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Alberta’s iGaming market finally has a confirmed launch date — July 13, 2026. From that point on, private operators will be able to legally accept bets from Albertans under a regulated framework for the first time.
Until now, PlayAlberta has stood as the province’s sole legal online gambling option. But with major brands like Caesars Palace, BetRivers, and BetMGM set to enter the market, one notable omission stands out: horse racing betting appears to be absent from the current licensing lineup.
Horse Racing’s Long History Within Alberta’s Gambling Culture
Truth is, horse racing has been part of the Canadian gambling landscape long before centralized oversight took hold. Once the 1910 amendment to Canada’s Criminal Code came into force, parimutuel wagering on horse races became legal, giving rise to a 60-year monopoly across the Canadian gambling landscape. Of course, each province built its own horse racing culture around local communities and tracks.
In Alberta specifically, the sport found particularly fertile ground. A Canadian western province built on agriculture and open prairie land had no shortage of horses, horsemen, or communities willing to gather around a track on a Saturday afternoon.
Long before the first lottery ticket was printed or a casino floor was laid, Albertans were studying form guides, debating bloodlines, and lining up at betting windows. The track was, for many communities, the social event of the week.
That tradition is still very much alive. Horse Racing Alberta (HRA), launched in June 2002 following the enactment of the Horse Racing Alberta Act, governs all horse racing activity in the province.
At present, Alberta hosts six active race tracks:
- Century Mile Racetrack and Casino, Edmonton
- Century Downs Racetrack and Casino, Rocky View County
- The Track on 2, Lacombe County
- Rocky Mountain Turf Club, Lethbridge
- Millarville Racing & Agricultural Society, Millarville
- Evergreen Park, Grand Prairie
Collectively, these venues contribute upwards of $300 million to the provincial economy each year and support more than 1,500 full-time equivalent jobs. These figures reflect just how deeply embedded the industry remains in Alberta’s economic fabric.
The Relationship Between the Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis (AGLC) and Horse Racing Alberta (HRA)
While the AGLC is the province’s gambling market regulator, the HRA is a not-for-profit corporation. It operates any and all forms of horse racing across the province, ensuring industry integrity when it comes to breeding, race standards, and local events.
Still, the AGLC and the HRA have been working alongside each other for the last 20 years to keep the industry well-structured and fair. The AGLC focuses on regulating the hundreds of slots available at many race tracks as well as the overall gambling industry, while the HRA handles the day-to-day realities of horse racing.
On paper, the AGLC and HRA have long claimed to work together. In practice, though, they’ve spent much of the past 24 years operating at opposite ends of the spectrum. Even with the new Alberta online casino and sports betting markets on the way, both organizations seem to operate largely independently, despite working somewhat in the same gambling and betting landscape.
What Horse Racing Needs to Operate in Alberta’s Open iGaming Market
If things go on as is, horse racing will not compete fairly in Alberta’s upcoming iGaming industry. That’s because:
- It’s still unknown if horse racing partners can collaborate with prospective iGaming operators to allow online horse racing betting on licensed sports betting sites and apps.
- Licensed race tracks can open retail sportsbooks throughout Canada’s Oil Country.
Sure, Albertans can bet on horse racing via HPIBet, the official horse racing wagering platform in Canada under Woodbine Entertainment, originally known as Ontario Jockey Club.
However, getting horse racing on the multiple licensed operator websites coming to the province is one of the ways to ensure horse racing stays relevant in this new dawn of Alberta’s competitive iGaming scene. And not just for attracting new users, but also to keep existing ones engaged, without sidelining a century-old betting sector.
Lessons from Ontario’s Approach to Horse Racing
We already know Alberta’s competitive online gambling framework is straight from Ontario’s iGaming blueprint. And for Alberta’s horse racing sector to maintain a one-up in this changing landscape, considering Ontario’s approach is essential.
For one, Ontario was the first Canadian province to regulate its horse racing industry, through the enactment of the Ontario Racing Commission in 1950. In the wake of Ontario iGaming, which made its debut in April 2022, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) partnered with Woodbine Entertainment Group to modernize the sector and reach a bigger audience. With it, live horse racing betting became available via the OLG app as well as the OLG.ca website.
Commenting on the new partnership, OLG Chief Gaming Officer, Dave Pridmore, said: “Another way for players to engage in the thrilling sport of horse racing. It marks an important step in the organisation’s commitment to sustaining a vibrant, competitive, and sustainable horse racing industry in Ontario.”
Important to note is that the OLG horse racing betting platform is powered by HPIBet, the same online horse racing platform that Albertans use to bet on horse races. Integrating the platform with OLG allows bettors to access race data on a familiar interface.
More than that, Woodbine Entertainment announced a four-year collaboration with the bet365 Ontario platform in 2023, offering another live horse racing betting platform for Ontario bettors.
Under this agreement, bet365 Ontario became the official online sports betting partner of Woodbine Entertainment. That means it gains exclusive branding opportunities in the on-site sports betting category on the Woodbine Racetrack, in network television, and on simulcast broadcasts across virtual signage and digital signage.
“On top of this being the biggest marketing partnership in our long and storied history, Woodbine is thrilled to be partnering with a global sports betting leader that is focused on growth and shares many of the same values as an organization,” said Jim Lawson, Woodbine Entertainment CEO. “As the sports betting sector in Ontario continues to mature, Woodbine Entertainment is poised to be a leader, and partnering with bet365 will help us do just that.”
Another effort that has helped Ontario’s horse racing industry stay afloat in the competitive iGaming landscape is the establishment of a dedicated funding model. Better known as the Horse Racing Industry Transition Panel, this was established after the controversial cancellation of the Slots at Racetracks Program in 2012, laying the groundwork for a more self-sustaining industry.
Today, Ontario has 15 active race tracks, which host standardbred, thoroughbred, and quarter horse racing events successfully all year. Licensed operators adhere to clear licensing standards, race-day integrity protocols, and responsible gambling measures, most of which are built directly into betting platforms.
For Alberta, which is yet to reshape its own competitive online horse racing betting environment, Ontario offers a practical template. The infrastructure is already shared; HPIBet connects all Canadian provinces. So the question becomes less about which technology to adopt and more about how to build the upcoming regulated iGaming market in a way that can also benefit Alberta’s horse racing industry.
