Alberta iGaming Market Set for July 13 Launch as Major Operators Prepare to Go Live

Some of North America's biggest betting brands are preparing to enter Alberta as the province launches its long-awaited regulated online gambling market on July 13.

Alberta’s regulated online gambling market is finally set to open on July 13, making it the second Canadian province after Ontario to introduce a competitive iGaming framework. In Canada, the term iGaming means both online sports betting and online casino gaming.

The launch will eventually allow Albertans to choose from dozens of regulated online sportsbooks and casinos. Those include widely recognized brands such as FanDuel and DraftKings, as well as the province’s existing government-run platform, Play Alberta.

The launch comes after years of policy discussions and months of preparation by regulators, operators and suppliers. While dozens of companies have secured registrations ahead of the opening date, only a portion is expected to go live on opening day.

Major Operators Ready for Alberta Debut

Several of the industry’s biggest brands, including FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars, bet365 and BetRivers, have outlined plans to enter the market when it opens on Monday, pending regulatory approval.

FanDuel announced this week that it intends to launch its Casino and Sportsbook products in the province. It also unveiled a series of local investments, including a C$50,000 donation to the A Dollar A Day Foundation and a C$30,000 contribution to the Canadian Red Cross’ Alberta Emergency Management Program.

The company has also renewed its partnership with the Canadian Football League, expanding the agreement to include Alberta and adding casino as a new category. Furthermore, FanDuel announced an exclusive partnership with Light & Wonder to bring the popular Huff N’ Puff franchise to Alberta.

DraftKings has similarly confirmed plans to launch DraftKings Sportsbook, DraftKings Casino and Golden Nugget Online Gaming.

To mark the launch, DraftKings said it will host a FIFA World Cup watch party in Calgary on July 11 and donate C$150,000 to Food Banks Alberta. The donation will fund the purchase of more than 40,000 pounds of essential food items.

Meanwhile, BetMGM has been actively promoting its upcoming launch in Alberta. The casino has highlighted its exclusive casino content, live dealer offerings and mobile gaming experience.

Caesars Entertainment also opened pre-registration earlier this year. The company plans to bring three brands to the province: Caesars Palace Online Casino, Caesars Sportsbook & Casino and Horseshoe Online Casino.

Other major operators that have secured registrations include PENN Entertainment’s theScore Bet and Hollywood Casino, as well as Bally’s.

Notably, some major North American operators, including Fanatics and Hard Rock Bet, have yet to announce plans to enter Alberta. However, that could change in the future.

Nearly 50 Operators Registered Ahead of Launch

According to the latest Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) registration list, 49 operators have secured registrations ahead of the market’s opening. The list also includes 56 critical gaming systems providers and 14 platform providers.

The operator list spans major North American sportsbooks, established Canadian brands and international online casino operators, including PointsBet, BET99, 888, TonyBet and Betway.

Alberta-based companies and Indigenous-affiliated operators are also represented, including Pure Casino Entertainment and River Cree iGaming.

However, registration does not necessarily mean an operator will be live on July 13.

Several companies have yet to announce launch plans publicly. Industry estimates suggest that a significantly smaller number of platforms will launch on opening day than the number of approved operators.

Registration with AGLC is also only one part of the process. Operators must complete their commercial arrangements with the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) before they can begin taking wagers, which partly explains why the full list of registered companies is unlikely to be live on opening day.

As a result, Alberta’s launch is expected to unfold in phases, similar to other regulated markets. Additional operators will enter over the coming months.

Alberta Becomes Canada’s Second Competitive iGaming Market

Alberta’s new framework will be the most important development in the Canadian gaming industry since Ontario’s launch.

Alberta will closely mirror Ontario’s open-market framework. It will allow multiple private operators to offer iGaming under provincial oversight. Under Alberta’s structure, AGLC will act as regulator, while the AiGC n will serve as the conduct-and-manage entity, similar to iGaming Ontario’s role.

The province is home to nearly five million residents and has one of Canada’s highest average household incomes. Alberta already has a significant online gambling customer base, much of which has historically played with offshore and grey-market operators.

A regulated competitive framework could help Alberta to shift that activity toward licensed operators that offer stronger consumer protections, responsible gambling tools and regulatory oversight.

Ontario has already demonstrated the potential of this model. The regulated market generated C$4.04 billion ($2.85 billion) in revenue in 2025. The figure represented a 34% increase from 2024 and a monthly growth rate nearly 10 times compared to the 2022 launch.

Alberta’s launch could also influence and provide a blueprint for other Canadian provinces that have considered opening their online gambling markets.

Alberta Represents a Rare Growth Opportunity

The launch has been closely anticipated as meaningful new market launches have become increasingly scarce across North America.

In Canada, Ontario launched in 2022. In the U.S., the only sports betting market launch in 2025 was in Missouri, with none in 2026. Meanwhile, the last U.S. online casino market to launch was Rhode Island in March 2024. Maine legalized iGaming earlier this year, but a launch has not yet been set.

Alberta will permit both sports betting and iCasino from the start, creating a potentially lucrative market. In 2024, Citizens JMP Securities analyst Jordan Bender estimated that Alberta could generate more than $700 million in annual revenue. The analyst estimates that around $200 million would come from sports betting and $500 million from online casinos.

If those projections materialize, Alberta could become a significant online gaming jurisdiction in North America.