PokerStars Keeps Poker in Alberta as Casino and Sportsbook Exit
The market launched on July 13, but the ring-fenced poker rollout means Alberta players can only sit with other Albertans for now.
Alberta’s regulated iGaming market went live on July 13, and PokerStars kept online poker available in the province while removing its casino and sportsbook products from the Alberta lineup. For now, players can keep using PokerStars’ global site until PokerStars Alberta launches, after which Albertans will have to use the provincial platform.
Pokerfuse reported on July 2 that a PokerStars representative told players, “for now, you will be able to continue to play poker.” The same report said sportsbook and casino products would no longer be available in Alberta from July 13.
The launch is ring-fenced. AiGC said shared liquidity arrangements with Ontario and other jurisdictions will not be in place for launch, so Alberta players will only be able to join player pools made up of other Alberta players.
That matters because poker lives and dies on liquidity, and Alberta is a relatively small market. PokerNews said the province has fewer than five million residents, while TheLines said Alberta online poker has not seen a single new provider enter even though more than 40 online sportsbook and iGaming providers are now operating there.
Alberta’s market structure came out of Bill 48, the iGaming Alberta Act, which created the Alberta iGaming Corporation. The bill also allows AiGC, with ministerial approval, to make agreements with other provinces or territories to develop, organize, conduct and manage online lottery schemes.
The government says it passed Bill 48 in spring 2025, later published regulatory amendments in January 2026, and designated AGLC as the market regulator. The factsheet also says operators in transition can advertise and sign up customers, but cannot add funds or take bets until they are registered with AGLC, have a commercial agreement with AiGC, and receive notice that the market has launched.
PokerNews said more than 50 operators registered with AGLC ahead of launch. The province’s factsheet says Alberta will launch iGaming with a centralized self-exclusion platform, keep 80% of net iGaming revenue for operators and retain 20% for programs and services that support Albertans, and set aside 1% of total gross gaming revenue for social responsibility initiatives and 2% for First Nations support.
The transition period gives operators a three-month window to adjust, and from October 13 they will have to be fully launched in Alberta or exit the market.
