Alberta’s iGaming Market Is Moving Fast
Alberta modeled much of its new system on Ontario, opening its market to private operators while splitting responsibilities between the AGLC and AiGC. The AGLC regulates the market, while AiGC manages the commercial relationships with operators. Alberta launched with dozens of approved betting sites, including some of the biggest names in North American online gambling.
The market is also designed to pull players away from the unregulated sector. Alberta will retain 20% of net iGaming revenue, while operators receive the remaining 80% after allocations for First Nations and social responsibility initiatives.
But poker has followed a different path. GGPoker was unavailable to Alberta players when the regulated market launched July 13, having previously operated through its international platform. Other poker brands also faced a difficult choice: enter an Alberta-only market with limited liquidity or wait for the possibility of combining player pools with Ontario. The new license changes things for GGPoker.
GGPoker Has Become a Poker Powerhouse
GGPoker launched GGPoker.ca exclusively in Ontario in 2022 under the province’s regulated framework. Its platform brought the company's international software, tournaments and features into Canada's first competitive iGaming market. Since then, GGPoker has grown into one of the industry's dominant global operators. Caesars Entertainment described GGPoker as the world's largest online poker room by 2022 when it announced the eventual sale of the World Series of Poker brand to GGPoker parent NSUS Group.
That $500 million acquisition, completed in October 2024, was a major statement about the company's ambitions. NSUS purchased the WSOP brand from Caesars while Caesars retained the right to host the live series at its Las Vegas properties for 20 years. GGPoker had already been closely associated with the WSOP, including hosting the 2020 WSOP Online Main Event and helping build the tournament series' international online presence. The company also has a major Canadian connection through ambassador Daniel Negreanu, one of poker's most recognizable players.
Its Ontario experience makes Alberta particularly interesting. GGPoker initially used an international platform in Ontario before ultimately entering the regulated market, giving NSUS a precedent for waiting until the commercial and regulatory conditions make sense.
The Supreme Court Could Decide How Big Alberta Poker Gets
The timing of GGPoker's Alberta approval is particularly significant because NSUS is also involved in Canada's larger fight over poker liquidity. Ontario's Court of Appeal ruled in 2025 that Ontario could potentially permit international player pooling for peer-to-peer products such as online poker and daily fantasy sports. That decision is now before the Supreme Court of Canada, with NSUS participating in the case. The Supreme Court's docket confirms NSUS Group and NSUS Limited filed amended factums as interveners in April 2026.
The issue is enormous for poker. A shared pool would allow players in Ontario to compete against players outside the province rather than forcing operators to maintain a relatively small Ontario-only network. Alberta could eventually benefit from the same model, particularly if the two provinces establish their own shared-liquidity arrangement. Alberta has already indicated interest in participating in the broader legal debate.
That is why GGPoker's license is important even though its tables are not open yet. The license gives GGPoker a seat at the table before the rules around that table are completely settled.
What This Means for Albertans
In the short term, Alberta poker players still have to wait. GGPoker needs its AiGC operating agreement, and the province's poker market must overcome the liquidity problem. But the approval means GGPoker has now committed itself to the regulated Alberta framework rather than leaving the province permanently.
Longer term, the implications could be much bigger. If Alberta and Ontario eventually pool liquidity, GGPoker would have an opportunity to connect two of Canada's largest regulated poker markets through its existing infrastructure. If international liquidity is also permitted, the potential player pool becomes dramatically larger.
