What to Expect From the New Regulated Alberta Online Poker Market
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As we hit the 2026 halfway mark, it’s safe to say that a lot has happened in the Great White North for online poker. While FanDuel made its debut in Ontario in June, Alberta is now ironing out the final details for its regulated igaming market, set to launch on July 13.
Now that the stage for Alberta online poker, it’s worth looking into what that will look like before the floodgates open in just under two weeks.
The Path to a Regulated iGaming in Alberta
When the legalization process began in May 2025, Alberta took more than a few keynotes from Ontario, which completed the same process more than four years ago. Just like Ontario, Alberta placed online casinos and poker under the same regulatory umbrella, to be overseen by the new Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) and Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC), the current provincial gaming regulator. The bill, which has now become law allows licensed international operators to offer online casino, sports betting, fantasy sports, and poker within the Canadian province.
Now, with its regulated iGaming market prepared to launch on July 13, more than 50 operators and over 50 suppliers have turned in their registration papers to the AGLC. However, even with the launch date around the corner, few are convinced that online poker will come with it. While Ontario has a population of 16.1 million, Alberta is roughly a third of that size, counting around 5 million and making its player pool less desirable for potential operators.
A Shared Liquidity Solution
With the issue of player pool size is prevalent at the moment, there could also be a solution on the horizon — shared liquidity between Ontario and Alberta. As originally reported last week, Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) CEO Dan Keene confirmed that talks were under way to unify the two provincial player pool under one umbrella. As Keen told a SBC panel in Toronto:
We’re currently working on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ontario about interprovincial liquidity. So we’ll try and get that done as quickly as we can with our friends in Ontario.
The idea of shared liquidity between the provinces has already made waves within the online poker community. Speaking to Poker PRO, 888poker confirmed they are hopeful that Alberta will support shared liquidity with Ontario and allow for the best possible poker ecosystem, both from the player and financial perspectives.
An Unclear Path for Alberta Online Poker for Now
For now, nothing has been decided. As July 13 fast approaches, offshore poker rooms still operating within Alberta have been given a three month grace period until October 13. Until then, they can continue offering their services to Alberta players as long as they show a clear path to compliance.
Most of them will probably use this transition period to see where the wind blows for the memorandum — if the provinces manage to reach an agreement, odds are we will be seeing many operators hurling into Alberta in the coming months.
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