The Canadian province of Alberta will be delaying the launch of its regulated igaming market, according to the Press Secretary of the Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Dale Nally.
Back in June at SBC’s Canadian Gaming Summit, Nally spoke about Alberta’s plans for its igaming market, specifically its desire to have an open-market model similar to that of Ontario.
Since then, speculation has grown over the potential launch date. However, speaking to Canadian Gaming Business, Nally’s Press Secretary Brandon Aboultaif confirmed that plans will still be laid out in 2025, but the office needs more time for discussions with stakeholders.
Aboultaif said: “As the gaming industry continues to evolve globally and in Alberta, we want to ensure a conducive business environment while protecting the health and safety of Albertans, particularly our youth. We want to get our igaming strategy right by ensuring fairness and transparency to everyone.
“Industry stakeholders have told us that we need to continue our conversations so they can provide more input on the model. We are doing just that. Further engagements will also help to identify opportunities to align the strategy with our red tape reduction priorities.
“While we aim to put the strategy forward in 2025, we will continue to provide updates as this work unfolds.”
Potential dates speculated for the Alberta igaming market launch included early next year and later in 2025 in time for the Canadian Football League’s Grey Cup in November.
However, Paul Burns, CEO and President of the Canadian Gaming Association (CGA), told Canadian Gaming Business that such a timeline was unrealistic given what was needed for the regulated market to go live.
Burns said: “I think there was a growing concern about just how they were going to get everything done in the time required. I think the government is evaluating its timelines and making sure they can meet all of the objectives they’re setting out for themselves, and they’re giving themselves a few more months to be able to do the work.”
While some consultations have been completed, such as with Alberta’s First Nations, many more stakeholder consultations still need to be finalised, in addition to cabinet-level decisions and approvals.
CGA recommended to Alberta decision-makers that it replicates parts of Ontario’s igaming model, but it also needs to include land-based operators in its discussions.
Decisions must be made on how the province’s igaming market will be managed. Nally said back in June that the provincial Justice Minister would be responsible for Alberta’s igaming market, not Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis.
Burns also told Canadian Gaming Business that Alberta also needs to examine the Ontario Superior Court lawsuit involving the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) as it featured “some of the best language and direction and case law on conduct and manage we’ve ever seen in terms of its plain language and its approach”.
The CGA CEO believes that Alberta can find a way to manage compliance correctly if it reviews the lawsuit, which ultimately ruled against the MCK challenge that the iGaming Ontario’s framework was “illegal and unconstitutional”.
Burns concluded: “The timeline has paused but I don’t believe there’s any less commitment to getting this done. I just think there’s a very good commitment to getting it right. There’s a lot of work to do. They recognise that, they understand that and they’re taking more time to get it right. That’s the encouraging part.”
