Alberta is set to become Canada’s second province with a fully regulated iGaming market, after Ontario, with July 13 set as the official launch date.
On May 1, the Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis (AGLC) published a full list of companies that applied for a igaming license up to that point, made up of 69 applicants in total.
Among the 69 companies are 22 software providers, 28 iGaming operators, 11 service providers, and eight platform providers. Of the 28 operators, three currently offer online poker in other markets and may look to offer online poker in Alberta, and these are BetMGM, Entain, and Flutter Entertainment.
As things stand, this could mean that BetMGM Poker, PartyPoker, and PokerStars on FanDuel all launch their online poker products in Alberta as early as July 13, although it is not yet clear if online poker platforms will be launched from day 1 if the operators are issued licenses. BetRivers Poker parent company Rush Street Interactive also applied, but it is not likely that the operator would launch online poker in Alberta without launching in Ontario first – something it has not yet done.
Also worth noting is that operators like GGPoker and 888poker were not listed among the license applicants, as they appear to be waiting for a more opportune time to apply for their licenses.
Notable Absentees among Alberta Online Poker Applicants
The most notable of all the absentees on AGLC’s list of license applicants is GGPoker and its parent company NSUS. By far the biggest online poker operator in the world, and the leader in Ontario online poker, GGPoker was expected by many to be one of the first to launch in Alberta as well.
The fact NSUS has not applied for an Alberta license yet could be slightly concerning to poker players in the province, many of whom are already playing on the international GGPoker platform. Come July 13, this is about to change, as GGPoker is likely to close the international platform to all players from the province.
If GGPoker is not issued a local gaming license, players could be forced to cash out their bankrolls and wait for a time when GGPoker does become licensed.
NSUS’s hesitation to apply for a license is likely related to the ongoing liquidity sharing saga, which continues even as the iGaming launch date approaches, as Alberta and Ontario seek to merge their player pools.
For major poker operators like GGPoker or FanDuel, Alberta may not be a large enough market to pursue launching their platforms with a segregated player pool, and NSUS is likely waiting for more clarity on liquidity sharing before looking to enter the market.
888poker, owned by Evoke, may be waiting for different reasons, as the company is currently in takeover talks with Bally’s Intralot, which could change the entire business model in the coming months. For that reason, waiting on any strategic moves such as entering new markets seems like the right decision.
Rush Street Interactive’s BetRivers, on the other hand, is yet to launch online poker in Ontario or Alberta, although it does offer online casino and sports betting in Ontario. The company did apply for a gaming license, but is unlikely to launch online poker in Alberta before doing the same in Ontario.
The company has expressed interest in launching online poker in Canada, and if the provinces are given permission to merge their player pools, it could be the perfect time for BetRivers Poker to launch its poker platform.
A Two-Province Solution Is the Most Likely Outcome
Ontario was the first Canadian province to launch an independent and locally licensed iGaming market with private operators in 2022, and the experiment worked out across all verticals.
The majority of online poker players in Ontario now play on regulated platforms, and Alberta hopes to mimic the success and have its player base move away from offshore operators and join the locally licensed sites.
While online casino and sports betting operators, which don’t depend on liquidity, are likely to succeed in this goal, online poker will take some doing, as players will need to have access to products that actually make sense.
To solve this issue, Ontario and Alberta have been working on merging their player pools; in a similar way, a number of American states have joined theirs through MSIGA.
Yet, the matter of cross-border player pools is currently bogged down in the Supreme Court, as a number of provincial regulators from other Canadian provinces have challenged the legality of such a move.
As things currently stand, operators are likely to be given permission to offer joint platforms for Ontario and Alberta poker players, while international liquidity sharing remains more far-fetched.
The real problem for poker-first operators like GGPoker is that the court decision may not come in time for the July 13 launch, which could mean they have to wait some months before they can launch poker platforms that make sense for their business models.
In the meantime, operators who are hoping to be licensed in Alberta at some point will be forced to stop offering services to players in the province on their international platforms, a move that may cripple Alberta poker players’ ability to play online for a period.
