The province of Alberta
The launch included 23 operators authorized to offer casino games and sports betting, although poker fans will have to keep waiting. No online poker platform was available from day one, although PokerStars and partypoker have already confirmed that they are working to launch their specific rooms for Alberta in the near future.
In addition, other companies could join if a shared liquidity agreement with Ontario or other regulated markets is finally approved, which would allow for larger player pools and better prizes.
Alberta: a strong market for casinos and betting
Among the brands that began operating are big names such as bet365, DraftKings, BetMGM, FanDuel, Caesars, BetRivers, Golden Nugget, Betway, TonyBet, and Hollywood, among others. Another 31 companies that have already received regulatory approval could join them soon, including 888, Bally Bet, Monopoly Casino, and PointsBet.
Each operator paid a one-time fee of 50,000 Canadian dollars to enter the market and will have to pay 150,000 dollars annually for the license, in addition to a 20% tax on their income.
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Alberta’s Minister of Services and Red Tape Reduction, Dale Nally, explained that the main objective is not revenue generation, but rather attracting players who currently use unregulated platforms.
Daniel Negreanu, in the future, could move to Alberta to play on Ggpoker.
“This is not about generating revenue. It’s about channeling as much of the black market as possible into a legal and regulated market,” the official said.
Shared liquidity, poker’s great hope
With a population of nearly 4.3 million inhabitants, Alberta alone represents a relatively small market for online poker. Therefore, the possibility of sharing liquidity with other provinces or even international markets appears as a key factor for the success of future rooms.
Ontario, which regulated online gambling in 2022, is precisely pursuing this path. The province obtained a favorable ruling that would allow sharing players with other jurisdictions, although the decision was appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada by the Canadian Lottery Coalition.
In that process, Alberta has already been authorized to intervene to present its position. The final ruling could mark the future of regulated online poker across Canada and open the door to a much wider network of players for the upcoming rooms that land in the province.
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