Alberta Gaming, Lottery and Cannabis (AGLC) announced on Wednesday that its first-ever Play Alberta app has finally hit the market after a small delay.

As AGLC VP of Gaming Dan Keene told Canadian Gaming Business as far back as mid-June, the new app will be rolled out in phases. It will operate purely as a mobile sportsbook at first, with online gaming offerings such as online casino, lottery, instant games and live dealer to be added at a later date, projected to be in the first half of 2025.

The app now offers a range of betting markets on more than 50 sports and leagues, including the NHL, the NFL, the NBA, MLB and the CFL.

“Mobile sports betting continues to evolve for Play Alberta with our new app, available to Apple and Android users, that optimizes their experience while accessing our product,” said Steve Lautischer, AGLC’s EVP of business development, in a release. “In addition to unique, Alberta-based markets, the app gives bettors added security when signing up and using the platform, knowing that their personal and financial information are safe.”

Play Alberta, for now the only regulated online gaming platform in the province, just celebrated its fourth anniversary. Keene told CGB back in June that AGLC hoped to launch its first-ever Play Alberta app in September to coincide with the anniversary and in time for the start of the NHL and NFL seasons, It did not quite make that target launch date, but it is now live across the province.

“Play Alberta is still fairly young in its lifecycle and we’ve always had eyes on developing an app because it’s critical to the delivery of the product,” Keene told CGB. The app also offers PlayAlberta.ca’s responsible gambling features, including the GameSense and Self-Exclusion programs, to all users.

The app launch will help AGLC capitalize on the betting boom it enjoyed last spring as the Edmonton Oilers went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.

Keene told CGB that Play Alberta saw its biggest uptick in betting activity in its four years of existence during that run, with steady increases in the number of users, betting volume and betting handle round by round as the Oilers progressed through the playoffs. AGLC jumped on the opportunity by significantly deepening and broadening its hockey betting markets.

The Oilers are currently a leading favourite to win the Stanley Cup this year. Play Alberta is now tied more closely to the province’s NHL teams, as the platform now sponsors the home jerseys of both the Oilers and the Calgary Flames.

Getting up to speed as competition waits in wings

While AGLC has not explicitly said as much, the move to launch an app and offer Alberta bettors the kind of mobile wagering experience they have been able to access through unregulated operators for years will also have been made with one eye on what is coming down the pipeline.

“Numerous gaming providers have existed in Alberta for decades. Albertans are already participating, the market is already mature. We know there are a lot of competitors out there and likely to be more in the future,” Keene acknowledged to CGB in June, referencing plans to launch a regulated commercial gambling market in the province sooner rather than later.

However, AGLC looks set to have more time than thought to continue its monopoly on regulated gaming in the province.

Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Dale Nally’s office told CGB in recent days that despite suggestions that Alberta could launch a gaming market before the end of the year, there will be no such action for the foreseeable future. Nally told attendees at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas on Wednesday that he hopes he will be back at G2E next October talking about Alberta’s open market.

“Industry stakeholders have told us that we need to continue our conversations so they can provide more input on the model. We are doing just that,” Nally’s Press Secretary Brandon Aboultaif told CGB. “Further engagements will also help to identify opportunities to align the strategy with our red tape reduction priorities. While we aim to put the strategy forward in 2025, we will continue to provide updates as this work unfolds.”

For now, recent estimates from H2 Gambling Capital suggested that Play Alberta has captured around 45% of the Alberta gaming market, while the rest plays on grey market sites and apps.

AGLC will hope that its new Play Alberta app, complete with local offerings, sets it up for greater success.