Registered vs. offshore sites in Alberta
Reviewed by Alberta Gambling Guide editorial teamUpdated Checked
Check two places, not one: AiGC's "Registered iGaming Sites" directory and the AGLC's Gaming Registrants list. A site that appears on neither is not operating legally in Alberta, whatever it claims about being "licensed."
Sources for this page (6)
- The Government of Alberta and AiGC state that unregulated (illegal) operators are estimated to capture approximately 70% of Alberta's total iGaming market; no underlying study or methodology is cited alongside the figure on either official page. [1], [2]
- AiGC's public 'Registered iGaming Sites' page lists operator brands with a link to each site but does not show registration status, registration date, registration number, or licence class for any entry. [3]
- AiGC, Alberta's Crown corporation for iGaming, publishes a consumer-facing page titled 'Registered iGaming Sites' that lists operator brands together with an outbound link to each brand's Alberta site; the page does not display a registration date, registration number or licence class for any entry. [3]
- A person must be registered as an iGaming supplier under section 49.2 of the Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Act before operating an iGaming site or providing goods or services to one in Alberta, subject to narrow exemptions such as iGaming workers. [4], [5], [6]
Why one check isn't enough
AiGC's directory is a consumer-facing marketing list — it links out to registered brands but doesn't show a registration date, number or class. The AGLC's Gaming Registrants export is the authoritative legal-entity record, but it lists legal entities, not consumer brand names, so matching a brand to an entity takes extra work. This publication's operator registry combines both signals per brand, and the licence tracker publishes the underlying AGLC registrant data directly.
The scale of the problem
The Government of Alberta estimates unregulated (offshore) operators currently capture roughly 70% of the province's total iGaming activity. That figure is the government's own estimate — no underlying study or methodology is published alongside it, so treat it as a directional estimate rather than an audited statistic.
What "unregulated" means in practice
An offshore site accepting Alberta players without AGLC registration isn't required to follow any of Alberta's rules: no mandated location verification, no Alberta identity-check standard, no centralized self-exclusion honouring, no advertising restrictions. This publication does not name or link unregulated sites — the point of this page is how to check a site yourself, not a list of sites to avoid.
How to check a specific site
- Search AiGC's "Registered iGaming Sites" directory for the brand.
- Cross-check the operator registry on this site, which also records AGLC registration where a brand-to-entity match is evidenced.
- If a site isn't on either, treat it as unregulated in Alberta — regardless of what licence it advertises from another jurisdiction.
Sources
- Government of Alberta — Alberta's iGaming Strategy Checked
- Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) — Operators | AiGC Checked
- Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) — Registered iGaming Sites | AiGC Checked
- Alberta King's Printer / Government of Alberta — Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Act, RSA 2000, Chapter G-1 (consolidated, includes 2025 c I-0.2 and 2026 amendments) Checked
- Alberta King's Printer / Government of Alberta — Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Regulation, AR 143/96 (Office Consolidation, up to AR 135/2026) Checked
- Government of Alberta (Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction) — Fact Sheet - Alberta iGaming Checked
What each source supports
- The Government of Alberta and AiGC state that unregulated (illegal) operators are estimated to capture approximately 70% of Alberta's total iGaming market; no underlying study or methodology is cited alongside the figure on either official page. [1], [2]
- AiGC's public 'Registered iGaming Sites' page lists operator brands with a link to each site but does not show registration status, registration date, registration number, or licence class for any entry. [3]
- AiGC, Alberta's Crown corporation for iGaming, publishes a consumer-facing page titled 'Registered iGaming Sites' that lists operator brands together with an outbound link to each brand's Alberta site; the page does not display a registration date, registration number or licence class for any entry. [3]
- A person must be registered as an iGaming supplier under section 49.2 of the Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Act before operating an iGaming site or providing goods or services to one in Alberta, subject to narrow exemptions such as iGaming workers. [4], [5], [6]
Does a foreign gambling licence make a site legal in Alberta?
No. A licence from another jurisdiction doesn't substitute for AGLC registration — Alberta law requires registration to operate here or serve Alberta players.
Is the 70% figure independently verified?
No — it's the Government of Alberta's own published estimate, without a stated methodology. This publication reports it as exactly that.
Where's the list of unregulated sites to avoid?
This publication doesn't maintain one. Use the check above instead — it stays accurate as the market changes, a static list doesn't.