Gambling on elections will not be allowed in Alberta’s competitive market for online gambling.
- The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission announced election betting will be banned in the province's upcoming competitive iGaming market.
- The new rule prohibits wagers on political events and will apply to all operators expected to launch under Alberta's expanded online gambling framework later this year.
- The ban is another indication of some subtle differences that will exist between Alberta’s iGaming model and that of Ontario.
The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) issued a bulletin Tuesday that alerted prospective participants in the yet-to-launch iGaming market to the new election betting ban.
One of the new standards for future Alberta sports betting and iGaming operators is that “bets on political events (e.g., elections, by-elections, leadership contests) are prohibited.”
Stick to sports
Alberta is aiming to expand the number of provincially authorized operators from one, AGLC’s Play Alberta, to potentially many.
The new rule (among many others) will apply to the small army of online sports betting and online casino operators that are expected to go live in the Alberta iGaming market at some point later this year. It may not be the last tweak made, either.
“AGLC is committed to reviewing policies to meet the needs of stakeholders, while maintaining an effective regulatory environment,” the bulletin notes.
Tuesday's tweak to the rules around the possible betting menu is further proof that provincial authorities are hard at work launching the new regulated market.
The growing expectation lately is that the Western Canadian province's new regulatory framework will go live somewhere around the end of June or early July, although expectations have been subject to change in the past.
The AGLC will act as both regulator and operator (of Play Alberta) when the new market goes live.
Banning election betting is also a notable difference from what Ontario has done with its competitive iGaming market. The province is still the only one in Canada that authorizes multiple private-sector iGaming operators to take bets, and wagering on elections is permitted.
Interesting. Alberta's gambling regulator issued a bulletin today making it clear that private-sector operators will not be allowed to offer election betting in the province's forthcoming iGaming market. pic.twitter.com/uUTY2QGNzg
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) March 17, 2026
While Alberta is largely basing its own iGaming market on what Ontario has done, the ban on election betting is another sign that the markets will not be exact copies.
Alberta’s tax rate is poised to be a touch higher than the 20% Ontario imposes, and Alberta also intends to have centralized self-exclusion in place before the market launches, which is something Ontario is still working on. Both provinces will still prohibit wagering on some other things, such as minor-league sports.
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At what cost?
Exactly why Alberta doesn't want election betting in its iGaming market wasn't explained in the bulletin. It's conceivable, though, that there are some political concerns. It's also conceivable that the ban could cost the province some wagering activity.
Election betting is still offered by “grey” and “black” market operators, online sportsbooks and casinos that may be regulated abroad or outside a province but not by the province itself.
The sizable amount of wagering happening with those companies is one of the reasons why Alberta is launching its iGaming market - to bring that activity into a provincially regulated channel.
Election betting is also big with prediction markets. While they have mostly steered clear of Canada, Polymarket and its election betting markets are accessible in Alberta.
