The iGaming Alberta Act
(Bill 48)
The iGaming Alberta Act is the 2025 law that opened Alberta's online gambling market to private operators. Passed as Bill 48 with royal assent on 15 May 2025, it created the Alberta iGaming Corporation and set up the framework that launched on 13 July 2026.
The iGaming Alberta Act is the law behind Alberta’s open online gambling market. Introduced as Bill 48 and given royal assent on 15 May 2025, it created the Alberta iGaming Corporation and authorized private operators to serve Albertans legally for the first time.
Before it, Alberta law permitted exactly one online casino: the government’s Play Alberta.
What the Act did
Created the AiGC. The Act established the Alberta iGaming Corporation as a Crown corporation to “conduct and manage” online gambling — the structure Canada’s Criminal Code requires for legal gaming. Private brands operate as its contracted operators.
Split the roles. The AGLC regulates: registration, standards, enforcement, responsible-gambling programs. The AiGC manages the commercial market. A legal operator needs both.
Amended the Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Act to fit the new market into Alberta’s existing gaming law.
From bill to live market
- March 2025 — Bill 48 introduced in the legislature.
- 15 May 2025 — Royal assent.
- 13 January 2026 — Core provisions proclaimed into force; amendments to the Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Regulation follow the same month, detailing registration, advertising and social-responsibility rules.
- Spring 2026 — AGLC opens operator registration; AiGC signs operator agreements; advertising standards finalized in June.
- 13 July 2026 — Market opens. 22 private sites live on day one, roughly 50 operators registered.
- 13 October 2026 — Deadline for registered-but-unlaunched operators to go live or exit.
The Act itself is public: iGaming Alberta Act, SA 2025, c I-0.2 on CanLII.
The rules that flow from it
The Act is enabling legislation — the player-facing rules live in the regulations and standards under it.
- Registration (“licensing”). Operators, game suppliers and platform providers register with the AGLC. The public registrant list is at aglc.ca/igaming; our readable version is the licensed operators list.
- A clean-market condition. Operators that had been serving Alberta from the grey market had to stop unregulated Canadian activity to be registered. The market rewards operators that moved onside.
- Advertising limits. Public advertising of bonuses and inducements is banned; offers may only appear on an operator’s own site to opted-in players. Why you won’t see bonus ads.
- Player protection. Mandatory limit-setting tools, RG Check accreditation, and the market-wide self-exclusion program from day one.
Why the design matters
Alberta watched Ontario’s 2022 launch and adjusted. Centralized self-exclusion arrived on day one here; Ontario added it four years in. Alberta’s 18+ minimum differs from Ontario’s 19. The two-body structure is similar, and many operator brands overlap. The full comparison: Alberta vs. Ontario.
Frequently asked
Is “iGaming” just casinos?
No — the Act covers online casino games and sports betting by private operators. Many registered brands run both under one roof.
Does the Act change land-based casinos?
The Act is about online gambling. Alberta’s land-based casinos continue under the existing Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Act framework, including the charitable gaming model.
Where can I read the actual rules operators follow?
Start with the Act on CanLII (linked above), the Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Regulation, and the AGLC’s iGaming pages at aglc.ca/igaming.