On July 13, 2026, the province of Alberta will officially launch its online gambling market. This will make it the second province in Canada to license private operators in its online market - the first being Ontario. The legislation that created the market, the iGaming Alberta Act (Bill 48), was passed in 2025. AGLC will be the regulator of the market, but a new corporation, the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC), will run the commercial side. Over 40 brands have registered with the province by late June 2026, including companies such as bet365, FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM. While playing at one of these domestic online casinos will be legal for Albertans, playing at international cryptocurrency (crypto) casinos will remain legal as well. Those international sites just sit outside the new system and its protections.
📅 Mark the date: while the registered online gambling companies in Alberta can advertise and open player accounts before July 13th, 2026, the taking of real money bets will not be legal on private domestic online gambling sites until then.
What Is the iGaming Alberta Act?
The Act that will create and manage the online gambling market in Alberta is called the iGaming Alberta Act. This Act was tabled in the provincial legislature as Bill 48 during the spring of 2025 and was made into law when it received royal assent on May 15, 2025. Sections of Bill 48 were made into law in June of 2025.
The Act creates two main things in Alberta: the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) that will actually conduct the online gambling in the province, and a path for private companies to license themselves to participate. It is essentially the same mechanism as Ontario's, which created iGaming Ontario. That means private companies can join the regulated market instead of sitting outside the law.
The motivation for creating this Act is simple: Alberta estimates that 70% of all online gambling in the province takes place on unregulated international websites. The Act was created to bring that activity into the licensing market.
AGLC and the Alberta iGaming Corporation
Two entities will be in charge of the online gambling market in Alberta.
AGLC - The Regulator
- Reviews operator applications: corporate structure, ownership, finances and platform technology all get checked before registration.
- Sets the standards: responsible gambling tools, advertising rules, game integrity and anti-money-laundering controls.
- Enforces compliance: AGLC can add conditions to a registration, suspend it or revoke it.
- Runs Play Alberta: the government site AGLC launched in 2020 keeps operating alongside the private brands.
AiGC - The Commercial Body
- Conducts and manages the market under the Criminal Code, the same legal role iGaming Ontario plays in Ontario.
- Signs the operating agreements: no operator can take a bet without a signed AiGC agreement, even with an AGLC registration in hand.
- Handles the revenue split: operators keep 80% of net iGaming revenue and the province retains 20%. On top of that, 3% of gross gaming revenue goes to First Nations and social responsibility programs.
⚠️ Registered does not mean live. While companies that are licensed into the province will be able to advertise and open gambling accounts in the province, the companies will not be able to take money from players until July 13th, 2026.
Alberta iGaming Launch Timeline
- 2020: AGLC launches Play Alberta, the province's first and only regulated gambling site
- Spring 2025: Bill 48, the iGaming Alberta Act, is introduced in the legislature
- May 15, 2025: Bill 48 receives royal assent
- June 2025: key sections of the Act are proclaimed into force
- Early 2026: the Alberta iGaming Corporation is formally established
- January 2026: AGLC opens operator and supplier registration
- March 2026: Alberta asks to intervene in the Supreme Court case on Ontario's international player pooling, a sign it wants the same option (see our Ontario iGaming guide)
- Late June 2026: AGLC's public register passes 40 operator brands, including bet365, FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, theScore Bet, 888 and Betway
- July 13, 2026: the regulated market opens for real-money play
How Alberta Operator Licensing Works
There are actually two tracks that a company must run through to become licensed into the province for online gambling:
AGLC Registration Application
The operator applies to AGLC with its corporate structure, beneficial owners, financial standing and full technical details of the gaming platform it plans to run in Alberta.
Suitability & Standards Review
AGLC checks the people and the product: background checks on key personnel, plus a review of the platform against responsible gambling, game integrity and anti-money-laundering standards.
AiGC Operating Agreement
The approved operator signs a commercial agreement with the Alberta iGaming Corporation. This contract sets the revenue share and reporting duties and gives the brand its legal footing in the province.
Pre-Launch Window
Registered brands may advertise and open player accounts ahead of launch. Deposits and wagering stay switched off until the market opens on July 13, 2026.
Go Live
From launch day, the operator can accept real-money play from players in Alberta aged 18 and over, with its games and payouts subject to AGLC oversight.
Ongoing Compliance
AGLC monitors licensed operators on an ongoing basis and can order fixes, add conditions, or suspend and revoke registrations for breaches of its standards.
Player Protections in Alberta's Market
In the published framework for the province and the Act, the online gambling sites licensed in Alberta will be required to meet certain standards and rules for player protections and safety. While the specific policies have not yet been published, such a requirement exists in the Act.
Centralized Self-Exclusion
One provincial self-exclusion system covers every licensed site. Excluding yourself once blocks you from all of them, not just one brand.
Age Verification (18+)
Alberta's gambling age is 18. Licensed operators must verify identity and age before allowing real-money play.
