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If you head over to BetMGM Ontario’s site, you can place wagers on the 2026 U.S. midterm elections. You can bet on the U.S. presidential election in 2028.
If you’re an Ontario resident and feeling adventurous. Tom Brady and Taylor Swift are each 201-to-1 longshots to win the Oval Office in ‘28.
You can also place wagers on the London, England mayoral election.
Alberta’s online gambling market may open the door to private operators and expanded betting options, but it won’t mirror Ontario’s system entirely. While Ontarians can wager on everything from U.S. elections to overseas political races, Alberta regulators are drawing a hard line on election betting over concerns tied to insider information, market integrity and public trust.
How Alberta’s Rules Differ From Ontario’s Betting Market
When Alberta’s iGaming market goes online on July 13, the market will be markedly different from its Ontario counterpart. That’s because the rules by Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis are clear: Betting on elections is forbidden.
This is an extension of a rule that was in place since 2021, when the provincial government launched its own gaming platform, PlayAlberta.
“Since the legalization of single-event wagering in 2021, PlayAlberta has avoided election betting and recent introduction of new policy from AGLC has established clear guidelines for all operators that are seeking to establish an iGaming platform in Alberta,” said Lynden McBeth, senior communications officer for the AGLC. “These policies support the needs of our partners and strengthen an effective regulatory environment.”
Section 4 in the AGLC’s Standards and Requirements for Internet Gaming makes it clear. Bets on “poitical events,” including elections, byelections and leadership races, are prohibited.
The Insider Information Concerns Behind Election Betting
So why won’t Alberta online casinos allow election betting?
The logic is simple. Alberta, like most regulated gambling jurisdictions, frowns on any sort of insider trading. In the Alberta rules, it says that anyone who might have access to “non-public information” that could impact a sporting event cannot bet on that sporting event.
So, if the Edmonton Oilers state publicly that star forward Connor McDavid is a game-time decision, but the team’s head trainer knows the centre is going to play and that he’s dealing with a rib problem, that’s insider information. Bettors are only supposed to know McDavid’s status won’t be known until after the warmup skate. Anyone with greater knowledge should not be wagering.
In fact, Alberta’s rules state that gambling will only be allowed on sports leagues and bodies that each have their own codes of conduct when it comes to insider information and gambling. If the leagues don’t have recognized internal controls, they can’t be placed on the betting boards.
Recent U.S. Election Betting Scandals Show the Risks
Elections, though, provide the ultimate playground for insider information. A University of Maryland paper authored by Ellelyshia Ardo traced election gambling in the United States back to Pennsylvania in the early 1800s.
But the act of betting on democracy has never been without conflict. And we saw this play out recently in the United States.
In April, Kalshi announced that it had investigated suspicious bets in three separate U.S. elections — the Minnesota Democratic Primary, the Texas Republican Primary and the Virginia Democratic Primary. Kalshi found that in all three cases, candidates had bet on their own election outcomes.
“Regardless of the size of a trade, political candidates who can influence a market based on whether they stay in or out of a race violate our rules,” stated Kalshi when it announced the bans and fines imposed on the candidates.
NPR recently conducted an investigation that showed some people working on American political campaigns were using their insider knowledge and taking it to the betting market.
Just a few weeks ago, the U.S. Senate passed a new measure that banned its members from entering into the prediction markets.
That’s the thing about political betting; those working close to candidates, especially the ones with major parties, could have access to internal polling that is often far more accurate than the numbers released to the public. And that opens opportunities for what amounts to insider trading.
What Else Alberta’s iGaming Rules Will Prohibit
But election bidding isn’t the only thing off-limits in Alberta. You won’t be able to bet on sporting events where a significant amount of the participants are under 18, the age of majority. And that means there will be no stakes on Canadian Hockey League games, the major junior empire of the sport in this country.
Creating mock stock-market games, or betting on financial markets, is forbidden. And, so is betting on any event that might involve animal cruelty.
