In an exclusive statement to Poker Industry PRO, 888poker confirmed that it has begun planning for an Alberta launch but indicated that any regulated online poker rollout will likely depend on the province securing shared liquidity with Ontario.
The comments follow recent remarks from Alberta officials confirming that they are “working on a Memorandum of Understanding” with Ontario to enable interprovincial online poker liquidity.
Alberta’s regulated igaming market opens on July 13, allowing licensed international operators to offer online casino, sports betting, fantasy sports, and poker. At the latest count, more than 50 operators and over 50 suppliers had completed registration with the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC), which regulates the market. That list includes several companies with online poker brands, such as 888, FanDuel, BetMGM, and BetRivers. One notable absence is NSUS-owned GGPoker.
Despite poker being included within the regulatory framework, Albertans are unlikely to see regulated online poker available on day one. With a population of roughly five million, Alberta is generally considered too small to sustain ring-fenced poker networks on its own. Unless operators can combine Alberta’s player pool with another regulated market, like Ontario, there is little commercial incentive to launch poker immediately.
The most practical outcome would be an Alberta-Ontario shared liquidity agreement, creating a single regulated player pool across both provinces. Until then, operators are expected to continue serving Alberta through their offshore platforms during the three-month transition period before eventually exiting the market.
Until now, no operator had publicly commented on its plans for regulated online poker in Alberta. 888poker is the first to break that silence.
“We’re pleased to have completed the registration process for 888poker in Alberta — an exciting and newly regulated market in Canada,” a spokesperson told PRO. “Building on the success of our launch in Ontario, we are in the early stages of planning our online poker launch.”
888poker already operates in Ontario, where player liquidity is restricted to those physically located within the province. Expanding that pool to include Alberta would strengthen traffic not only for 888 but for every regulated operator offering poker.
Shared Liquidity Talks Offer Early Optimism
Whether that happens depends on an agreement between Alberta and Ontario. There are signs that both provinces are moving in that direction.
Speaking at a recent SBC conference in Toronto, Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) CEO Dan Keene confirmed that discussions are underway to allow players from both provinces to compete together. While the AGLC serves as Alberta’s regulator, the AiGC is responsible for overseeing the commercial operation of the market.
“We’re currently working on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ontario about interprovincial liquidity,” Keene said during an SBC panel, as first quoted by Covers.com in an article published last month. “So we’ll try and get that done as quickly as we can with our friends in Ontario.”
888poker echoed that position, making clear that shared liquidity is central to its Alberta strategy.
“We are hopeful that Alberta will support shared liquidity with Ontario, which will create the best possible player experience and a healthy poker ecosystem,” an 888 spokesperson told PRO. “We look forward to sharing more over the coming months.”
Ontario remains Canada’s largest regulated online poker market. Its population has grown from roughly 14 million in 2021 to an estimated 16 million today. Alberta’s population sits at around five million. On its own, Alberta would represent a relatively modest poker market, but combined with Ontario, the addressable player base would exceed 21 million.
If shared liquidity is approved, pokerfuse expects every operator currently offering regulated online poker in Ontario to expand into Alberta and even attract new operators like BetRivers Poker. Since those companies are already entering the province with casino and sportsbook products, extending their existing poker networks into Alberta would be one of the simplest ways to grow liquidity and strengthen their offering.
Operators Likely to Wait
The timing, however, remains uncertain.
Alberta has introduced a three-month transition period for existing offshore operators. Operators that can demonstrate a clear path to compliance may continue serving customers until October 13. Pokerfuse expects many operators to use that window before deciding whether to launch regulated poker, potentially waiting until an Ontario agreement is finalized rather than introducing a ring-fenced Alberta network that would soon need to be merged.
That may also explain why GGPoker has yet to register with Alberta regulators.
The company followed a similar approach in Ontario. When the province launched its regulated market in 2022, GGPoker continued serving Ontario players through its international platform for roughly six months. Only after regulators imposed a deadline requiring operators to leave the gray market did GGPoker launch its regulated Ontario platform.
The operator could adopt the same strategy in Alberta while awaiting clarity on shared liquidity.
International Liquidity Still Faces Legal Uncertainty
While interprovincial liquidity appears to be gaining momentum, reconnecting Alberta and Ontario with international player pools remains a separate issue.
Players in Alberta currently participate in global player pools through offshore sites, but regulated operators would require legal certainty before offering the same experience.
Ontario has long expressed interest in returning to international liquidity but previously hesitated because of uncertainty over whether cross-border peer-to-peer poker complied with Canada’s Criminal Code.
That question appeared to receive a major answer when Ontario’s highest court last year ruled that international liquidity would be lawful, provided the province remains the entity “conducting and managing” the gaming operation. The decision concluded that Ontario players could legally participate in peer-to-peer online games, including poker, against players located outside Canada under those conditions.
The ruling was widely viewed as one of the most important legal victories for regulated online poker in Canada because it removed a major obstacle to reconnecting provincial markets with international player pools.
However, the case did not end there. The decision has since been appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada. While the Supreme Court reached the same conclusion, opponents have challenged the ruling through the legal process. Until those proceedings are fully resolved, neither Ontario nor Alberta is expected to move forward with plans involving global liquidity.
The AGLC confirmed that it is still evaluating the legal position.
“No determination has been made at this time regarding the permissibility of peer-to-peer games involving players located outside of Canada. Any future position will be based on a detailed evaluation of legal authority, regulatory oversight, operational controls, and player-protection requirements.”
Where Things Stand Now
For now, that leaves interprovincial liquidity as the only realistic path forward for regulated online poker in Alberta.
The immediate priority is for Alberta and Ontario to finalize their memorandum of understanding. Without that agreement, licensed operators are unlikely to launch regulated online poker in Alberta despite being approved to offer the product.
In the meantime, Albertans are expected to continue playing on offshore platforms such as GGPoker, PokerStars, 888poker, and others during the transition period. That arrangement is unlikely to last more than three months, however, as operators will eventually be required to exit the Alberta market by October 13.
Whether regulated poker arrives before that happens may ultimately depend on how quickly Alberta and Ontario can finalize their shared liquidity agreement.
