In Canada, the Alberta government is seeking to deliver more protections for bettors with a drive to expand the online gambling market.
At present, the government-run Play Alberta site is the only authorized, regulated platform in the province, but gamblers can easily access others provided by illicit operators, most of which are based outside Canada.
Bill 48, otherwise known as the iGaming Alberta Act, was presented in the legislative chamber on Wednesday (Mar. 26) by Minister Dale Nally.
“We want Albertans who choose to gamble online to have the same kind of protections they have when they go to casinos,” said Nally, with the bill designed to be the start of implementing the province’s new iGaming strategy.
If passed, the act would open the door to more providers such as BetMGM, the Score Bet, and Caesar’s Place, which are already legally available in Ontario province following significant changes to its gambling sector enacted in 2022.
Since then, Ontario’s gambling market has rapidly expanded, recording $4.5 billion (US $3.15b) more in bets staked during the second quarter of 2024-25, compared to the previous year, reaching a total of $18.7b (US $13.09b).
Nally added the driving factor was not about propelling growth and returns, but gains would be expected. He did not provide a figure on projections for Alberta.
“It’s not a cash grab, and we’re not doing this with the aim to grow the market,” said the Minister of Service.
Today, I tabled Bill 48: the iGaming Alberta Act, that would establish the framework for a safer and regulated online gaming market in our province.
More here: https://t.co/XDaI3rru5V pic.twitter.com/ms4phCMvbg
— Dale Nally (@DaleNally_AB) March 26, 2025
Remit to manage online gambling for other provinces
Last year, Play Alberta reported net sales of $235 million ($164m), up more than $42m ($29.3m) from the 2022/23 fiscal year. This contributed to the collective total of $1.5b (US $1.05b) sent to the general revenue fund purse in the province.
The new bill would also see the formation of the Alberta iGaming Corporation which would be responsible for managing and overseeing the online gaming sector in partnership with private operators.
This “crown corporation” would also permit the Alberta entity to facilitate online gambling on behalf of other Canadian provinces and territories.
Image credit: Grok/X
