Play Alberta isn’t for sale yet, but the provincial legislature just passed a government bill that may make such a sale possible.
- A majority in the Alberta legislature passed Bill 31, which allows the AGLC to sell and disclose personal information and potentially opens the door for a future sale of the Play Alberta platform.
- The province is preparing to open its regulated online sports betting and casino market to more than two dozen private operators starting July 13, ending Play Alberta’s lone legal status.
- While officials say Play Alberta is not currently for sale, interest from buyers and concerns about privacy protections are already fueling debate about its future.
With Alberta two months away from allowing a small army of private-sector operators to offer online sports betting and internet casino gambling, legislation was approved last week that could allow the Western Canadian province to dispose of its iGaming business.
Bill 31, the Red Tape Reduction Statutes Amendment Act of 2026, was passed on Thursday by the Alberta legislature on a 43-13 vote.
Among many other things, the omnibus bill would allow the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) to sell and disclose personal information if the provincial government approves that sale and disclosure.
According to the legislation, the provincial cabinet can approve the sale and disclosure if it is "satisfied that there are reasonable measures in place to protect the personal information after that personal information has been sold."
Partial list of already registered Alberta iGaming operators as of May 8 (means they are in line to launch in the province's regulated iGaming market on July 13):
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) May 11, 2026
BET99
Caesars
Bally's
BetMGM
Betway
DraftKings
Sports Interaction
FanDuel
PointsBet
BetRivers
theScore pic.twitter.com/xN7BbL6mvi
Why exactly would the AGLC want to sell personal information? Well, the answer could include a possible sale of the commission’s Play Alberta online gambling platform. That iGaming platform will remain the only provincially authorized iGaming site in Alberta until July 13.
Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally has told local media that there are companies interested in buying Play Alberta, which the AGLC said had more than 434,000 registered player accounts as of last October.
However, the provincial government is also suggesting that a sale is not imminent. It may never happen at all.
Nevertheless, the AGLC had apparently indicated it couldn't sell the Play Alberta platform even if it wanted to because of restrictions around selling customer information.
“We're not selling Play Alberta today,” Nally reportedly said in late April. “This just puts AGLC in a position that, if they choose to do that in the future, they could.”
A spokesperson for Nally did not respond to questions from Covers before this story was published.
Still, the possibility of a Play Alberta sale is being raised as the Alberta government and the AGLC are preparing to launch a competitive and regulated iGaming market on July 13.
That launch will bring the number of provincially authorized operators of Alberta sports betting and iCasino from one, the AGLC’s Play Alberta, to perhaps more than two dozen. Twenty-eight total iGaming operators were registered with the regulator as of May 8, including Play Alberta, according to the AGLC.
Other operators registered with the AGLC thus far include: Caesars, BetMGM, Betway, DraftKings, FanDuel, PointsBet, BetRivers, and theScore Bet.
Registration is one of two key steps for operators interested in launching in Alberta’s regulated iGaming market. The other is executing a contract with the government-owned Alberta iGaming Corp.
Monopoly money
Alberta’s iGaming market will have a similar structure to that of Ontario, which launched its online gambling framework in April 2022. Most other provinces grant a legal monopoly to government-owned lottery and gaming corporations, like the AGLC.
In Ontario, though, the government-owned Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG) has said it remains a player in online gambling despite the injection of private-sector competition.
For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025, OLG’s digital gaming business recorded a record “Net Profit to the Province” of $378 million, as well as a 19% increase in monthly average active players. That growth comes as OLG is now one of more than 40 authorized iGaming operators in Ontario.
Play Alberta generated approximately $270 million in net sales for the same period, according to the AGLC, up more than $35 million from the previous year. A sale of the platform could earn the provincial government a generous return.
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Advertising adjustment
However, neither the provincial government nor AGLC has signalled that a sale will happen soon, if at all. There are also privacy concerns being raised with the passage of Bill 31 that could slow down any M&A talks.
“As Alberta prepares for changes in the iGaming landscape, AGLC is routinely assessing how Play Alberta can continue to deliver value,” an AGLC spokesperson told CBC this week. “No decisions have been made, and our focus remains on ensuring Albertans have access to safe, responsible gaming entertainment.”
Bill 31 also makes some advertising-related adjustments to Alberta gaming law, which will apply to its regulated iGaming market.
“These amendments allow advertising standards to be set through the AGLC, and that will give us flexibility,” Nally said in the legislature on May 5. “It allows us to respond quickly as the market evolves, and it ensures strong protections for Albertans, clearer rules, faster updates, better safeguards.”
