Alberta iGaming: Private Online Gambling Operators Prepare to Enter the Market
Some operators are more talkative on the topic than others, but preparations are underway for the startup of Alberta’s regulated gaming market despite the absence of an actual implementation date.
Bill 48, which the provincial legislature calls the iGaming Alberta Act, has ed third reading and awaits royal assent, but it might be a year or more before everything is ready for betting.
Companies like BetMGM, FanDuel, Betway (Super Group), High Roller, and PowerPlay would be preparing to enter Alberta's regulated market once it is open to private operators.
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FanDuel Canada
“FanDuel Canada is excited and encouraged by the progress we've seen in Alberta. We're proud to be operating responsibly in Ontario since 2022 and look forward to bringing Albertan sports and entertainment fans and casino players unique, Canadian offerings when the time comes,” said a spokesperson for the book.
“We have a local team of diverse, talented individuals dedicated to our FanDuel Canada business. We will look to scale alongside regulated provinces to bring Canadians exciting, safe, and dynamic ways to engage in their favorite moments.”
Super Group
Super Group, parent company of Betway, recently held an investor call before its Annual General Meeting. During the call, CEO Neal Menashe told investors his company’s plans to expand into Alberta.
That was no surprise, given Super Group’s success in Ontario, where a reported 8% share of the market (behind bet365, FanDuel, and Betano) translated into sports betting revenue that in Q1 grew 34 percent to $106 million, year over year.
Menashe also said work has already begun on Alberta-specific products and that Super Group has learned from some early bugs during the Ontario launch.
Another Player Jumps In
Revenue numbers like those enjoyed by Super Group, which also operates the Jackpot City and Spin Palace Casino brands, are undoubtedly behind this week’s announcement from High Roller Technologies.
High Roller Technologies
The operator of online casino brands High Roller and Fruta issued a release to announce its formal submission of an application for an Internet Gaming Operator license in Ontario.
Ben Clemes |
The submission of our licensing application to access Ontario’s regulated online gambling market is an important milestone in our company’s journey. Once our application is approved, we anticipate that we will have the opportunity to launch our online casino product into the market later this year. –Ben Clemes | Chief Executive Officer at High Roller |
Acknowledging that Ontario is one of the world’s largest regulated online gambling markets, the company aims to launch High Roller in the province during the second half of this year.
“Ontario is missing an elegant brand like High Roller,” said Clemes. “We’re excited to roll out the red carpet for our new customers and look forward to showcasing our tremendous product.”
The High Roller press release also says that the company, which “boasts a portfolio of over 5,000 games from more than 90 game providers in its online casino platform,” plans to apply for a license in Alberta.
Power Play
Several books did not reply to requests for interviews on the subject of a regulated Alberta market. Still, Thomas Vermeulen, Marketing Director for PowerPlay, was happy to take a call from Odds Shark to talk about his company’s plans.
Thomas Vermeulen |
We want to review all the regulations and all the requirements of the Alberta regulator and examine what needs to be done to be sure we are 100% compliant. As a Canadian brand, we want to be as local as possible and offer the best experience to the people living in Alberta. It will be a mix of compliance, localizing our product, and, from my perspective as the marketing director, we need to adjust how we speak to Alberta's people. We don’t want to just use the same messaging we’re using in Ontario. –Thomas Vermeulen | PowerPlay Marketing Director |
Vermeulen said that while the initial primary focus will be compliance with local regulations, PowerPlay will lean on a staff with experience launching in new markets since the company considers Alberta “super important.”
“We are a Canadian brand first, it’s our only market…we are regulated in Ontario, and our goal is to go live in any other province that will regulate. Alberta is the next one lined up, so it’s super important for us,” he said, hoping that the Alberta foray will go as well as things have over the last three years of operations in Ontario.
“My understanding is that the Alberta regulator has done a very good job looking around and speaking to other regulators, especially the Ontario one.
So, the regulations seem like they’ll be pretty close to what happened in Ontario, and given that we went through that entire process, it should be a lot smoother than when operators had to transition from the grey market to the regulated market.
There’s a lot of internal knowledge, but as with any migration or any launch into a market, we look at what we can do better and we want to do the best for our s.”
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