Alberta’s transition period ended 13 October 2026: unregistered sites had to register or leave
Alberta’s transition period for operators that served the province before its regulated market opened ran until 13 October 2026. AGLC (Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis) told those operators to stop taking Alberta players when the market launched on 13 July, and said it might consider an extension of up to three months, to 13 October 2026, on a case-by-case basis, only where an operator could demonstrate a path to compliance for market launch that was unattainable before 13 July 2026. That three-month window ended on 13 October 2026. On 27 October 2026, two weeks after the deadline, the Alberta iGaming Corporation’s directory of approved sites listed 51 sites.
What AGLC asked of grey-market operators
AGLC’s transition guidance drew a line at 13 July 2026: an operator that had been accepting Alberta customers without a provincial licence had to either complete AGLC registration and sign an operating agreement with the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC), or withdraw from the province. The extension to 13 October 2026 was not a general grace period. It applied operator by operator, and AGLC warned that ignoring its direction could lead to a finding of unsuitability for registration, which would keep an operator out of the Alberta market.
Stake receives its AGLC licence
Stake Canada Ltd. received its AGLC licence and said on 6 October 2026 that it planned to open an online casino and sportsbook to Albertans on 12 October, subject to signing its operating agreement with AiGC. An AGLC licence is not the same as a live site: a brand appears in AiGC’s directory of approved iGaming sites only once the operating agreement is in place. Stake has since been added to AiGC’s directory (checked 28 October 2026).
What it means for players
- If you hold a balance at a site that is not in AiGC’s directory of approved iGaming sites, withdraw it. An unregistered site can close Alberta accounts at short notice, and there is no AGLC complaint route if it does.
- Check the AiGC directory before opening any new account. It is the only reliable way to tell a regulated Alberta site from an offshore one that happens to accept Albertans.
- Every regulated Alberta site must connect to AGLC’s centralised self-exclusion programme and offer deposit and loss limits and time limits. The minimum age in Alberta is 18.
- Our Canada iGaming tracker keeps the running count of approved sites, and our Alberta page explains how the regulated market works.
Gambling can be addictive. Please play responsibly and within your means.
Supreme Court of Canada hears the shared-liquidity appeal and reserves its decision
On 7 October 2026 the Supreme Court of Canada heard Atlantic Lottery Corporation v. Attorney General of Ontario (file 42141), the appeal that will decide whether Ontario may let players on its regulated sites join peer-to-peer games, such as poker, with players outside Canada. The court reserved its decision the same day, according to its online case docket. No date has been set for the decision.
How the case got here
Ontario asked its Court of Appeal in 2024 whether its plan to pool Ontario players with international players breaches the Criminal Code, which lets a province offer gambling only if it “conducts and manages” the scheme within its borders. On 12 November 2025 the Court of Appeal answered 4 to 1 in Ontario’s favour, holding that the Code does not require every player to be physically in the province as long as Ontario keeps operational control of the game. A group of provincial lottery corporations, led by Atlantic Lottery and joined by the Crown corporations of British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec, appealed to the Supreme Court. Ontario argued for the plan. Alberta, the Canadian Gaming Association, Flutter Entertainment and NSUS Group took part as interveners.
Why it matters
Online poker depends on how many players are at the tables at the same time. Regulated Ontario poker rooms can currently seat only players located in Ontario, which limits games and tournaments. If the Supreme Court upholds the Court of Appeal, Ontario operators could pool Ontario players with international ones under Ontario’s rules. Alberta took part in the appeal as an intervener. The Alberta iGaming Corporation’s own guidance for operators says that “at this time, all player liquidity pools and peer-to-peer network games must be strictly ring-fenced to players who are physically located within Alberta.” If the court reverses the decision, provincial pools stay closed, and the Crown lottery corporations keep the position that gambling conducted by a province must stay inside that province. Casino games against the house and ordinary sports bets against the operator are not affected.
What it means for players
Nothing changes until the judgment is released. Regulated poker in Ontario remains Ontario-only, and Alberta’s regulated sites remain Alberta-only. Our guide to online gambling law in Canada explains the conduct-and-manage rule that the case turns on. The minimum age is 19 in Ontario and 18 in Alberta. Our responsible gambling guide lists the free help lines in every province.
Gambling can be addictive. Please play responsibly and within your means.
Quebec election: the Parti Québécois wins a minority, and the Liberal opposition backs a licensed online market
Quebec voted on 5 October 2026 and gave the Parti Québécois a minority government. Election-night results reported by CTV News and BNN Bloomberg put the PQ at 59 of the National Assembly’s 127 seats, five short of a majority, with the Quebec Liberal Party forming the official opposition. A judicial recount in the riding of Vachon on 21 October 2026 gave that seat to the PQ, which now holds 60 seats, four short of a majority. The Liberals said their lawyers were reviewing the result. The governing Coalition Avenir Québec won no seats, and its leader Christine Fréchette lost her own riding of Trois-Rivières. For online gambling, the party that kept the monopoly in place is out of the Assembly, and the Liberals, who promised to license private operators, are the official opposition.
What the parties promised
During the campaign the Quebec Liberal Party committed to recognising and regulating private online gambling platforms. The Parti Québécois, now the government, made the same commitment in an interview with Radio-Canada. The outgoing CAQ government kept Loto-Québec’s online monopoly in place.
The push did not start with the campaign. The Québec Online Gaming Coalition, a group of private operators and suppliers, published four recommendations on 9 February 2026: an independent regulator covering Loto-Québec and private operators alike, common standards, licensing with revenue sharing, and dedicated prevention funding. It estimates the province forgoes more than C$300 million a year in tax revenue by keeping the monopoly.
What happens next
A promise is not a bill. No legislation has been tabled, the new government has not said when it would introduce one, and a minority government needs votes from another party to pass anything. If the new government brings one forward, the Liberals’ support for a licensed market could supply votes from the opposition benches, but the shape of the regulator, the licensing conditions and the timeline are all open. Ontario took about three years from announcement to launch, and Alberta a little over a year from Royal Assent of its act to the first live sites. Until a Quebec law passes, Espacejeux remains the only provincially authorised online casino, and sites licensed in Malta, Curaçao or Kahnawake are accessible but not Quebec-licensed, with no provincial complaint route.
What it means for players
The election result did not change anything at the account level. Quebec residents aged 18 and over can play on Espacejeux and Mise-o-jeu+, and Loto-Québec’s self-exclusion and online-break tools remain in place. We will update our Canada iGaming tracker and the Quebec page when a bill is introduced. Free, confidential help is available in French and English from Jeu : aide et référence on 1-800-461-0140 and at aidejeu.ca.
Gambling can be addictive. Please play responsibly and within your means.