【willbet online casino】Alberta Braces for Launch of iGaming Market

After years of planning and delays, it appears Alberta is now ready to move forward with its online gambling market. This week, the provincial government saw the filing of legislation that would permit licensed third-party casino brands to operate legally in the province.

The model will resemble the one implemented in Ontario, enabling Alberta to retain some revenue currently lost to grey market websites. If enacted into law, private operators like DraftKings, FanDuel, and others could provide Albertans with regulated gambling and sports betting options.

At the moment, Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission, also referred to as AGLC, is the only one to offer legal iGaming in the province. This is done on its platform, PlayAlberta.

However, despite the existence of a provincially run iGaming platform, many local players continue to gamble on grey market websites. These websites are not licensed to operate in the province, and money spent on them is going abroad.

Introducing the iGaming Alberta Act

This week, the province received a proposal for a bill called the iGaming Alberta Act, which aims to establish a new Crown corporation. This regulatory body would oversee the online casino market and depend on the AGLC for supervision.

Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally discussed the topic during a press conference on Wednesday. He stated that the objective of the market is to attract players to a legal platform where they can utilise consumer protections such as self-exclusion tools. With the iGaming market, the province can also retain most revenue within its borders.

Lessons from Ontario’s iGaming Model

Alberta’s iGaming initiative will be modelled after Ontario’s framework for online casino and sports betting. Canada’s most populous province introduced its iGaming market for third-party brands in April 2022, permitting operators to seek a provincial license.

Nally noted that many Albertans have questioned why the province lacks an iGaming market similar to Ontario, emphasising the benefits of a provincially regulated model.

He also mentioned the ‘black market,’ which includes websites that have no intention of obtaining jurisdictional permits. Nally explained the danger of these platforms, as even if someone admits to having an addiction, they continue to market to those players.

Nally also emphasised that gambling is never entirely safe, but Alberta wants to make it safer with the new regulated market. Previously, the local government enacted legislation and discussed the possibility of regulated iGaming operations.

Addressing Gambling Risks and Consumer Protections

Ontario’s iGaming model generated over CA$2.2 billion in total gaming revenue for the fiscal year 2023-2024. However, the rising popularity of online casinos and sports betting options has also initiated conversations about the effects of the flood of betting advertisements.

Experts have also shared their concerns about the prevalence of these gambling ads, as children or vulnerable individuals often see them.

However, Alberta has a plan for those advertisements. The province noted that it could impose rules on how licensed operators can advertise while limiting various types of promotions. Nevertheless, Nally admits that the province cannot control advertising from the CRTC, which presents a significant challenge.

Meanwhile, David Hodgins, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Calgary and research director with the Alberta Gaming Research Institute, has called for developing explicit protections and policies, especially safeguards for advertising and player protection.

The expert is worried that the proposed gaming expansion could lead to a bump in people who experience gambling-related issues. Here’s the full quote of what he said:

“With an expansion, the devil is in the details. I really think we need to take a very cautious approach in terms of what safeguards we put in place and how we do that. Most importantly, I think that we monitor what is put in place to ensure that it is really effective in minimising the harms that are caused by gambling.”

Hodgins already has some ideas on how to protect bettors. He suggested the implementation of better protections around the gambling scene. That would be imposing mandatory pre-commitment limits. These would mandate that players set a maximum amount of funds they would spend before betting on a platform.

That’s not all, as the specialist also wants to see a self-exclusion tool which will be in place for all provincially regulated websites. With these tools, users could limit their playing time or entirely exclude themselves from one platform or all.

Still, Alberta vows that if the iGaming Alberta Act is enacted, a central self-exclusion programme will be made available. With the system, residents can restrict their playing time on licensed websites, along with brick-and-mortar casinos and horse racing tracks with betting.

Lastly, Nally said that further details on the iGaming framework, like a tax on operator’s revenue, will be discussed and revealed in the near future.

Impact on Charities and Casinos

Naturally, not everyone is content with Alberta’s initiative to launch regulated iGaming for private companies. For instance, charities and casinos worry about how the new market will impact their operations.

A while back, Michael Thompson, Executive Director of the Alberta Charitable Casino Operators, shared his thoughts:

“We think the Ontario (open) model will be very damaging to casinos in Alberta and charities will lose out significantly as a result. We think that's going to be a disaster and they need to take the time to get it right.”

As per AGLC reports, from 2023 to 2024, Alberta generated around CA$409 million for charities, with CA$79 million total coming from host First Nation charities.

Nally addressed their concerns about iGaming harming charities and believes this is already the case. He remarked that gambling money is already leaving the province, and with the regulated iGaming sector, a percentage of those funds will remain in the province.

According to AGLC, PlayAlberta is currently managing about 45% of the market share, generating approximately CA$235 million in the 2023-24 fiscal year. This reflects a CA$42 million increase compared to the previous fiscal year.

What’s Next for Alberta’s iGaming Market?

Nevertheless, the gambling industry is eager to see if Alberta’s proposed iGaming market will materialise. If it does, Nally states it should be functional by the end of this year or the beginning of 2026.