Part 2: Alberta’s New Gaming Legislation

Dale Henwood
Aug 9
8 min read

Alberta's new legislation is an important regulatory reform, but it is designed primarily to regulate the gambling market rather than reduce gambling-related harm. It protects consumers from illegal offshore operators and improves oversight but does relatively little to limit gambling promotion or youth exposure.

So, there are positive aspects of the legislation that need to be acknowledged although it does not go far enough in safeguarding young people or preserving the integrity of sport.

What the legislation does

The new Alberta framework, enabled by the iGaming Alberta Act (Bill 48) and launched on July 13, 2026:

Opens Alberta's online gambling market to licensed private operators, making Alberta the second province after Ontario to adopt this model.
Creates the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) to conduct and manage the commercial marketplace, while the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) remains the regulator.
Requires operators to meet provincial standards for responsible gambling, consumer protection, anti-money laundering, and game integrity.
Establishes a regulated alternative to offshore gambling websites that previously handled an estimated 70% of Alberta's online gambling activity.
Provides for dedicated funding from gaming revenue, including allocations for First Nations initiatives and responsible gambling programs.

Where the legislation falls short

From both a public health and sport integrity perspective, several significant gaps remain.

1. Advertising remains largely untouched

The legislation regulates operators but does not substantially reduce the volume of gambling advertising. Albertans will continue to see:

gambling advertisements during sporting events
betting odds integrated into broadcasts
celebrity endorsements
social media promotions
in-play betting promotions

The market becomes safer—but also much more visible.

2. Youth exposure remains significant

Although gambling is restricted to adults, advertising reaches audiences well below the legal age. Children, teenagers, and young adults watch a variety of college, professional and junior sports. This repeated exposure normalizes gambling as an expected component of the sports experience rather than an adult entertainment activity.

3. Responsible gambling is reactive

Most responsible gambling measures begin after someone has opened an account. Examples include:

self-exclusion
deposit limits
cooling-off periods
responsible gambling messaging

These are valuable, but they primarily help individuals who are already gambling rather than preventing harm in the first place.

4. The financial incentive grows

The province now benefits financially from expanding the regulated market. This creates an inherent conflict in public policy: governments are expected to reduce gambling-related harm while simultaneously benefiting from increased gambling participation and tax revenue.

How does this affect youth sport?

The effects are largely indirect but significant. Young athletes increasingly grow up believing that:

gambling is simply part of sport;
every game has betting odds;
every broadcast discusses wagers;
betting makes watching sports more exciting.

Over time, this reshapes the culture of sport, shifting attention from participation, teamwork, and excellence toward wagering and financial speculation. The focus should be protecting young people, protecting the integrity of sport, and maintaining public confidence in competition.

How does it affect university athletics?

Canadian universities have not yet experienced the same pressures as the NCAA, but many of the same trends are emerging.

Potential concerns include:

increased harassment of student-athletes by bettors
pressure surrounding performance and betting outcomes
greater vulnerability to approaches involving match manipulation
normalization of gambling among students
additional psychological stress

Student-athletes are already balancing academics, athletics, employment, and financial pressures. Expanding gambling culture introduces another layer of risk.

What could make Alberta's legislation stronger?

The following policy measures would strengthen public health protections while preserving legal gambling for adults.

Restrict gambling advertising

Ban gambling ads totally, or
No gambling advertisements during broadcasts where children make up a significant share of the audience.
Eliminate live betting segments during games.
Prohibit celebrity and athlete endorsements that appeal to youth.

Create advertising-free youth sport

Prohibit:

gambling sponsorship of youth teams;
gambling logos in amateur facilities;
gambling branding at youth tournaments.

Dedicate more revenue to prevention

Require a larger, fixed percentage of gambling revenue to fund:

addiction treatment;
youth mental health;
gambling education;
research;
community recreation;
grassroots sport.

Increase transparency

Governments should annually report:

total gambling revenue;
how those revenues are spent;
funding devoted to prevention and treatment.

Similarly, publicly funded sport organizations should disclose the proportion of their budgets supported by gaming revenue.

Strengthen education

Introduce gambling literacy into secondary schools and universities, helping students understand:

probabilities and odds;
addictive design features;
financial risk;
cognitive biases;
sport integrity.

Strengthen sport integrity programs

Every provincial and national sport organization should provide education for athletes, coaches, and officials on:

gambling rules;
match-fixing;
reporting suspicious approaches;
online abuse from bettors.

Independent oversight

Create an independent advisory panel that reports annually on:

youth exposure to gambling advertising;
gambling-related harms;
sport integrity issues;
effectiveness of responsible gambling initiatives.

