Alberta ends its iGaming grace period: who is approved and what happens to the rest

The grace period that let online casinos keep serving Albertans while they applied for a licence ended on 13 October 2026. Since 13 July the province has run a regulated, competitive market for online casino games and sports betting, overseen by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) and managed by a new Crown corporation, the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC). Sites that are not approved now have to stop taking bets from the province. When we counted on 15 October, the AiGC's official directory listed 51 approved sites.

What ended on 13 October

When the market opened on 13 July 2026, the AiGC said 22 registered sites were approved to offer regulated play. Operators already active in the province without a licence were given a transition window of 90 days, according to trade reports, on a case-by-case basis for those with a path to approval. That window closed on 13 October. An AiGC spokesperson told Covers that operators whose regulated launch falls after that date must stop unregulated activity until they go live.

The province had a single legal online site before July, the government-run PlayAlberta. The AiGC's own figure for the market it inherited is blunt: about 70% of online gambling activity in Alberta took place on unregulated offshore platforms, where, in its words, player protection was inconsistent.

How many sites are approved, and why the numbers differ

Every count published this week is slightly different, and none of them is wrong for long. The directory changes as sites are added; the AiGC welcomed two new arrivals around the deadline, SiGMA reported. The number that matters for a player is the one on the official list at the moment they check it.

Who does what in Alberta's model

The model splits the work between two bodies, which is why a site needs two approvals before it can go live, and the province takes a share of what the approved sites earn.

What a player gets on an approved site

The difference the province promises is about protection rather than games. The AiGC's own description of the market before July is blunt: "there were no legal repercussions for unregulated sites", players risked not being paid, play was not monitored and interventions were not enforced. On an approved site:

• Limits and checks are mandatory: deposit limits, time limits and age verification, with each operator accredited through a third-party responsible gambling certification.
• One self-exclusion covers every approved site: the AGLC runs a central programme, and a player can exclude from online play, from land-based casinos and racing entertainment centres, or from both.
• There is somewhere to complain: public complaints go through the AiGC, which also receives the operators' anti-money-laundering and financial reports.
• Help is signposted: the AiGC works with Alberta 211, the province's information and referral line, on gambling support.

"We're not here to grow iGaming in Alberta," Keene wrote in August. He also called the first months "a promise, not perfection", promising to find where Albertans need more clarity and where the approach can be strengthened.

The unregulated market the province is aiming at

The AiGC has put a number on its goal: moving 75% of the grey market into the regulated space within the first two years, chief executive Dan Keene wrote one month after launch. "This was never about growing the iGaming market," he had said at the launch, describing the aim as moving and protecting the Albertans who already play.

How the province will deal with sites that keep serving Albertans is less precise. The AGLC said it would monitor compliance after the transition, including among operators still waiting for approval, SiGMA reported. Minister Dale Nally, who introduced the iGaming Alberta Act as Bill 48 in 2025, told a conference in late September that "we have levers at our disposal that may not have been tried in the past", and Covers reported he spoke of working with app stores, search engines and social media platforms, while accepting that the effort could turn into whack-a-mole as sites rebrand.

What the logo on an advert is supposed to tell you

Approved sites must show the AiGC logo in their advertising, on their websites and on their social media. The AiGC stresses that the logo is not an endorsement of gambling; it marks a site that has signed up to Alberta's rules. Those rules include:

• deposit limits, time limits, age verification and self-exclusion, with every operator certified by a third-party responsible gambling check;
• no adverts that present gambling as a way to make a living or to reach financial security, and none that encourage chasing losses;
• limits on using athletes, celebrities and influencers who may appeal to minors, and rules against misleading claims.

What is confirmed and what is not yet known

• Confirmed: the regulated market opened on 13 July 2026 with 22 approved sites; the AiGC directory listed 51 on 15 October; the AGLC regulates and the AiGC manages; the province's share is 20% of net revenues plus 3% of gross gaming revenue for First Nations and social responsibility; approved sites must carry the AiGC logo.
• Not yet known: which enforcement measures the province will use against sites that keep serving Albertans, and when; how many operators chose to leave rather than apply; whether the 75% channelization target is on track, since no official figure has been published since August.

What it means for players

For players in Alberta, the practical check is simple: look for the AiGC logo and confirm the site on the official directory before depositing. A site that is not on it has no operating agreement with the province, which also means no access to the AGLC's complaint route or its self-exclusion programme. Our guide to what a licence covers explains why that matters wherever you play. Outside Alberta nothing changes, and players elsewhere in Canada should check their own province's rules. If gambling is no longer fun, the self-exclusion options and support services in our responsible gambling guide are a good place to start.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. AiGC - Alberta's regulated iGaming market officially launches with player protection as top priority (13 Jul 2026)
2. AiGC - One Month into Alberta's Regulated iGaming Market (13 Aug 2026)
3. AiGC - What the AiGC Logo Means (8 Oct 2026)
4. AiGC - Registered iGaming Sites (counted 15 Oct 2026)
5. AGLC - iGaming registration
6. Covers (press) - Alberta's iGaming grace period is over (updated 13 Oct 2026)
7. Casino.org (press) - Alberta operator deadline (14 Oct 2026)
8. SiGMA (press) - Alberta ends iGaming transition with 29 approved operators (15 Oct 2026)