Advertising Rules
The strategy commits to strict advertising standards that prevent marketing from targeting minors and vulnerable people.
Community Funding
3% of gross gaming revenue is earmarked for First Nations and social responsibility programs before operators take their share.
In addition to the licensing of online gambling companies to operate in the province, Albertans will finally have access to a regulator for the licensed companies. Any complaints regarding a licensed domestic company will go to the AGLC, not a licensing authority in whatever country the company is based. This regulation is the major change with licensed domestic companies.
Crypto Casinos & Alberta's New Market
Based on how Ontario's online gambling market has played out, it is extremely unlikely that the cryptocurrency online casinos will ever join the licensed market; here's why:
- Full KYC is mandatory. Licensed Alberta operators must verify every player's identity. That rules out the low-KYC signup that draws many players to crypto casinos in the first place.
- CAD settlement and AML reporting. Regulated operators work in Canadian dollars under anti-money-laundering rules. A BTC-first cashier does not fit that mould.
- The Ontario precedent. After four years of iGO licensing, almost no crypto-native casino joined Ontario's market. There is no sign Alberta's launch list is any different: the registered brands are the familiar fiat sportsbook and casino names.
What This Means for Alberta Crypto Players
On the date of July 13th, 2026, nothing will change regarding the legality of playing at an international crypto casino for Albertans. It will remain legal to play at these international cryptocurrency casinos just as it is legal for players in Ontario. What will have changed though, is that Albertans will have an option for licensed, regulated gambling within the province. There will be a trade-off between playing at licensed vs. international online gambling sites. Our grey market guide covers how to judge the international side safely.
⚠️ Watch for the advertising shift. After July 13th, 2026, the licensed companies will be able to advertise their availability of online gambling to residents of Alberta, while the international and crypto companies will remain in their current state. Any brand that advertises to Albertans after July 13th will have to be licensed into the province to be allowed to take players' money.
Alberta vs Ontario: How the Two Markets Compare
While the regulations of Alberta's online gambling market are similar to those from Ontario's, there are still some differences in each Act.
| Feature | Alberta | Ontario |
|---|---|---|
| Market opens | July 13, 2026 | April 4, 2022 |
| Enabling law | iGaming Alberta Act (Bill 48) | Ontario framework under AGCO / iGO |
| Regulator | AGLC | AGCO |
| Conduct & manage body | Alberta iGaming Corporation | iGaming Ontario |
| Minimum age | 18+ | 19+ |
| Operators | 40+ registered before launch | 50+ active in 2026 |
| Government platform | Play Alberta (continues) | OLG.ca (continues) |
| Self-exclusion | Centralized provincial system | GameSense-integrated network |
| Crypto casinos licensed | ✗ None registered | ~ Effectively none (Toppz is CAD-only) |
🇨🇦 Our Take
With the launch of Alberta's online gambling market, it will be the biggest change to online gambling within Canada since Ontario launched its own market in 2022. For players who use fiat currency, this is a win for Albertans. However, for crypto players, there will be no change in the market; licensed domestic sites have to run full KYC and settle in CAD, making it impossible to compete with the privacy offered by crypto sites. The momentum for domestic licensing within Canada though will likely inspire other provinces to create their own regulations.
Frequently Asked Questions
On July 13th, 2026, the private operators licensed into the province will be allowed to begin accepting bets from players in Alberta. Until then, domestic brands will be able to advertise in the province.
The law that will initiate and create the online gambling market in Alberta is the iGaming Alberta Act. This Act was introduced in the spring of 2025, passed on May 15th, 2025 and came into force in June of 2025. The Act created the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) and made the AGLC the regulator of the market.
AGLC will be the regulating body and AiGC will be the body that manages the online gambling market in the province and signs the companies into the province. Each licensed brand will require both organizations to oversee them in the same way that Ontario's online gambling companies are required to work with both AGCO and iGaming Ontario.
Yes. The Act that will create the online gambling market will regulate the operators within the province, not the players. And no law within Canada criminalizes the playing of games at international online crypto casinos. However, it will involve a trade-off for players in that these international online casinos will be outside of provincial regulation and self-exclusion programs.
It is highly unlikely. The licensed operators will be required to perform full KYC processes, act according to AML legislation and use Canadian money (CAD). The same is true for Ontario's online gambling market since it was established in 2022, during which time there have been no crypto online gambling companies licensed into the market. Thus, for the same reason, there will also likely be no crypto-based online gambling companies licensed within Alberta.
The site will continue to operate in the province. AGLC's own online gambling site, Play Alberta, has been live since 2020. After July 13th, 2026 it will go from being the only online gambling site in the province to one of many regulated by the AGLC.
Legal Disclaimer: The information on this page is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Alberta's iGaming rules are still being finalized and are subject to change by AGLC and the Alberta iGaming Corporation at any time.
Always verify current operator registration status at aglc.ca and the province's strategy at alberta.ca before making decisions based on this content. BtcReels.com is not a law firm and does not provide legal services.
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