Regulatory issues delays Alberta’s iGaming expansion

On the Calgary Center Street Bridge. This bridge connects the South and North banks of the Bow River. In the photo we see Downtown Calgary.

Article by : Charles Perrin Oct 21, 2024

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An expansion of iGaming in Alberta has been pushed back due to ongoing regulatory issues.

Much talk over the past few months has centered around Alberta following Ontario’s roadmap of having a more laissez-faire attitude towards iGaming.

Indeed, Ontario has pivoted and positioned itself as being more “open and free” in its attitude towards online gambling.

However, Alberta has found itself falling behind other provinces, and at the moment, the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis’ Play Alberta platform is the only legal gambling destination for Alberta residents.

Now, it has been confirmed that plans to expand iGaming in Alberta have been moved back to 2025 as ministers seek to resolve underlying regulatory issues.

Explaining developments, Brandon Aboultaif, spokesman for Dale Nally, Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, said: “As the gaming industry continues to evolve globally and in Alberta, we want to ensure a conducive business environment.

“We want to get our iGaming strategy right to ensure fairness and transparency to everyone.

“Industry stakeholders have told us that we need to continue our conversations so they can provide more input on the model.

“While we aim to put the strategy forward in 2025, we will continue to provide updates as this work unfolds.”

Although Play Alberta, which launched in 2020, generated a projected $5.36 billion for 2023-24, there is still a big illegal gambling market in Alberta.

Proposals to bolster the iGaming presence in Alberta have been shot down in the past, and it is thought it could be as late as Fall 2025 for another operator to enter the market.

The details remain hazy, but it is also believed that taxes are slowing down the process.

There was also debate that the revenues of gambling sites in Alberta would be subject to a 25% tax rate which is higher compared to Ontario (20%).

Things may be up in the air, but perhaps, we will have an idea of how things are shaping up in Alberta at the start of 2025.