Alberta has opened the registration process for online gambling operators and suppliers, taking another step toward a regulated private iGaming market. The move gives companies a formal path into the province ahead of a planned 2026 launch.
Alberta says the new market will sit alongside PlayAlberta, which remains the only legal regulated online gambling site in the province.
Alberta moves away from a single-site model
For now, Albertans who want to gamble online legally can only use PlayAlberta. The government says the lack of any other platform has pushe users towards unregulated sites, which it estimates account for about 70% of the province’s total iGaming market.
Alberta’s goal is to pull more of that activity into the legal market. Under the province’s plan, private operators will be allowed to offer online casino and sports betting products once the market opens.
The market will be split between AGLC and a new corporation
Alberta has split the regulatory control between two groups. AGLC will handle oversight and registration, while the Alberta iGaming Corporation will work with Suppliers and operators. The iGaming Alberta Act created the Alberta iGaming Corporation who will manage commercial agreements with operators. The act also brought a base enforcement framework into effect on January 13.
Operators will also have to do more than fill out forms. AGLC says applicants must go through due diligence and compliance checks, get supplier technology certified, and connect to the province’s centralized self-exclusion system before they can go live.
The groundwork is open, but the market is not live yet
Opening registration gives operators, suppliers and service providers a chance to start preparing now instead of waiting for launch day. Official guidance says operators already in the registration process can advertise and sign up prospective customers, but they still cannot accept deposits or bets.
There is still no exact launch date. Alberta has said the regulated private market is expected to go live later in 2026 once the remaining operational and licensing work is finished.
