Shuffle Up in Canada: Alberta Online Poker and Shared Pools on the Horizon

What’s Alberta’s Plan to Regulate Online Poker?

Alberta has introduced Bill 48, known as the iGaming Alberta Act, which aims to legalize and regulate online gambling in the province — including online poker. If passed, the legislation will establish a provincial gaming authority to license and oversee private operators. That means names like PokerStars, GGPoker, and PartyPoker could one day be operating legally in Alberta, under provincial oversight.

Currently, Alberta players have just one government-run option: PlayAlberta, which doesn’t offer peer-to-peer poker. So most Albertans turn to international grey-market sites, where they can still access tournaments and cash games — but without any local consumer protections or responsible gambling tools.

Minister Dale Nally, who introduced the bill, says the goal is to shift players from these offshore platforms to a safer, competitive market. According to Nally, the new system would not just replicate Ontario’s model — it would aim for something even bigger: a more open market that includes shared liquidity, potentially across provinces or even internationally.

Shared Liquidity: The Game-Changer

One of the biggest questions hanging over Alberta’s plans is whether it will go with a ring-fenced poker model like Ontario’s or pursue shared liquidity. For context: Ontario launched its market in 2022 with all player pools confined within the province, and while several major operators joined, the fenced-in nature has always been a sticking point.

But Alberta online poker seems to be taking a broader view. A piece of legislation passed last year allows the province to run online gaming either on its own or in cooperation with other jurisdictions. That’s a strong signal that Alberta is open to linking player pools—and Minister Nally has said as much publicly.

Back in October 2024, Nally told reporters: “We’re going to join Ontario in terms of liquidity,” and even called on other provinces to follow suit. If that actually happens, Alberta and Ontario could team up to create a two-province poker network serving over 20 million residents — roughly the same player base as the current shared US market spanning Michigan and New Jersey.

The prospect of a Canadian online poker compact would be a major shift. It could entice more operators to invest in the market, offer players better guarantees and bigger tournaments, and create momentum for other provinces to follow.

Could Alberta Online Poker Keep the Global Pool?

There’s also a wildcard in the mix: international liquidity.

Unlike Ontario, which interpreted federal law as banning participation in global poker pools, Alberta hasn’t made its stance on this point entirely clear. And Ontario’s interpretation may soon change. A ruling is expected in 2025 from the Ontario Court of Appeal that could determine whether operators in Canada can legally offer access to global player networks.

If that decision goes in favor of global pooling, Alberta could be in a position to allow international liquidity from the start. That would immediately make it one of the most attractive regulated poker markets in North America.

If not, an interprovincial network still seems likely. And Alberta’s willingness to partner up — rather than go it alone — gives it a major edge over the isolated Ontario model.

What This Means for Poker Players in Alberta—and Canada

For players in Alberta, this could finally mean legal access to the same platforms they’re already using — only now with the added benefits of player protections, verified randomness, deposit security, and responsible gaming features.

For poker fans in the rest of Canada, especially in provinces where regulation isn’t even on the radar, Alberta’s progress could light a fire. A functioning Alberta–Ontario poker network would show what’s possible when provinces cooperate—and could kickstart broader regulatory conversations across the country.

While a fully open Canadian market is still a way off, Alberta online poker might be the first real step toward making it happen. And if everything lines up — the legislation, the licensing, and the liquidity deals — we could be seeing a brand-new era for Alberta online poker by 2026.