Conclusion:

Alberta deserves credit for replacing an unregulated online gambling market with a safer and more accountable system. However, effective regulation should be viewed as only the first step. The next phase of gambling policy should focus on reducing youth exposure, limiting the normalization of betting in sport, strengthening prevention initiatives, and protecting the integrity of athletic competition. Ultimately, success should be measured not by gambling revenue, but by the province's ability to minimize harm while preserving the positive values that sport is meant to promote.

Workable solutions to consider

We have seen similar “problems” and patterns from tobacco, cannabis, and alcohol. Can we learn from the research and from our experiences with these related issues? There are several practical policy solutions that could be implemented to restrict the negative impacts of gambling on our youth. Top considerations include the following which are both practical to implement and likely to have the greatest impact.

1. Restrict Gambling Advertising Where Youth Are the Audience

Just as Canada restricted tobacco advertising, governments should prohibit or significantly limit gambling advertising:

· during live sporting events before the evening watershed

· during broadcasts where a sizable proportion of the audience is under 18

· on youth-oriented social media platforms

· through athletes or sports personalities who appeal primarily to minors

· in youth sport facilities and amateur sporting events

Children and youth should be able to watch hockey, basketball, football, or soccer without being bombarded with betting odds and gambling promotions. This directly addresses the root cause of normalization among children and youth, and it protects young people without preventing adults from gambling legally.

2. Financial Literacy and Gambling Education in Schools

Many young people understand little about probability, gambling mathematics, behavioural psychology, or the financial consequences of repeated betting. Yet many are exposed to sports betting advertisements long before they are old enough to gamble legally. Financial literacy curricula should therefore include education about gambling as part of broader instruction on financial decision-making and risk management.

High school curricula should include:

gambling odds and probabilities
expected value and why "the house always wins"
cognitive biases, including the illusion of control and confirmation bias
sports betting and online gambling platforms
financial risk and debt management
recognizing the signs of gambling addiction
how gambling companies use incentives, promotions, and behavioural data to encourage continued play
responsible decision-making in digital environments

Education should focus on developing critical thinking rather than discouraging legal gambling. Students should understand how gambling products are designed, how advertising influences behaviour, and how seemingly small wagers can accumulate into significant financial losses over time.

At the post-secondary level, all varsity athletes should receive mandatory education on:

gambling mathematics and probability
sport integrity and match manipulation
financial literacy and budgeting
social media risks and gambling-related harassment
recognizing problem gambling in themselves and teammates
where to obtain confidential support services

Teaching young people how gambling actually works—and how gambling operators generate profit—may be one of the most effective long-term prevention strategies. Just as schools educate students about financial fraud, cyber safety, and substance use, gambling literacy should become a routine component of modern financial education.

This recommended solution is also a “call to action” for GBHA Mentors and any GBHA Alumni. Will you step up and volunteer to share with your financial acumen and expertise with the most vulnerable youth who are likely to be most affected by the onslaught of advertising?

3. Develop Alternative Funding Models for Youth Sport

This is a most important long-term solution. Many youth, college, and university programs have become dependent on:

· lotteries

· casinos

· 50/50 draws

· gaming grants

That dependence creates an ethical tension: healthy activities for young people are increasingly funded by an industry that can contribute to addiction. Governments, corporations, and philanthropists should work together to expand alternative funding through:

· community endowments

· corporate sponsorships unrelated to gambling

· charitable foundations

· legacy giving

· tax incentives for sport donations

The goal should not be to eliminate gaming revenue overnight, but to reduce sport's dependence on it over time. This recommendation.

addresses the underlying ethical issue that many sport organizations have become financially dependent on gambling proceeds.
recognizes reality by proposing a gradual transition rather than eliminating gaming revenues overnight.
offers practical alternatives—corporate sponsorships, charitable foundations, endowments, legacy giving, and tax incentives.
shifts the discussion from simply criticizing gambling to proposing sustainable solutions.

A Balanced Conclusion

Together, the 3 proposed solutions provide a balanced strategy focused on prevention, education, and long-term structural change, while avoiding an overly punitive or prohibitionist approach.

Gambling is not inherently the enemy. Millions of Canadians gamble responsibly every year. The issue is whether we are doing enough to protect those who are most vulnerable—particularly our young people—and whether the financial benefits to governments and sport organizations justify the social costs. We have learned from tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis that public policy can balance individual freedom with public health. Gambling deserves the same thoughtful approach. Canadians should be able to enjoy sport without constant encouragement to gamble, and our young people should inherit a sporting culture built on participation, excellence, and integrity—not on betting.

Sources: Alberta’s new gaming legislation