Get Up to Speed on Alberta’s Online Poker Transformation
Alberta has become the second Canadian province to open a regulated, competitive iGaming market. Ontario was first, leading in 2022. Alberta is eyeing an estimated CAD $100 million in yearly tax revenue from this move, money that they aren’t seeing right now.
That may sound like a “grass will be greener” kind of situation, but Alberta’s poker players are headed for a crossroads.
On October 13th, poker sites that currently offer services will have to get regulated, or get out. With a population of about 4.9 million, this moment could affect thousands and thousands of players.
One day, they’ll be 3-betting freely on an international poker site as snow blows past their window. But soon, they could be forced to withdraw and find another option.
We’ll explain it all: What operators are doing before the October deadline, how the new online poker scene in Alberta will look, and what options players have.
July 13, 2026: Alberta Operators Register for Licenses
On July 13, 2026, private operators were cleared to offer online casino, sports betting, and poker to Alberta residents (under provincial oversight).
However, that doesn’t mean online poker sites will immediately appear and enjoy endless tables full of players from day one. They first need to register with multiple regulatory bodies, and so far, none of them have done this.
The situation is complicated.
Out of 50 different operators registered ahead of launch, only 22 achieved go-live status.
Registration and permit fees total $200,000 per operator, so this payment represents a vote of confidence from these brands. But what they “went live” for wasn't poker; it was sports betting and casino products.
Don’t get too down about things yet if you’re an Albertan poker player. This was a choice because of player liquidity. If they started a poker site immediately, the tables would be quieter than Full Tilt after Black Friday.
The 22 day-one sites launched casino and sportsbook products, both verticals that don't depend on a shared pool of players. But poker players need high traffic sites to be fully satisfied. That's why building a poker room doesn’t happen right away. It needs to be nurtured, fed from multiple sources, and ideally launched alongside other products.
How Brands Become Regulated in Alberta for Poker, Casino & Sports Wagering
Any brand that wants to offer services in Alberta as of October 13th has to jump through two governmental hoops.
The first hoop is held by the AGLC. Brands have to register their product, then get their software and other systems signed off on.
What is the AGLC?
The Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis Commission (AGLC) takes care of compliance, which means everything from the RNG and responsible gambling down to the registration and licensing. This organization is there to make sure an operator is worthy of regulation in Alberta and continues to uphold that worthiness.
The second hoop is held by the AiGC. This is where a brand needs to agree on the 80/20 revenue share, along with a slew of other operational mechanisms, like financial reporting, player fund protection measures, and which products or sites are covered.
What is the AiGC?
The Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) takes care of commercial agreements between the operators and other agreements that may merge Ontario and Alberta’s player pools together. This organization is there to steer the ship, so to speak. They control the operation, while the operators like Bet365 or BetMGM run the business.
The CEO of AiGC has spoken on the merger of Ontario and Alberta player pools positively.
“We’ll try and get [liquidity] done as quickly as possible with our friends in Ontario. We are in favor of that.”
Major Rooms That Have Applied for Regulated Status in Alberta
Out of the 50 operators that applied, only 22 have been given Live status in the registry, and none for poker.
But of those 22, only a handful could conceivably deliver poker to the province.
Most likely, the big fish like GGPoker and PokerStars are waiting for the MOU agreement we mentioned, which is when the prospect looks more attractive.
Here’s the status of the major poker brands so far, and what they’ve applied for:
| Operator | Poker Product Status | Casino/Sports Product Status | Where It Stands Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bet365 | ❌ | ✅ Separate Casino + Sports Betting | Did not register for an Alberta poker product license, registered two separate entities for Casino and Sportsbook as Bet365 Sportsbook & Bet365 Casino, and has signed an agreement with AiGC for both. |
| BetRivers | ❌ | ✅ Casino + Sports Betting | Did not register for an Alberta poker product license, registered for Casino and Sportsbook as BetRivers Casino & Sportsbook, and has signed an agreement with AiGC. |
| BetMGM | ❌ | ✅ Casino + Sports Betting | Did not register for an Alberta poker product license, registered for Casino and Sportsbook as BetMGM Sportsbook & Casino, and has signed an agreement with AiGC. |
| PokerStars | ❌ | ❌ | Did not register for an Alberta license for any product. Casino/sportsbook moved to FanDuel. |
| PartyPoker | ❌ | ❌ | Did not register for an Alberta poker product license, registered for Casino under Party Casino, but has not signed an agreement with AiGC. |
| 888poker | ❌ | ❌ | Did not register for an Alberta poker product license, registered for iGaming, but has not signed an agreement with AiGC. |
| GGPoker | ❌ | ❌ | Did not register for an Alberta license, and has not signed an agreement with AiGC. |
October 13th, 2026: Regulated Sites Stay, Unregulated Sites Out
If an agreement between Alberta and Ontario isn’t created by October 13th, it's going to be a bleak day for poker players. The major sites like GGPoker or PokerStars would close their doors to Albertans, making one of the coldest provinces feel slightly colder (at least for poker players).
This will force players to seek out less regulated sites or mobile poker clubs. While not all bad, this could expose some less savvy players to a few risks, like less financial oversight and game integrity.
So what needs to happen before October 13th? The answer lies in Ontario.
What many poker brands are probably waiting for is an MOU (memorandum of understanding) agreement that would combine the player pools of Alberta and Ontario. That would bring the total population of the pools up to ~21 million potential customers, with about 16 million in Ontario and around 5 million in Alberta.
That merger of player pools would instantly inject life into poker rooms. It would give brands a reason to register their poker products and get regulated in Alberta. Without this merger, it’s easy to see why brands aren’t bringing up poker, yet.
Casino and sports betting brands are getting approved to offer services, but poker is not mentioned a single time on the official registry. Not even once, at least as of July 28.
What Alberta’s Poker Community Should Do Before October 13th
The poker players in Alberta don’t have to worry, for a few reasons:
- The Timeline: Your poker site, whichever one you use, is not going away until October 13th (if it goes away at all). There’s still time to play, and there’s still time for poker sites in Alberta to prepare. If your favorite poker platform stops offering services, you’ll probably have plenty of notice and time to move your funds to another of the trusted poker sites.
- The Legality: Playing poker on an international site (as of October 13th) is not illegal for the player, so don’t worry about the mounted police kicking your door down and galloping into your living room. It’s the operator that could be breaking the law if they offer services to Albertans, but the player is in the clear.
- The Reality: Even if poker sites don’t start operating in Alberta immediately, that is unlikely to last forever. The truth is, there’s money on the table for operators, and they’ll find a way. Whether that’s through a merger with the Ontario player pool or waiting for Alberta’s liquidity to grow, it’s going to happen at some point.
- The Options: Let’s say that poker never returns in regulated form to Alberta. As we explained, you’re not breaking the law by playing on international sites. Players will continue choosing international poker sites. Even in Ontario, where poker was successfully regulated, a study found that 16.3% of players still chose unregulated sites.
The bottom line: this is not some kind of Alberta Black Friday. Poker sites have been given notice, there’s a clear path to offering online poker in Alberta, and players will still have options.
We’ll keep updating this page as the Alberta poker situation unfolds.
