.”
