Alberta Province Enters the iGaming Era with its First Online Gaming Site

The first online casino in Alberta is now live.

Welcoming Playalberta.ca

The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis department AGLC announced last Thursday that the key Canadian province was welcoming PlayAlberta.ca.

COO Speaks

Of the accomplishment, AGLC COO Niaz Nejad said:

“This milestone is something that has been planned for and desired by Albertans for years.”

Alberta now becomes a member of the key club of Canadian provinces offering online gambling.

AGLC Officials Speak

AGLC board chair Len Rhodes called PlayAlberta.ca “safe, reliable and socially responsible,” equipped with what Nejad calls “strong age-verification process” for players over 18.

Based in Alberta

PlayAlberta.ca will be headquartered in Alberta, with Nejad assuring that “money made in Alberta stays in Alberta.”

Projections

AGLC projections have PlayAlberta generating $3.71 million in annual revenue to Alberta’s general revenue fund.

Social Use

Rhodes assures that online gaming proceeds from the site will be used for productive social purposes with a “direct impact on Albertans” in support of “valuable programs and services Albertans rely on every day.”

Addressing Safety Concerns

The main opposition to be weathered of the newly introduced site is the ubiquitous concerns regarding increased accessibility of youth and addictive personalities.

The AGLC cites PlayAlberta's GameSense supports and resources, and spending and time notification limit settings as initial effective protections.

Rediverting Unlicensed Play

As far as the impact on the land-based industry, Alberta officials said that the hit would be minimal, with playalberta.ca taking the business from illegal gambling sites and bring it back under the auspices of regulated play.

Tracking Progress

To monitor progress, the AGLC is further assembling an online gambling advisory committee comprised of Alberta gaming industry representatives.

AGLC History

The AGLC has been taking license applications for over five years, since 2015, amid ongoing efforts to establish an effective platform. The next major break was this year June 2020, when Alberta province inked a seven-year deal with multinational NeoPollard Interactive to establish, develop and manage a legal, regulated, secure and age-controlled online gambling platform.

Outlook

With the barely regulated Canadian region serving a multi-billion dollar market, playalberta.ca should have no trouble bringing in players and revenues from unlicensed online sites, with more licensed sites sure to emerge in Alberta and follow suit in 2021.