Tonybet secures Alberta license as market opens

• Tonybet has received an iGaming license from the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission, adding to its existing Ontario and Kahnawake licenses.
• Alberta’s regulated iGaming market officially opened on July 13, 2026, becoming Canada’s second competitive, multi-operator market after Ontario.
• Tonybet reported that registrations and gross gaming revenue in Ontario each grew 52% in 2025.

Tonybet has been granted an iGaming license by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC), clearing the international operator to enter Alberta’s newly regulated online gaming market.

The license extends Tonybet’s Canadian footprint beyond its existing Ontario and Kahnawake operations as the province’s competitive iGaming era begins.

Alberta market opens

Alberta is now Canada’s second province running a competitive, multi-operator iGaming market, four years after Ontario broke the mould in 2022. The AGLC handles licensing, while the newly formed Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) owns operator agreements and market conduct, splitting the regulatory and commercial functions Ontario combined at launch.

Roughly 5 million residents and a sports-mad fanbase make the province a genuine prize, not just a box-ticking expansion market. More than 50 operators had registered with the AGLC before go-live.

Tonybet’s prep list reads like a standard playbook for entering a new Canadian province: platform localization, a plug-in to Alberta’s centralized self-exclusion system, and a signed commercial agreement with the AiGC. The operator is porting over the regional betting markets and responsible gambling tooling that underpinned its Ontario build-out.

Ontario as the pitch

Tonybet is leaning on its Ontario numbers to make the case that it can scale into a new jurisdiction without loosening compliance.

Dmitry Arabuli, CEO of Tonybet, said:

“Alberta is taking the right approach – building a regulated market that puts player protection and operational standards at the center from the start. That’s exactly the kind of environment we want to operate in.

“We’ve spent years proving in Ontario that you can grow a business and maintain the highest compliance standards at the same time – registrations and gross gaming revenue in the province both grew by 52% in 2025, with responsible gaming embedded in that success rather than working against it. Securing this license means we can bring the same commitment to Alberta, and we plan to be fully operational in the market.”

Founded in 2009 and based in Riga, Tonybet runs sportsbook, casino, and live dealer products across Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Latvia, Estonia, and Canada.

A packed opening day

DraftKings went live with its sportsbook, casino and Golden Nugget brand, marking its 34th North American jurisdiction, and FanDuel also launched its app alongside a renewed CFL tie-up.

bet365 entered on the back of a CFL partnership, and supplier Pragmatic Play certified its slots and live casino content for the province. BetMGM and Caesars were among the other sportsbooks live on day one, alongside supplier Altenar.

The AGLC confirmed July 13 as the launch date back in April, and the province is banking on roughly C$76 million in first-year proceeds from the new framework. Operators also had to clear RG Check accreditation and connect to Alberta’s centralized self-exclusion system before launch, a safeguard Ontario didn’t roll out until May 2026, three years after its own market opened.

Alberta’s opening roster is already deep enough to raise the real question: whether a market of 5 million can support this many licensed brands running the same playbook at once. Tonybet is betting its Ontario compliance record buys it room to find out.