Just three years after its launch, Ontario is now the fastest-growing iGaming market in Canada. According to iGaming Ontario, gross revenue pulled in upwards of $3.2 billion as of March 2025. Now, with Alberta approving Bill 48, we’re likely to see the western province follow Ontario’s lead in adopting a regulated online gambling market.
With the establishment of the Alberta iGaming Corporation back in June 2025, the province’s open online licensing model is slowly but surely shaping up to compete with Ontario. Unlike Alberta’s previous conservative model where residents could only legally access government-run PlayAlberta, this new approach seeks to invite private operators to apply for licensing and compete for market share under provincial regulation.
So now, the question isn’t if Alberta will join the competition, but how fast can it achieve similar iGaming market revenue as Ontario.
Key Factors That Will Make or Break Alberta’s Market Potential
At present, PlayAlberta.ca is the only legal iGaming site in the province. According to the AGLC‘s 2024-25 annual report, this platform generated approximately $270 million in net sales, marking a 31% increase from the previous year. While these numbers highlight strong potential for local growth, we can only gauge Alberta’s true market potential by how smoothly it transitions from a monopoly market to a competitive one open for private online gambling operators.
Like most other emerging markets, player demographics will influence whether Alberta’s iGaming will see Ontario-level success or not. Ontario is home to over 15 million people, a majority of which are younger, more techy, and better inclined to try mobile platforms — among the reasons why mobile casinos and sportsbooks have flourished in this market.
Alberta, on the other hand, is home to an older population of about 4.4 million that’s more likely to prefer brick-and-mortar gambling venues. However, they have higher lifetime value owing to their greater spending capacity, which can naturally boost the market’s scale.
But of course, getting people to switch over from those dodgy offshore gambling sites they’ve been using is going to be a key part of the equation. And that’s going to mean offering them something competitive, with proper regulation and player protection to boot. This gives them something that feels valuable and worthwhile, making them more likely to make the jump.
Another big factor will be how Alberta goes about its licensing and tax model. Implementing fair and transparent rules that don’t get in the way is sure to encourage private operators as well as Alberta players to get in on things. But get the rules all wrong, with too many rules and too much red tape or fees that are too steep, well, you can bet your bottom dollar that’s going to discourage people from getting involved, limiting the market’s potential.
Grey Market Competition Looms Over Alberta’s iGaming Launch
The approval of the Alberta iGaming Act (Bill 48) is just the beginning of the process to open the province’s regulated market. But one of the biggest challenges lawmakers face comes from the established grey market. About 77.3% of Albertans gamble exclusively on offshore sites, leaving just 10.4% who gamble exclusively on AGLC-run PlayAberta.
This imbalance highlights just how deeply entrenched the grey market has become. And what’s more, these offshore sites know exactly which buttons to press to keep users coming back for more. They offer a broader selection of games, juicier bonuses, and quicker payouts, all of which make their product hands-down more attractive to players looking for a good time.
The key here is these offshore operators don’t have to play by the same rules as their regulated counterparts. They’re free from the strict consumer protection and responsible gaming standards that licensed sites in Canada have to follow, which makes it that much harder to get players to switch to the regulated system.
If Alberta wants to get players to switch from the grey market to the regulated system, it needs to come up with something that can compete on those very same grounds. Not just safety and transparency, but also convenience and value. That means really delivering on marketing, player incentives, and valuable partnerships with the right international operators to make the playing field level.
On top of that, Alberta regulators must find a way to stop unlicensed operators from targeting Albertans through advertising and digital marketing. That may even involve working with federal authorities, payment processors, and internet service providers to restrict their reach.
For Alberta to get its iGaming market right, it must recapture a lot of the revenue that’s currently being siphoned off to offshore sites. Protecting local players in the process is a nice touch too, and who knows — it might even lead to Alberta giving Ontario a run for its money.
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