Alberta moves to regulate online gambling, welcomes in private betting companies

Alberta's government will soon regulate the iGaming industry, opening the door to private betting platforms while implementing changes to protect players.

Alberta will soon regulate online gambling, opening the door to private betting platforms while implementing new rules to protect players.

Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally tells CTV News the regulations will likely take hold in late spring.

“These are the rules that the operators are going to have to adhere to if they want to play in the space we’re offering,” he said. “We want to make (gambling) as safe and responsible as we possibly can.”

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The regulations will bring the province more in line with other jurisdictions — namely Ontario.

They’ll see companies restricted from targeting minors with their ads or using professional athletes to promote their product.

“There’s going to be time limits and player betting limits,” Nally said. “Also, we are going to have system-wide self-exclusion. So in Alberta, when you hit that button, you will not just be self-excluded from all online sites, but from land-based casinos and racing entertainment centres.

“We’re very proud we’re going to go live on day one with that.”

Operators will soon also be required to provide Albertans with gaming activity statements and to “intervene when signs of problematic gambling behaviour emerge.”

According to recent numbers from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, about one in three young adults in the country gamble online.

The province says recent data suggests unregulated betting companies — those with offshore licences — account for 70 per cent of Alberta’s total gambling market.

Nally says most of those companies offer “limited or no” player protection.

PlayAlberta is the province’s only legal, regulated iGaming site, but provincial officials estimate it only captures about 30 per cent of the total betting market.

Under the new regulated market, iGaming providers will be required to put player protection and social responsibility at the forefront.

“It is our responsibility to step in, regulate the market and hold private providers to the highest standards to protect Albertans, particularly our youth,” Nally said.

“And for Albertans who choose not to gamble, the best option is to not start.”

Industry operators will have the ability to determine if they want to operate in Alberta leading up to the launch of the regulated market.

Nally says he’s already gaged a lot of interest.

“We’ve been talking to industry, and many of these companies have told us they want to be legal. So they’re going to be here when we go live, and we expect a very high uptake.”