In the windswept wilds of Alberta, the anticipation for a dynamic igaming landscape is growing, yet the day when this digital frontier will open has been deferred to the future’s embrace—in 2025. As if the announcement were the breath of the Chinook itself, whispers of the delay crawled through the market, now confirmed by a voice of authority from within the Alberta government.
A tale of evolution is unfolding in the global gaming sphere, and Alberta, seeking to pen its own storied chapter, intends to craft a regulatory milieu that fosters industry while safeguarding its citizens. Brandon Aboultaif, speaking for the Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, Dale Nally, elucidated the government’s vision of creating a digital gaming environment that is both equitable and transparent. “Protecting the health and safety of Albertans, particularly our youth,” Aboultaif emphasized, is paramount in the pursuit of the province’s iGaming strategy.
Adventures in the vast digital domain require careful planning and foresight. Nally himself embarks on a journey to curate an open, competitive igaming market in the image of Ontario’s. Despite the presence of the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis’ Play Alberta platform, the only current legal gambling conduit in the province, there exists a shadowy realm of illicit igaming platforms.
This grey market looms large, yet Play Alberta stands resilient, boasting over 313,000 registered cavaliers. It is projected to amass $5.36 billion in total wagers for the year 2023-24, commanding 45 per cent of Alberta’s igaming realm. These estimations have been drawn from the cartographer’s lore—an analysis by H2 Gambling Capital.
Grey-market specters notwithstanding, the government’s proposal for the proposed digital haven faced formidable opposition within its own ranks, having been rejected twice in cabinet. An intriguing mixture of industry whispers hinted at the possibility of a launch by Christmas, with others believing in an early or even a fall release in 2025.
Yet, it was the talk of a tax—a potential 25% levy on the revenants of gambling sites—that sparked the most fervent debate. With Ontario holding its ground at a 20% rate, the concern was that higher taxation in Alberta might hinder the process of channelization, the commandeering of players from shadowy sites to the light of legal igaming platforms.
In Ontario, channelization has been likened to a great triumph, with an Ipsos study in February 2024 crowning it with an 86.4% success rate. One would only hope that Alberta, under the wide sky where the aurora dances, can capture that same magic when its igaming market comes to life in the fullness of time.
