After much anticipation, Alberta’s regulated iGaming market has been launched. Last May, Bill 48, the iGaming Alberta Act, passed the provincial legislature. After receiving Royal Assent, the launch process for a commercial iGaming market began. Alberta’s iGaming market is Canada’s second open and competitive iGaming market. It will give licensed operators access to an already engaged player base. 

“Alberta’s iGaming rollout marks an exciting new chapter for Canada’s regulated gaming market,” said Sereena Boparai, Chief Revenue Officer at Paramount Commerce. “As Alberta opens its doors to operators, the opportunity to reach a highly engaged player base and help shape the next phase of regulated gaming in Canada is significant. We expect this move to accelerate conversations around regulated gaming across other provinces. Our team will be ready to help operators scale with trusted pay by bank solutions built for regulated iGaming in Canada.”

Top 6 things you need to know about Alberta’s iGaming market

Regulations: Bill 48 enables a dual-structure model. AGLC regulates the market and continues to operate Play Alberta. The new Alberta iGaming Corporation will manage commercial agreements with private operators. This conduct-and-manage approach is like Ontario’s framework. It gives merchants a familiar path to registration, commercial agreements, and licenses. 

Consumer protection: Alberta is putting consumer protection at the centre of its framework. It sets higher standards for security, infrastructure, and advertising. It also requires responsible gambling tools and a self-exclusion list. The goal is to migrate existing play into a safer and locally regulated environment that offers players more choice.

Tax benefits for merchants: Alberta is widely seen as an economic engine. It has a favorable tax and business climate. This can support growth for regulated iGaming operators. 

Established player base: According to Brandon Aboultaif (VP of Western Canada at the Canadian Gaming Association), Alberta has a young, sports-obsessed, high-income population. This player base is already active online while also participating in land-based casinos and charitable gaming. Regulations are therefore more about using the existing demand in a regulated environment. 

Market value: Industry observers expect Alberta to become one of Canada’s most valuable iGaming markets, following Ontario’s strong multi-billion-dollar performance while also leveraging Alberta’s population size, income profile, and gaming maturity. 

Merchants need an experienced iGaming payment partner: Paramount Commerce is Alberta-ready. Paramount Commerce, founded in Toronto, has supported online businesses in Canada for more than two decades. The company has experience in Ontario’s iGaming market. It has delivered reliable and familiar pay by bank solutions. These include Interac e-Transfer^® and Instant Bank Transfer. From real-time payments to smart bank routing and customizable branding, Paramount Commerce drives high approval rates. It supports customer loyalty in a newly regulated market. ML-backed risk management helps reduce fraud and chargebacks.

We are ready to support your growth in Alberta. Book a quick coffee chat: https://www.paramountcommerce.com/book-a-demo