Alberta’s new legal gambling market may have limited sports betting ads

Alberta hopes to open a new online gambling market before the summer, but those plans may be derailed by federal measures to restrict or outlaw sports betting ads.

Due to a number of modifications the province made to local gaming regulations, the new market has been planned since March. Additionally, the province has established the necessary structure for businesses like BetMGM, FanDuel, and DraftKings to lawfully accept bets in Alberta.

Dale Nally, Minister of Service Alberta, stated that the purpose of these modifications is to curb unlicensed gaming. Nally also affirmed in a statement that the market should be operational prior to summer.

Unregulated gambling, sometimes known as a "gray market," is thought to make up 70% of Alberta's internet gambling business. Nally said that it is crucial to push these bad actors out by creating a regulated market where operators must prioritize player safety and social responsibility through stringent, enforceable regulations.

Modifications to gaming advertising are also required by the new regulations. Businesses will have to make sure that their advertisements don't target children and that professional athletes aren't being utilized to advertise gambling. However, former celebrities would be permitted to make appearances in advertisements that encourage social responsibility.

However, two federal initiatives to restrict or completely prohibit online sports betting advertising may clash with that framework. In October, the House of Commons held its first reading of a bill which had already been introduced and approved by the Senate.

In order to prevent potential gambling-related harms, the bill would require the federal Minister of Canadian Heritage to develop a national framework on sports-betting advertising if it were approved. Additionally, it would request that the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) examine its own regulations and determine whether they are sufficient to reduce the negative effects of gambling advertising.

Nally has stated in the past that the province opposes that bill and that a federal advertising framework will result in a convoluted two-tier structure that disadvantages regulated operators, hinders enforcement, and drives players to unregulated platforms with no safeguards.

A rival attempt is seeking to completely ban all advertisements for sports betting while the bill passes the House of Commons. The prime minister should order the CRTC to prohibit sports betting ads in the same manner that it prohibits tobacco product ads, according to a letter signed by over 40 senators.

According to Nally, a complete prohibition might have unforeseen consequences and favor unregulated and offshore operators. He asserted that despite advertising prohibitions, these websites frequently target vulnerable people, especially children, and never adhere to the law. They are also not answerable to regulators.

Nally added that a CRTC prohibition would affect the government's capacity to run its own gaming market and that lawful companies would encounter major obstacles when trying to advertise locally in Alberta.

In an interview last month, Carrie Shaw, a professor at the University of Alberta and a member of the University of Calgary-based Alberta Gambling Research Institute, stated that the province's regulations are still too ambiguous and permit flexibility.

However, Shaw noted that some nations employ a whistle-to-whistle ban. This means that from the start of a sporting event until the conclusion of the match, no gambling-related commercials may be displayed. Shaw stresses that any attempt to control advertising needs to be supported by data.

In the last several years, sports betting advertisements have grown ubiquitous, raising worries about the potential effects on youngsters and vulnerable individuals because of their frequency and ubiquity.

An Edmonton sports enthusiast claimed to have personally seen how ubiquitous sports betting advertisements had become. He claimed that allusions to gambling applications and websites as well as betting advice are common in NFL broadcasts.

According to him, commercials should at least be subject to stricter regulations even if they aren't outright prohibited. “It’s extremely pervasive. If you’re not the type of person, like myself, who’s not interested in gambling at all, it’s just like, oh my god, can we please stop with this?”

Source:

“Alberta's gambling market will launch before summer but federal efforts could limit sports betting ads” , Liam Newbigging, edmontonjournal.com, February 6, 2026.