FanDuel launched its Casino and Sportsbook app in Alberta on 13 July, entering the province’s regulated online gambling market on the day it opened to private operators. The Flutter-owned brand is one of 22 sites registered to go live at launch, according to the Alberta iGaming Corporation, as Alberta became the second Canadian province after Ontario to license commercial online casino and sports betting.
The market opened at midnight, more than four years after Ontario went live in April 2022. The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission regulates the market, while the Alberta iGaming Corporation manages commercial agreements with operators and suppliers, a dual-track structure modelled on Ontario’s. The two bodies opened registration for operators and suppliers in January.
Alberta has estimated that around 70% of the province’s online gambling ran through unregulated offshore sites before launch, the channelisation gap the licensed field is now targeting. Industry projections put the regulated market above C$700m in annual revenue at maturity. Ontario’s market, by comparison, generated C$4.04bn in 2025, up 34% year-on-year.
How Alberta’s model works
Alberta’s commercial framework tracks Ontario closely but adds a distinct revenue-sharing feature. The province deducts 3% of gross gaming revenue before operators take their share, directing 2% to First Nations funding and 1% to responsible gambling programmes, then splits the remainder 80/20 with the government. Alberta has ruled out election betting and required a centralised self-exclusion system to run from day one, a step Ontario reached only after its own launch.
The 13 July opening also served as a hard cutoff for grey-market operators. Providers that had been taking bets in Alberta without a licence were required to register, pay their fees and stop unregulated activity by launch day or leave the province.
Community donations tied to launch
FanDuel paired its Alberta debut with a set of community donations. The operator said it is giving C$50,000 to the A Dollar A Day Foundation to fund frontline mental health programmes in the province, adding to C$150,000 it said it has contributed to the foundation over the past three years across Ontario and Alberta. FanDuel said it is also donating C$30,000 to the Canadian Red Cross Emergency Management Program in Alberta.
Product and sponsorship deals
Dale Hooper, General Manager of FanDuel Canada, framed the launch as a new phase for the brand’s Canadian business.
“Alberta represents an exciting new chapter for FanDuel Canada, and we’re thrilled to bring our industry-leading Casino and Sportsbook experience to players across the province. As we enter this new market, we’re committed to delivering a best-in-class entertainment experience and meaningful community engagement remains at the heart of everything we do.”
On the product side, FanDuel announced an exclusive agreement with Light & Wonder to bring the supplier’s Huff N’ Puff slot franchise to its Alberta customers. A full family of Huff N’ Puff titles will be available only to FanDuel Canada players in the province for the first four months after launch.
FanDuel also renewed its partnership with the Canadian Football League in a multi-year agreement, extending the deal beyond Ontario to Alberta and adding casino as a new category. The operator is title sponsor of the Cowboys Stampede Showdown Charity Poker Tournament, which supports the Calgary Stampede Foundation and has raised more than C$1.3m for the foundation. FanDuel is not the only day-one entrant with a CFL tie-up, as bet365 also signed on as a betting and casino partner of the league in Ontario and Alberta.
What comes next
Every licensed operator must integrate with Alberta’s centralised self-exclusion system and offer financial and time-based limit tools, and the Alberta iGaming Corporation has warned that operators failing to meet player-protection and social responsibility standards risk losing the ability to operate in the province.
The early contest will be over conversion rather than acquisition, as FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, bet365 and the rest of the field compete for players moving off offshore sites. The 113th Grey Cup, staged in Calgary on 15 November, hands the sportsbook brands an early marketing focal point in a market only weeks old.
Source: Flutter Entertainment
