The bill that will make it possible to inject private-sector competition into regulated online gambling in Alberta is through the provincial legislature.
Key Insights
- Bill 48, the iGaming Alberta Act, was reported out of the provincial legislature's Committee of the Whole on Wednesday night and then passed third reading.
- Once it becomes law and takes effect, Bill 48 will lay the legal groundwork for an Ontario-like market for online gambling in Alberta.
- A launch date for Alberta's competitive iGaming market is still TBD.
Bill 48, the iGaming Alberta Act, was reported out of the provincial legislature’s Committee of the Whole on Wednesday, leaving only a third and final reading for the proposed legislation before it can become law.
That third reading came later in the evening in Edmonton.
Bill 48 will now become law after receiving the mostly ceremonial blessing of Royal Assent from Lieutenant Governor Salma Lakhani. It would then need to be proclaimed into force by the government.
The bill was also reported out of the Committee of the Whole without amendments, leaving its text as was originally intended by the United Conservative government.
Reading is fun(damental to iGaming reform)
Alberta is now on track for a very Ontario-like market for online sports betting, casino gambling, and poker.
The Western Canadian province will set that market up using a new government-owned entity, the Alberta iGaming Corporation, which Bill 48 would establish.
It's with the new corporation that operators of online sportsbooks and casino sites could sign contracts authorizing them to take bets in Alberta.
Ontario is currently the only province in Canada that authorizes multiple private-sector iGaming operators to take bets, and it do so with an entity (iGaming Ontario) that is similar to the one Bill 48 establishes.
There are now 50 approved iGaming operators in Ontario, including the government-owned lottery and gaming corporation.
In Alberta, Play Alberta is the only provincially regulated option for iGaming.
However, the provincially owned site has less than 50% of the market share for online gambling in Alberta, losing business to "grey" and "black" market operators regulated abroad or outside the province.
Bill 48 will change that status quo, and provides a legal framework that could make Play Alberta just one of potentially many authorized operators.
T-minus TBD to launch
A launch date for the new Alberta sports betting market is still TBD, although it could be set for late this year or early 2026.
FanDuel-parent Flutter Entertainment reiterated in its financial results for the first quarter of 2025, which the company released on Wednesday, that it expects "an early 2026 launch" in Alberta.
FanDuel-parent Flutter still expecting "an early 2026" launch of a competitive iGaming market in Alberta. That tracks with what we've heard so far from the government there: pic.twitter.com/1Xy47m1q1o
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) May 7, 2025
Bill 48 will bring the launch closer, and make Alberta the second province in Canada to launch a competitive iGaming market.
However, there are still rules that need to be rolled out and likely contracts with operators that must be signed before the new provincially regulated wagering options go live. Details such as advertising restrictions and revenue sharing have yet to be settled.
The opposition NDP has said it will be keeping an eye on the regulations to ensure they prioritize the safety and well-being of Albertans. The government has said those protections are coming.
Alberta's new iGaming market will be overseen by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis Commission, which also runs Play Alberta. That will put the commission in the unique position of being both a competitor to and regulator of the new private-sector iGaming sites.
"Should Bill 48 pass, Alberta’s government will begin to work on setting up the Alberta iGaming Corporation, while we continue to meet with stakeholders and work with Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis on establishing the broader regulatory framework that includes player protections," a spokesperson for the Ministry of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction told Covers earlier this week.
