One of the knocks on Bill 48, which proposes to overhaul regulated online gambling in Alberta, is that it has concerning blanks the government has promised to fill in later.
Key Insights
- The iGaming Alberta Act leaves questions unanswered about the rules private-sector operators would have to follow
- The bill has provisions that would allow the regulator and government to introduce and implement rules regarding advertising and responsible gambling
- Exactly what those rules will be remains to be seen, as is the launch date for the new iGaming market
Some of the more pressing blanks for opposition lawmakers involve ensuring Albertans can gamble responsibly when they’re suddenly faced with an array of private-sector online sportsbooks and casino sites, which Bill 48 would allow.
“While this government is very keen to profit from online gambling, it has somehow forgotten to build in the most important protections for the people who will be impacted: families, youth, seniors, and vulnerable Albertans who are at risk of gambling harm,” New Democratic Party MLA Gurinder Brar said on April 29.
Brar proposed amendments to Bill 48, which is still going through the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s Committee of the Whole process. One tweak was to include “a dedicated, harm reduction-based responsible gaming program,” and “mandatory independent evaluation” of that program’s effectiveness.
Further progress on Bill 48, the iGaming Alberta Act, will have to wait until next week, as the provincial legislature adjourned yesterday until Monday.
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) May 2, 2025
(Potentially related: there was an Oilers playoff game last night.)
Does that mean the Alberta government is currently planning to allow irresponsible online gambling? Well, not quite.
The proposed amendments from the NDP were eventually shot down by the governing United Conservative Party members.
Before that rejection, Bill 48’s sponsor, Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally, said that inserting the amendments would “tie our hands,” by forcing future changes to be made through legislation rather than regulation.
“We have a fiduciary responsibility to put Albertans’ safety first, and that is what we are going to do, but we’re going to do it in the most efficient and effective manner possible, and that’s through regulation, so that if we have to make any changes, we can turn it around on a dime,” Nally said.
So more details are coming, and Bill 48 has a few steps left before it becomes law.
Changes could still be made to the bill's text. One thing that’s unlikely to get amended is the legal framework the legislation proposes for a major shift in Alberta sports betting and iGaming.
Company's coming
The bill would make it so multiple private-sector operators of online sportsbooks, casino sites, and poker rooms could come under local regulation and either launch or re-launch in the Western Canadian province.
This would officially put those operators in direct competition with Alberta’s only authorized iGaming site, the government-owned Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis Commission’s Play Alberta.
Play Alberta already competes with so-called "grey market" sites that account for more than half of all online gambling in the province. Some of those "grey" operators could transition into the new regulated market.
The AGLC would also function as the regulator of Alberta’s new competitive iGaming market. Exactly what rules the AGLC would enforce and private operators would follow are some of the blanks that must be filled in before the new iGaming market goes live.
For example, Bill 48 does not say online sportsbooks can or can’t use athletes or celebrities in advertising. In Ontario, the only province with a competitive iGaming market like the one Alberta wants, there are restrictions around such marketing.
Bill 48 is also mum on bonuses or free bets. That is another tool tightly controlled in Ontario, where operators cannot widely publicize inducements.
You can't spell Albergta without RG
Moreover, someone reading about the NDP’s ultimately rejected proposal could be forgiven for getting the impression that there’s nothing about responsible gambling in Bill 48. That’s not exactly true.
Bill 48 does mention responsible gambling. The legislation says the mandate for the new "Alberta iGaming Corporation" proposed by the legislation includes the responsibility "to promote responsible gaming with respect to online lottery schemes."
It's with the new corporation that private-sector operators could sign contracts outlining certain responsibilities, such as how much of their revenue they must hand over to the province.
The bill also says the AGLC’s board may establish "standards and requirements" for running iGaming sites. The purpose of those standards can include prohibiting certain people from playing, protecting players, and "ensuring responsible gaming."
Bill 48 adds that the government may, by regulation, "establish requirements that the Commission, the iGaming corporation and iGaming suppliers must comply with respecting advertising, social responsibility, consumer protection or any other matter."
Another obligation iGaming sites would have is keeping out minors. Bill 48 would prohibit anyone under the age of 18 from playing on those sites.
I've got a blank space, baby
So, yes, there are blanks in Bill 48. There are, however, provisions that allow for the blanks to be filled. And, according to the Alberta government’s iGaming minister, they will be filled. Whether that will be enough for concerned onlookers is another matter.
“My ask of everyone is to please turn down these amendments and recognize that this is simply enabling legislation and that we will be coming forward with a suite of responsibility measures that put player safety first,” Nally said on April 29.
When exactly Alberta's iGaming market would go live is another question to be answered. Nally has suggested "later on this year or even early next year" as possible launch timing.
Bill 48 is scheduled to be discussed again in Committee of the Whole later this week. If reported out of the committee and back to the full legislature, it will then need to pass its third and final reading before it can become law. More specific rules would follow, the government says.
“Should Bill 48 pass, Alberta’s government will begin to work on setting up the Alberta iGaming Corporation, while we continue to meet with stakeholders and work with Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis on establishing the broader regulatory framework that includes player protections,” a Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction ministry spokesperson told Covers earlier this week.
