Is Online Gambling Legal in Alberta? A Guide to the Latest Regulations and Bill 48

A new hand is being dealt for the Alberta gaming industry! Alberta will soon legalize online sports betting and Canadian online casino sites via private gaming operators with the passing of Bill 48, creating Alberta iGaming Corporation to ensure a safe and fun experience for everybody.

Following Ontario’s lead, Alberta’s bold move opens the door for private operators to offer legal online betting and casino games within the province.

There is still work to do, but the hope is that a new era of legal online gambling in Alberta will be upon us early in 2026. As Alberta is Canada’s fourth-most populated province, this will have a major impact on the online gambling market, as it will give millions of people in Alberta the chance to use online sportsbooks and betting apps, not to mention play at online casinos, which will all be fully legal.

Is online gambling legal in Alberta?

As iGaming becomes more popular all over the country, there is a growing appetite from Albertans to have more options. At present, existing online gambling is monopolised by government-run operators such as PlayAlberta.ca and Sport Select. Alternatively, residents can roll the dice with licensed offshore operators and betting sites Canada customers can access.

But locals want more, and that’s why the passing of Bill 48 is so important, as it will create the Alberta iGaming Corporation, which will oversee and regulate online gambling in the province and allow private-sector operators like BetMGM and DraftKings to open up shop in the province, giving sports bettors and online casino players a whole host of new sites and betting apps to choose from.

The creation of Bill 48 has been several years in the making, and it has faced some roadblocks along the way from opposing parties. The good news is that Bill 48 is close to becoming a law, as it recently passed its third reading in the legislature and just needs Royal Assent now to be made into law.

Once that happens, it will just be a matter of time before private online sportsbooks and online casinos launch in Alberta, with a realistic launch time being early 2026. As always, at Bookies.com we aim to keep you up to date with all the latest news with regards to the launch of legalized Alberta online gambling.

Where can you gamble online legally in Alberta?

Although Bill 48, which would allow private online sportsbooks and online casinos to be legalized in Alberta, has not yet passed, there are still ways you can gamble online legally in Alberta.

In terms of sports betting, you can play at PlayAlberta.ca or Sport Select, which are both legal options for Alberta online sportsbooks. In addition, several other licensed offshore sportsbooks are currently operating in Alberta, including TonyBet, 888sport, William Hill, BetVictor, LeoVegas, Rollino, and Stake.com.

In terms of Alberta online casinos, there are several sites and apps to play at right now, including licensed offshore operators like Slots Palace, Casino Days, William Hill, LeoVegas, 888casino, High Flyer, Wildz, and Amazon Slots.

These are all licensed online casinos and online sportsbooks that we have tested and enjoyed, so customers should feel safe signing up and playing at them.

What impact will Bill 48 have on online gambling in Alberta?

There is no doubt this change in the iGaming market will disrupt the unregulated online gambling market in the province of Alberta. The creation of the Alberta iGaming Corporation as a regulator will create a lot of opportunities for a new line-up of private operators in the province.

This means that private-sector online sportsbooks and online casinos will soon be able to launch in the province, so Albertans will soon have access to some of the most popular online gaming operators such as BetMGM, Caesars, FanDuel, and DraftKings. Having more betting options is only a good thing, so the introduction of Bill 48 and the creation of the Alberta iGaming Corporation are positive.

The entry of private-sector operators will completely change the landscape of online gambling in Alberta. Right now, Albertans have several options, including PlayAlberta.ca and Sport Select, as well as licensed offshore online sportsbooks and online casinos. But having these private-second operators come in and become legalized will give Alberta residents plenty more options when it comes to iGaming.

Financially, new online sportsbooks and online casinos will bring in a lot of money to the province, which will share in part of their profits, causing a trickle-down effect for province residents. As a bonus, reducing offshore market share, which does not give Alberta a piece of the pie, will offer a helpful economic boost.

 “The goal is to bring more players into a legal system, add consumer protections like self-exclusion tools, and keep gambling revenue in the province rather than lose it to unregulated or offshore sites,” Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally said to CBC.

Alberta iGaming Corporation

A significant discussion point within the legislature is the creation of the Alberta iGaming Corporation, which will oversee and regulate online sports betting and online casinos in the province. Like iGaming Ontario, it will allow for sports bettors and online casino players to soon have the opportunity to play at legalized betting apps and online casinos, with the peace of mind that new offerings are safe, fair, and under strict observation.

What are the new player protection measures?

There has been criticism aimed at Bill 48 because the it does not have much to say about responsible gambling. However, that appears to be done on purpose, as instead of putting language about responsible gambling into the legislation, the goal is instead to let the Alberta iGaming Corporation regulate responsible gambling.

If it is not put into the legislation, the rules about responsible gambling can be changed later on. While having regulated online gambling in Alberta is a very good thing, it is important that responsible gambling is promoted, so the most vulnerable people can be supported and protected through tools such as the self exclusion program., as well as allowing players to set their own deposit limits among other tools.

As Bill 48 moves towards being passed, we fully expect the Alberta iGaming Corporation to have rules in place regarding responsible gambling as well as advertising, which again will be similar to Ontario.

How does Alberta compare to Ontario’s online gambling model?

From what we can tell so far, the Alberta iGaming Corporation is going to mimic iGaming Ontario, which launched in 2022, with the goal of overseeing and regulating online gambling operators in Canada’s most populous province.

With over three years of data to sift through, the Alberta iGaming Corporation can learn a lot from Ontario sports betting and Ontario online casino in regards to both what has worked and what has not. While Ontario did not have the luxury of learning about iGaming from another province, Alberta does, and the hope is that the province can make sure that when regulated online gambling does launch, it is done right and has little to no hiccups involved.

As far as the next province in Canada that could have legal online gambling, British Columbia could be the answer.

According to Covers.com, “online gambling companies have lobbied the British Columbia government for something similar to what Ontario has and Alberta plans to have: a regulated market that private-sector competitors can join.”

What’s next for iGaming in Alberta?

The new iGaming legislature recently passed the third reading in the provincial legislature, and now only Royal Assent remains for the bill to be passed into law. That will likely happen very soon. That being said, there is still a lot of work to be done. As discussed above, responsible gambling is still something that needs to be defined, as are advertising rules.

The expectation and hope is that legalized iGaming will launch early 2026, paving the way for private-sector sportsbooks and online casinos to launch in Alberta.

Summary

Bill 48 will establish the Alberta iGaming Corporation, which will regulate and oversee online sports betting and online casinos. This means private-sector online sportsbooks and online casinos will soon launch in the province, giving Albertans the chance to use some of the most popular online gambling sites and betting apps.

Most likely private-sector online gambling sites will go live in early 2026. For Alberta-based players, this is very exciting news and has been years in the making. Be sure to follow along at Bookies.com for all of the news related to Alberta iGaming market regulation going forward.