GGPoker has finally registered with, and received approval from, Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis (AGLC) to operate online poker in Alberta.
It is the first poker-focused operator to secure registration in Alberta and marks GGPoker’s second regulated Canadian province after Ontario.
As first reported by Canadian Gaming Business late last week, the company, registered as GG International Limited and operating as “GG Poker,” was added to the AGLC registry on August 12, 2026. The registration currently carries a one-year expiration.
However, GGPoker has yet to obtain a license from the Alberta iGaming Corp (AiGC) to operate online gambling under license, meaning it does not yet appear on the official list of regulated igaming websites.
The registration nonetheless represents the first clear step from GGPoker toward entering Alberta’s regulated market and suggests that the operator intends to complete the licensing process.
Other operators that offer online poker have already registered with the AGLC, including PokerStars, which is expected to operate under PokerStars on FanDuel branding using Playtech’s poker software in Alberta, as well as BetMGM, 888, Party, and BetRivers.
But Alberta online poker players should not get their hopes up just yet. GGPoker is unlikely to launch regulated online poker in the province unless it can eventually share liquidity with Ontario or international player pools. Its registration with the AGLC, however, shows an intent to proceed with licensing and could point to an expectation that shared liquidity will become possible.
The approval also technically allows GGPoker to continue operating in Alberta from offshore for the next two months, providing it with a path to remain active while the province’s transition period runs its course.
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Poker Missing at Launch
Online gaming went live under license in Alberta on July 13, 2026. Around two dozen brands launched online casino and sports betting services on the opening day, but online poker was notably absent even though poker is included within the province’s regulated gambling framework.
The reason is Alberta’s requirement that regulated online poker initially operate on a ring-fenced basis.
Under the province’s rules, any regulated poker operator can initially offer games only between players who are physically located in Alberta. There is no shared liquidity with the Ontario online poker or international player pools under the current arrangement.
Ontario launched under the same model in 2022, but the economics are very different in Alberta. With a population of fewer than five million people, Alberta is considered too small to support a viable regulated poker market without access to a larger player pool.
That has already led to discussions about allowing poker liquidity to be shared between Alberta and Ontario. An AiGC spokesperson told Poker Industry PRO earlier that the regulator was “in continued discussions” with other jurisdictions.
“As of July 13 … shared liquidity with players outside Alberta will not be available. Albertans will only be able to participate in poker games within Alberta’s regulated market,” the spokesperson said. “However, we will continue to have discussions with other jurisdictions and poker operators to explore opportunities for shared liquidity in the future.”
There is also a temporary solution for operators that were already in the process of obtaining approval.
A transition period was put in place to give those companies more time to complete the necessary licensing steps. Operators “participating in the AGLC application process may request a transition extension,” said the AGLC, in separate responses to PRO. “This is provided that they demonstrate “a clear pathway to compliance prior to October 13, 2026.”
In practice, that allowed operators registered with the AGLC to continue offering online poker in Alberta through offshore licenses for three months. It meant that PokerStars, among others, did not shut down its online poker operation when sibling brand FanDuel launched online casino and sports betting services in the province on July 13.
Some operators took a different approach. PartyPoker and 888, for example, have apparently stopped accepting new account registrations from Alberta while continuing to provide access to existing players.
GGPoker Leaves, Then Returns
GGPoker’s position was less clear, as the operator was apparently not participating in the formal application process when Alberta’s new rules came into force, although it told PRO it was still in talks with the regulator.
That raised immediate questions about whether GGPoker would be able to continue serving Alberta players during the transition period. The operator subsequently shut down its services in the province, redirecting visitors on the website to a page stating that its services were restricted in Alberta.
GGPoker ambassador Kevin Martin also had to abruptly leave Alberta following the change in laws. Some existing players, however, reported that they could still access GGPoker through the mobile app despite the restrictions displayed on the website.
The page stating that GGPoker services are restricted in Alberta remains live today, but players visiting from the province are no longer being redirected to it.
With GG now officially registered with the AGLC, the operator appears to have a route to continue offering online poker services in Alberta, at least through October 13.
That date is therefore becoming an important deadline for the province’s poker market. Unless the current arrangements change, operators will need to have completed the necessary steps to remain in the regulated market after the transition period expires.
There is another potentially important date before then. On October 7, the Supreme Court of Canada is scheduled to hear arguments in an Ontario appeal concerning whether online poker can legally include players located outside Canada. A favorable ruling could potentially open both Ontario and Alberta to international liquidity, although any final decision would likely come months after the hearing.
What Happens After October?
What happens after October 13 remains unclear. The most positive outcome for Alberta online poker players would be an agreement allowing poker liquidity to be shared between Alberta and Ontario. If the two provinces can establish a framework permitting cross-provincial play, Alberta could quickly become home to a much larger regulated Canada online poker market.
Under that scenario, PokerStars, FanDuel, 888, BetMGM, and now GGPoker could all potentially launch poker services in Alberta and connect players with their existing operations in Ontario. It could also encourage additional operators to enter the province, with BetRivers Poker being one of the most obvious candidates.
International liquidity would make the proposition even more attractive. If the regulatory framework ultimately allows Alberta and Ontario operators to connect with players outside Canada, the market would no longer be restricted by Alberta’s relatively small population.
For now, however, none of that is guaranteed. If Alberta and Ontario do not reach an agreement, and the AGLC does not grant another extension, registered operators would eventually have to leave the market. That would leave Alberta without a regulated online poker offering, creating a blackout just months after the province opened its igaming market.
GGPoker’s new AGLC registration therefore does not mean Alberta online poker is ready to launch. It does, however, show that one of the world’s largest poker operators is preparing for the possibility that the province’s liquidity rules will change.
The next few months should determine whether that preparation leads to a full GGPoker Alberta launch or whether the province remains too small to support regulated online poker on its own.
