Alberta Launches Online Casino Industry Without Poker Options

Online gaming officially launched at midnight on Monday in the Canadian province of Alberta, with 23 operators going live. The province follows Ontario as the country’s second regulated online gaming market. For card players, no poker platforms were available at launch, but PokerStars and partypoker have indicated the companies would enter the province with an Alberta platform soon. Other online poker companies may enter the province if a shared liquidity agreement is reached with Ontario or other regulated markets outside Canada.

Other Casino & Sports Betting Options Beyond the coming poker options to the province, several other online casino and sports betting operators are now live. Those approved by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) include: bet365 Casino, Betway, DraftKings, Lucky Days, bet365 Sportsbook, Caesars Palace, FanDuel Casino, Stardust, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, theScore Bet (Penn), BetRivers (Rush Street Interactive), Casino Days, Golden Nugget (DraftKings), theScore Casino (Penn), Betty, DAZN Bet, Hollywood (Penn), Tonybet, BetVictor, Delta Casino, and Horseshoe (Caesars).

Each brand pays a one-time $50,000 application fee to operate and a $150,000 annual registration fee. Operators will pay a 20% tax on revenue in the state as AGLC attempts to move players into a regulated environment.