Alberta’s move toward a regulated iGaming market has followed a predictable trajectory: beginning with early signalling and stakeholder engagement, followed by enabling legislation, and finally, once the legal structure was in place, publishing operational documents and launching registration for prospective operators.
Below is a timeline of the key milestones from 2024 to today, with brief notes on why each step was significant.
April 2024 – Government confirms stakeholder engagement on expanding iGaming
In late April 2024, industry reporting quoted the Minister’s office confirming that the province would begin engaging with traditional casino operators, racing entertainment centres, and First Nations to hear perspectives on expanding iGaming within Alberta.
This was the first clear, on-the-record indication that Alberta was moving beyond internal policy consideration and into a structured consultation process.
May 2024 — Bill 16 clarifies ministerial authority and the “conduct and manage” structure
In May 2024, Alberta passed Bill 16 (Red Tape Reduction Statutes Amendment Act, 2024), which amended the Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Act. Among other things, it clarified that the provincial government (not only Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis) has the authority to “conduct and manage” iGaming within Alberta.
This Bill legally cleared the path for the government to allow chosen and licensed third-party operators to offer gaming services and products within the province.
Bill 16 is best understood as a foundational framework. A competitive iGaming market requires the government to structure and oversee gaming in a way that supports third-party participation and remains consistent with the regulatory role. Bill 16 helped clarify and reinforce that governance architecture before the province moved towards enacting purpose-built iGaming legislation.
June 2024 – Minister signals an Ontario-referenced competitive model
On June 20, 2024, shortly after the passage of Bill 16, Minister Dale Nally took to the stage at the Canadian Gaming Summit and publicly indicated that Alberta intended to pursue an Ontario-style model (i.e., a competitive market with multiple operators).
This announcement helped solidify certainty in the Alberta market and focused the conversation on how and when it would open. This included questions around timing, the licensing process, and the eventual treatment of unregulated/grey market/pre-regulated business.
March 2025 – Bill 48 is introduced: the iGaming Alberta Act
On March 26, 2025, the province introduced Bill 48, the iGaming Alberta Act. The purpose of the Bill, if passed, was to establish Alberta as Canada’s second commercial, regulated online gambling market and formally establish the Alberta iGaming Corporation (“AiGC”) to act as the “conduct and manage” entity for the province.
Bill 48 was the formal legal vehicle for Alberta’s iGaming framework. This Bill took the project out of the aspirational phase and began the process of enacting legislation that would create new institutions, allocate responsibilities, and support the agreements and controls required for a regulated market.
May 2025 – Bill 48 passes third reading and Royal Assent
On May 8, 2025, industry reporting confirmed the passage of Bill 48 in the Legislature without amendments.
The absence of amendments is sometimes as important as the passage itself. It typically signals stable political alignment on the legislation, reducing uncertainty for prospective participants who are deciding when is the best time to allocate resources to readiness planning.
Fast forward to May 15, 2025, and Bill 48 received Royal Assent. For the non-Canadians reading this, Royal Assent is the final step required for a piece of legislation to become law.
This was the point at which Alberta’s model became something participants could plan for with confidence. After the Assent to Bill 48, the critical questions concerned how the province would implement the new structure, including standards, registration mechanics, compliance expectations, technology requirements, commercial terms, and more.
Mid-2025 – Clarifying the Model: regulation plus commercial arrangement
As third-party commentary began to unpack Bill 48’s implications, a consistent theme emerged: Alberta was building a dual-pathway model in which participants would expect (1) regulatory registration and oversight through Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (“AGLC”), and (2) commercial partnerships managed through the AiGC. This is very similar to how Ontario operates, with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (“AGCO”) acting as the regulator, and iGaming Ontario (“iGO”) as the conduct and manage entity.
This is the point where many Ontario-experienced operators began focusing on the practical differences between the two markets. Even with similarities in the “Ontario-like” direction, any differences could be significant. This is especially true around compliance requirements and the relationship between registration and commercial launch readiness.
January 2026 – AGLC publishes standards and issues a bulletin to applicants/registrants
On January 13, 2026, AGLC issued an iGaming bulletin advising that the Standards and Requirements for Internet Gaming were available to the public on AGLC’s site.
This was a significant inflection point for the Alberta market. Once the standards were published, market participants could move from high-level policy assumptions to concrete implementation: governance controls, AML and integrity processes, technical and testing requirements, responsible gambling controls, and vendor management all moved from the theoretical level to real policies. AGLC’s registration processes for operators and suppliers opened on the same date, tied to the release of the standards and regulatory amendments.
AGLC also launched an iGaming page describing expectations for applicants at a high level, including registration, technology certification, and integration with centralized self-exclusion.
If your business intends to participate in the Alberta market, this is where the real work begins. The standards and registration path trigger real deliverables for iGaming companies, including internal gap assessments, policy drafting, vendor and platform readiness, and engagement with Alberta’s regulators.
Where things stand as of February 3, 2026
As of today, Alberta has crossed two major milestones for a regulated market: (1) enabling legislation is in force, and (2) the regulator has published standards with an active registration pathway.
What remains ahead is the most consequential phase for market outcomes. The pace and substance of approvals, the practical application of standards, the operational demands of integration, and the enactment of commercial arrangements will ultimately determine how quickly (and on what terms) the market becomes meaningfully competitive.
