iGaming Alberta Act passes third reading and is a formality away from becoming law
Canada’s second open online gambling sector is expected to open early in 2026.
The iGaming Alberta Act (Bill 48) passed third reading in the legislature on Wednesday night and now only needs Royal Assent from Lieutenant Governor Salma Lakhani and then need to be proclaimed into force by the government to become law.
Alberta will become the second province to legalize an open online gambling sector. Ontario was the first and opened its market in April of 2022.
The Alberta market is expected to open early in 2026.
Dale Nally, the Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, spoke before the third-reading vote and said, in part:
“This bill represents an important step towards making online gambling safer for Albertans. As I’ve said on several occasions, we know that we can’t make gambling completely safe, but we know that we can make it safer, especially for the many Albertans who already gamble online. Right now estimates suggest that more than half of all online gamblers in Alberta are placing bets on unregulated sites, websites that are often operated from outside of the province and even outside of Canada. We know that Albertans who gamble on these illicit sites may not be as well protected as Albertans who gamble at regulated casinos or bingos or who buy lottery tickets or 50/50 tickets. It’s a crazy world. In fact, they may not be protected at all as many of these unregulated sites do not offer the robust social responsibility or consumer protection tools that are required in regulated markets.
“As a result, Albertans gambling on these sites may face a higher risk of developing gambling-related harms or are placing bets without consumer protection mechanisms in place. We want to change that.”
Nally touted the success of Play Alberta, the only legal online gambling platform currently operating in the province.
“Play Alberta is a success story, but it’s a bit sobering to consider that it’s only capturing up to 45 per cent of Albertans who gamble online,” Nally said. “That’s why we’re proposing to establish a regulated market where private operators are required to register and follow rules that will require them to put safeguards in place that better protect Albertans.”
Nally also touted that Alberta would have a centralized self-exclusion system and other responsible gambling tools.
On LinkedIn, Canadian Gaming Association CEO Paul Burns said, “Congratulations to Minister Nally and the Alberta Government on the passage of Bill 48 iGaming Alberta Act... Much works still to do but a great milestone in the process.”
Also, Covers gambling beat guy Geoff Zochodne posted this interesting tweet about Alberta and regulated sports wagering in North America.
Québec igaming coalition says Loto-Québec is failing the province
The Québec Online Gaming Coalition continues to pound away at its provincial nemesis, Loto-Québec.
In an email to Gaming News Canada editor Steve McAllister on Wednesday, spokesperson Ariane M. Gauthier noted, “By its own admission, Loto-Québec reaches, at best, just 50% of Quebec’s online players. This was confirmed by its president, Jean-François Bergeron, during today’s review of Loto-Québec’s budget estimates. Simultaneously, Finance Minister Eric Girard acknowledged that the government has no legal way to enforce Loto-Québec’s online monopoly.
“This raises serious questions: how can the government justify protecting only one in two online players when, in Ontario, opening the market to private operators has resulted in 83.7% of online gaming activity being conducted within a regulated environment?
“Given these facts, one must ask why the government remains committed to maintaining Loto-Québec’s monopoly — a model that is clearly failing?”
The coalition, established two years ago this month, has been trying to convince the provincial government in La Belle Province to open up sports betting and igaming a la Ontario. But, it’s been a non so far from Minister of Finance Eric Girard.
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