Gambling Weekly News Summary in Canada – 2026/05/16
Alberta commissioner raises gambling data sale concerns
Alberta’s privacy commissioner, Diane McLeod, says a new law that could allow the sale of customer data from the province-regulated gambling platform Play Alberta creates a worrying precedent.
The amendment, included in Bill 31, would allow the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis, the crown corporation that runs Play Alberta, to transfer customer information if it is sold to a private company. It adds an exemption under Alberta’s Protection of Privacy Act, which bans public bodies from selling personal information.
McLeod warned that Play Alberta may store highly sensitive information, including demographic data, geolocation data, and records of gambling behavior. As of October 2025, Play Alberta had more than 434,000 registered accounts.
Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally said the province has no immediate plans to sell the platform but wanted to remove legal obstacles to a future sale, and added that customers would be notified and given the option to delete their data before any sale.
The debate comes as Alberta prepares to open its regulated online gambling market to private operators in July.
IBIA named integrity monitor ahead of Alberta gambling launch
The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has been approved as the licensed integrity monitor for Alberta’s upcoming regulated online gambling market.
The organization will work with the province’s gaming regulator, the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis, to identify and report suspicious betting activity. According to the IBIA, it will use its Global Monitoring and Alert Platform to analyze operator intelligence and account-level data for unusual betting patterns.
The approval means integrity monitoring systems will be in place from the first day Alberta opens its commercial online gambling sector to licensed private companies.
The IBIA said the system is designed to strengthen information sharing between operators, regulators, and sports integrity officials, and that suspicious activity identified through its monitoring platform will be escalated directly to Alberta regulators for further review.
Alberta is set to become Canada’s second regulated commercial iGaming market after Ontario, when the province launches its new framework on July 13.
GiG and LuckyDays set to enter Alberta’s upcoming regulated market
Technology company GiG Software and online casino operator LuckyDays are preparing to enter Alberta’s regulated online gambling market as the province moves toward launch.
Announcing its launch plans, GiG said it would be expanding into Alberta by providing its technology platform to LuckyDays. According to GiG, its platform is designed to support operators entering new markets with strict regulations, and the company itself is due to be approved as a licensed technology provider in Alberta once the market finally launches.
Alberta is expected to become Canada’s second regulated commercial online gambling market after Ontario, and some projections have estimated that the new market could generate nearly $1.9 billion by 2030.
“Alberta represents a compelling growth opportunity for GiG as Canada’s regulated iGaming market continues to expand. Our market-leading platform is designed to enable efficient market entry and scalable growth, supporting partners as they capitalize on new regulated opportunities,” said Richard Carter, Chief Executive Officer at GiG.
Ziv (Steve) Chen
CEO at Major League Content
Ziv has been working in the iGaming industry for more than two decades, serving in senior roles in software developers like Playtech and Microgaming. He then followed his lifelong passion of writing and became a fulltime journalist, covering casinos, sports betting, legislation and other gambling topics and news with a specialty in North America.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziv-steve-chen-94b01b5/
