The gold rush is on in Alberta ... sort of.
- PointsBet has begun preregistering customers in Alberta, signaling the start of competition for a new open and regulated online sports betting and iCasino market.
- Alberta plans to follow Ontario by allowing unlimited private operators, giving bettors more choice, and aiming to shift play away from "unregulated" platforms.
- While the market launch date is still unknown, operators can advertise and sign up users now as regulators finalize approvals and prepare for a launch later this year.
PointsBet’s announcement Tuesday that it has applied for an online sports betting and iCasino license in the province, and the fact that Alberta bettors can now preregister with the operator as a result, means it’s officially open season on acquiring customers for the forthcoming regulated market.
"Alberta's move toward an open, competitive iGaming framework is a positive step for Canadian players, offering more choice and consumer protections in a safe and regulated environment," Scott Vanderwel, chief executive officer of PointsBet Canada, said in a press release.
PointsBet will not be the only operator to announce that customers can sign up before the Alberta iGaming market launches; several others are likely in the not-too-distant future. Other operators that do not yet take bets in the province, such as BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel, are the likeliest of candidates to soon begin those customer preregistrations.
A battle of customer acquisition could soon be brewing, then, between pre-existing and soon-to-debut operators in Alberta.
One interesting thing about the forthcoming Alberta iGaming market is that operators can start signing up customers when they apply for a license. No deposits yet, though. Here, for example, is @PointsBetCanada announcing AB pre-reg is now open for customers: pic.twitter.com/tANclBf89H
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) February 3, 2026
That is because Alberta’s government is indeed in the process of launching a competitive market for online sports betting and internet-based casino gambling, and one which will have no limit on the number of possible operators.
What this will mean, ultimately, is that bettors in the Western Canadian province will have much more choice when it comes to Alberta-regulated iGaming sites. Instead of just one authorized platform in the province, the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission's (AGLC) Play Alberta, provincial gamblers could have many.
Alberta is following Ontario in pursuing this sort of competitive iGaming market. The latter was the first province in Canada to launch such a framework in 2022.
When exactly the new Alberta sports betting market will go live is still to be determined, but there are hopes and expectations that it will be before the next NFL season arrives. In the meantime, operators and their rival operator and regulator, the AGLC, are getting their applications in and their ducks in a row.
The provincial government also pointed out that the registration window is now open for iGaming operators and suppliers, a process similar to earning gaming licenses in other jurisdictions. However, even with a registration from the AGLC, operators will still have to sign a contract with the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC).
“Legislation and regulations are in place,” the Alberta government notes on its website. “Board and key AiGC executive positions are being filled. We are well on our way to launching a regulated market later this year.”
Everything but the actual betting
When that market goes live, so will the operators within it. Before then, though, iGaming operators in the process of earning a registration are allowed to advertise and sign up customers. They just can’t accept any deposits or handle any bets until the market goes live, the date of which, again, is TBD.
Nevertheless, the preregistration possibilities in Alberta could help level the playing field between operators that are already taking bets in the province and those that are not. Both pre-existing and new operators will be welcome in the regulated market, so allowing those starting from scratch to begin acquiring customers ASAP could help in ensuring fairness.
Because, while sports betting is technically legal already in Alberta, there is only one authorized operator in the province, the AGLC’s Play Alberta platform. Play Alberta, however, is just one of many platforms that bettors are already using. The others are just regulated or licensed abroad or outside the province.
“Unregulated online gambling is already widely available across the province, with some providers operating with limited or no player protection or social responsibility measures,” the Alberta government says. “Based on recent survey data, unregulated operators are estimated to capture approximately 70% of Alberta’s total iGaming market.”
So, by licensing and regulating private-sector operators, the Alberta government is aiming to channel that “unregulated” activity into provincially regulated channels. There, it will be subject to provincial rules and a de facto tax on revenue of more than 20%.
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Speed-running registration
Allowing operators to sign up customers before the market’s launch could also help migrate more unregulated activity into the new regulated market. And, again, it could throw a bone to operators that have taken zero bets in Alberta and will have to fight for market share against bookmakers already accepting action.
Moreover, Alberta's iGaming rules state the AGLC is permitted to “consider an applicant’s registration in another jurisdiction acceptable to AGLC where the applicant is operating in the same role or function.”
In practice, this could mean faster approvals for operators seeking to launch in the regulated market.
PointsBet hinted at this in its press release Tuesday, citing the AGLC’s “streamlined process, enabling PointsBet Canada to introduce its premium sports betting and online casino experience while final registration steps continue.”
