Alberta is soon set to become the second Canadian province to launch its own regulated but open gambling market. Dozens of operators are now already available for preregistrations, and more are in the licensing process. Alberta follows in the footsteps of Ontario, which regulated and licensed gambling operators in 2022. It now makes billions of dollars in taxes, and has effectively channelled 90% of gambling activity towards regulated operators.
So what will Albertans be betting on when their market opens? How much are the estimates saying they might spend? And what kinds of gambling are likely to prove most popular with new customers? This is what you need to know ahead of the July 13 launch.
The Market Details – Key Dates and Rules
Alberta first passed the iGaming Alberta Act in early 2025, which was the initial stage of the process. Previously, PlayAlberta was the only provincial government-approved online gambling platform – but offshore sites continued to dominate the market.
Alberta’s politicians explicitly framed this move as a way to capture (and tax) gambling activity that was already going on anyway, by bringing it under provincial supervision.
Operators will register with the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) and it sets the regulation. Meanwhile the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) deals with collecting agreed revenue shares and enforcing and monitoring market rules.
Customers can already preregister at a number of licensed internationally-recognized operators like DraftKings, FanDuel, bet365 and BetMGM.
Estimates of Size and Revenue Predictions
The government and analysts have been quite aligned with how much they expect Alberta’s new market to generate in revenue and taxes. The existing demand is already there and, despite Alberta’s relatively small population of five million or so, median household income is high.
You only need to check something like Casino Guru’s list of Alberta online casinos available right now, to see how popular the market already is. Canadians turn to these review sites to make an informed choice, by comparing information on all the options from bonuses to game collection or licensing information.
These sites demonstrate the existing appetite for gambling in Alberta, although the type and variety of offerings listed will change considerably when the new market launches in July.
Alberta is targeting 80% of gambling activity channelled to locally-regulated operators within a year. Ontario hit 83% in 2024 and 91% in 2025, according to the latest data.
Overall estimates predict Alberta’s upcoming market will generate anywhere between $800 million and $1 billion in yearly revenue for operators. With revenue sharing agreed at 20% (22% including first nations and social commitments) that should equate to some $160 million to $200 million annually for the provincial coffers.
What Sports Do Albertans Enjoy – and What’s on in Launch Week?
The July 13 launch of sports betting will likely open with many welcome offers tailored to the FIFA World Cup semi finals, which start the day after. Operators, and some fans, will be disappointed that the market didn’t start even a week earlier – because, even with home advantages, few expect Canada to make it that far in tournament.
Still, customers will be seeing all sorts of World Cup related betting promotions during Alberta’s launch week. Soccer remains a popular sport in Alberta, if not as popular as ice hockey. But with no NHL games on during the opening months of the regulated market, fans will be looking for other sports to bet on.
The UFC, WNBA and ATP or WTA tennis all have major events planned in July, and are all popular sports for Canadian viewers.
If not for the World Cup though, July 13 would be a disappointingly sports-light time for a sportsbook to open in a new market. The two major sports teams in the Flames and the Oilers are both in NHL offseason, and so are the major US leagues like the NBA and the NFL.
Will Online Casinos Beat Sports Betting? Probably
One interesting aspect to Ontario’s licensed market, and from that it can be extrapolated probably Canada more widely, is that players prefer online casino gambling to sports betting.
For example, Play Alberta’s revenue in 2024. 73% came from online casino games, while around 3% came from sports betting. Sports betting has much lower margins (and is more volatile) than casino gambling, so a direct comparison of revenues doesn’t always reflect total betting activity. But in this case there is a huge disparity, so it can be almost certainly said that Albertan gamblers prefer casinos to sports betting.
Customers prefer it because it is less intimidating to start, no sports knowledge is needed and it’s available 24/7 with no waiting once you’ve placed a bet.
Operators prefer it because profits are, generally, more stable – and even operating costs are lower.
Sports betting remains a significant income stream though, and the element of skill makes it a more socially palatable form of gambling for many. Operators will also likely use the World Cup betting interest, alongside a new market launch, to cross sell sports betting customers to casinos.
