Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) has launched the Play Alberta App, marking the arrival of mobile sports betting in the Energy Province. The app is the first regulated sports betting app to launch there, with iGaming to follow at some point in 2025.
Increased Interest
The AGLC is the Alberta government’s agency that regulates the gaming, liquor, and cannabis industries in Alberta. Play Alberta was initially launched in October 2020 as an online casino with slots and table games.
When sports betting was introduced around a year later, in September 2021, the site became the first place Albertans could legally place sports bets.
The Vice President of Gaming for AGLC, Dan Keene, said there was a significant rise in the popularity of sports betting in Alberta when the NHL team, the Edmonton Oilers, reached the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in 20 years in June 2024. He described this period as the biggest uptick in betting activity in its four years of existence.
The Oilers are viewed as the primary contenders for the Stanley Cup 2025 finals and Play Alberta has strengthened its association with the province's NHL franchises. The regulated gambling site now sponsors the home jerseys of both the Oilers and the Calgary Flames, strengthening its links with sports fans in the province.
Responsible Gambling
Keene also highlighted that one of the motivating factors is to enhance accessibility to the collection of responsible gambling tools offered by the platform. The move to launch the app also aims to counteract Albertans turning to offshore and unregulated options.
Play Alberta has around a 45% market share in the region. These numbers are alarming for officials given that it is the only licensed sportsbook active in the province.
This could all change in the next few years, with talks circling about the launch of a regulated and competitive gambling market in Alberta. In May 2024, the legislature gave the government the power to decide whether to allow commercial online gaming operators in the Alberta market. House Bill 16, also known as the Red Tape Reduction Statutes Amendment Act, allows for the expansion of regulated options operating within a safe market in the state.
However, talks seem to have slowed down somewhat, with the The Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, Dale Nally, saying that there will be no action on the expansion in the near future.
