The province of Alberta has formally passed Bill 48, otherwise known as the iGaming Alberta Act, setting the stage for a new era for bettors in the province.
According to a release, the bill — introduced by Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Dale Nally — passed the legislative assembly of Alberta early last week, and will ultimately allow Alberta to introduce a regulated marketplace once a final few boxes are ticked, namely once it receives Royal Assent.
“The Canadian Gaming Association and its members extend their congratulations to Minister Dale Nally and the Government of Alberta for reaching this significant milestone and advancing towards the provision of regulated iGaming and enhanced consumer protections for its citizens,” the Canadian Gaming Association, a trade association comprised of various major retailers, said following the news.
In conjunction with opening up Alberta’s market to a regulated iGaming space, the bill also calls for Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis to regulate the commercial gaming market while continuing to operate the province's proprietary platform Play Alberta. The act also establishes a new government agency Alberta iGaming Corporation, that’s set to provide broad oversight to the sector as a whole, including both online sports betting and online casinos.
Nally, of course, had previously stressed the importance of passing the bill, with the hopes of better protecting consumers from the use of unregulated sites, where the risk of “developing gambling-related harms” is higher, Nally stated back in April.
“We know gambling will never be safe, but there are ways to make it safer and more responsible,” he said. “That’s what we aim to do.”
Concerns, Loose Threads Still Loom
While Bill 48 has been passed, there are still several figures in need of clarification. Among the information that has yet to be clarified, no total number of operators has been established with permission to enter Alberta, while details have yet to be provided on licensing fees and tax rates.
“More details on key regulations and policies related to revenue, consumer protection and specific social responsibility policies will be shared later this year, following further engagement,” said Nally during the measure’s third reading.
Meanwhile, NDP leaders who hold position as Alberta’s official opposition, repeatedly expressed concerns with the bill, namely the aforementioned lack of information.
“Given past history, I’m not sure that we can trust that an appropriate level of consultation before regulations are released happens …” NDP MP Peggy Wright said last month. “It’s a blank cheque and that can indeed lead to some measure of risk, if not danger.”
