Gambling on elections will not be allowed Alberta's competitive market for online gaming.
- The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission announced election betting will be banned in the province's upcoming competitive iGaming market.
- The brand-new guideline prohibits wagers on political occasions and will use to all operators expected to launch under Alberta's expanded online betting structure later on this year.
- The ban is another indicator of some subtle differences that will exist between Alberta's iGaming design and that of Ontario.
The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) issued a publication Tuesday that notified potential participants in the yet-to-launch iGaming market to the new election wagering restriction.
Among the brand-new requirements for future Alberta sports wagering and iGaming operators is that "bets on political occasions (e.g., elections, by-elections, leadership contests) are prohibited."
Stick to sports
Alberta is aiming to broaden the number of provincially licensed operators from one, AGLC's Play Alberta, to potentially lots of.
The new guideline (among numerous others) will apply to the little army of online sports wagering and online casino operators that are expected to go reside in the Alberta iGaming market eventually later this year. It may not be the last tweak made, either.
"AGLC is dedicated to evaluating policies to fulfill the needs of stakeholders, while maintaining an effective regulatory environment," the publication notes.
Tuesday's tweak to the guidelines around the possible betting menu is further proof that provincial authorities are difficult at work launching the new regulated market.
The growing expectation lately is that the Western Canadian province's new regulatory structure will go live someplace around the end of June or early July, although expectations have undergone change in the past.
The AGLC will function as both regulator and operator (of Play Alberta) when the brand-new market goes live.
Banning election wagering is likewise a significant distinction from what Ontario has actually finished with its competitive iGaming market. The province is still the only one in Canada that licenses multiple private-sector iGaming operators to take bets, and betting on elections is allowed.
Interesting. Alberta's gambling regulator provided a bulletin today making it clear that private-sector operators will not be permitted to use election betting in the province's upcoming iGaming market. pic.twitter.com/uUTY2QGNzg
While Alberta is mostly basing its own iGaming market on what Ontario has actually done, the ban on election wagering is another indication that the markets will not be exact copies.
Alberta's tax rate is poised to be a touch higher than the 20% Ontario imposes, and Alberta also plans to have centralized self-exclusion in place before the market launches, which is something Ontario is still working on. Both provinces will still prohibit betting on some other things, such as minor-league sports.
At what expense?
Exactly why Alberta doesn't desire election betting in its iGaming market wasn't explained in the publication. It's imaginable, however, that there are some political issues. It's also conceivable that the ban might cost the province some wagering activity.
Election wagering is still used by "grey" and "black" market operators, online sportsbooks and gambling establishments that might be controlled abroad or outside a province however not by the province itself.
The large quantity of betting taking place with those business is one of the reasons Alberta is introducing its iGaming market - to bring that activity into a provincially managed channel.
Election betting is also huge with prediction markets. While they have actually primarily avoided Canada, Polymarket and its election betting markets are available in Alberta.
