Alberta opens sports betting licensing process
Canadian province seeks two prospective partners for online, mobile and retail sportsbooks in 2022
Alberta has initiated a tender process for the first online and retail sports betting operator licenses, with the market going live as early as 2022.
Alberta’s Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis (AGLC), the agency which will oversee the process, has said it is working towards “retail and online sports betting options with mobile extensions” to allow external firms to operate in Canada’s fourth largest province by area.
“As a first step in this process, AGLC is seeking two proponents to provide some flexibility and options in the first phase and will consider additional opportunities as the market continues to develop,” the AGLC said.
AGLC president and CEO Kandice Machado welcomed the bidding process commencement, labeling it as an “exciting step” in bringing retail sports to the province.
“AGLC is proud to facilitate this next step that will involve the existing casino and racing entertainment center industry while working with Alberta’s major professional sports teams,” Machado said.
“Continuing this work is an important step in offering consumers convenience and choice in their gambling entertainment options,” she added.
As part of the process, the AGLC has been in dialogue with representatives of the local casino industry and the Alberta Sports Coalition, which represents many of the province’s sports teams.
In a thinly veiled reference to nearby Ontario, which is heading towards its own regulation of an open sports betting and igaming market, the AGLC has it will solicit feedback from operators and other provinces “in order to safely expand vendor opportunities” in the future.
“While this approach supports the goal of expanding the market in the future, it also recognizes the province’s requirement to ‘conduct and manage’ commercial gaming activities set out in the Criminal Code of Canada,” the AGLC said.
“Work is ongoing to support these efforts and AGLC will be reaching out to stakeholders to continue expanding access in a safe and legal manner,” it added.
Operators entering Alberta will face competition from the province’s only regulated online gambling site, Play Alberta, which is overseen by the AGLC.
Play Alberta, which began operations in September, has plans to launch a platform offering players access to moneyline, point spreads, over/under, and props for all the major North American sports and European soccer betting markets.
The site is operated by NeoPollard Interactive from a satellite office in Edmonton.
The AGLC’s GameSense responsible gambling program will feature prominently across the entire website. Players have access to tools and resources that promote healthy gambling habits, including loss, bet and daily session limits and a self-exclusion program.