Alberta Sets Casino Marketing Rules for iGaming

With Alberta preparing to open its regulated online gambling market on 13 July, provincial authorities have provided further direction on how land-based casinos can participate in the new environment. The latest guidance focuses on advertising practices and outlines how casino operators may engage with online gambling without promoting incentives that fall outside provincial standards.

Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis (AGLC) issued a bulletin on 9 June confirming changes to its Casino Terms & Conditions and Operating Guidelines. The update states that casino facility licensees “must not advertise or offer inducements on behalf of a registered iGaming operator”.

The clarification arrives as commercial online casinos and sportsbooks prepare to enter a market that until now has been served exclusively by Play Alberta, the province’s government-approved online gambling platform.

Promotion Rules Mirror Online Market Standards

The new guidance aligns brick-and-mortar casinos with the advertising framework already established for registered online gambling operators.

Under Alberta's iGaming regulations, companies cannot publicly advertise inducements such as sign-up bonuses, promotional credits or no-sweat bets. Players may only view those offers on an operator’s website or application, or receive them through direct communications after opting in to marketing messages.

As a result, prospective customers seeking promotional offers will need to visit an operator’s digital platform unless they have specifically agreed to receive marketing materials.

AGLC also confirmed that the Winner’s Edge retail casino rewards program cannot be connected to sportsbook activities, online casino promotions or other iGaming incentives. The restriction further separates land-based loyalty programs from online gambling offers.

Province Encourages Participation

The province's framework permits land-based casinos to partner with registered iGaming operators, including through retail sportsbook operations at casino venues. Casino licensees will retain 75% of net gaming revenue generated through sportsbook activity.

Dale Nally, Alberta’s minister responsible for iGaming, said during SBC Summit Canada 2026:

“It’s up to [land-based casinos] to decide how they participate.

“Do they have a partnership with an online casino? Do they form their own that will sort of evolve organically?

“Our approach will always be individual personal choice and individual responsibility, and that is best defined by an open market, and you don’t have an open market if you force online operators to tie themselves to land-based casinos. So we didn’t want to go that approach.

“But we are certainly encouraging land-based operators to participate in the space, and we also want to see First Nations in Alberta participating in the online gaming space.”

More than 40 operator sites have already registered with AGLC ahead of launch.

Indigenous-Owned Casinos Enter Online Gaming

Several Indigenous-owned casino groups have secured registrations for online operations. Approved operators include Pure Casino Entertainment and River Cree iGaming.

The latest advertising update follows other recent regulatory changes, including requirements for casinos to connect to Alberta’s centralized self-exclusion platform, a ban on election betting and retail sportsbook rules that cap in-person sports wagers at $1,000.

Source:

“Alberta regulator lays out rules for how casinos can promote iGaming”, canadiangamingbusiness.com, Jun 11, 2026