First Online Poker Room Launches in Alberta

The province of Alberta regulated its online gaming market this year. Following that regulation, 888poker became the first operator offering online poker in the province on Tuesday. The company had previously been the first firm to enter the province of Ontario.

PokerStars announced that it has closed access to its international platform for players in Alberta. 888 has taken a similar step and removed Alberta access from its international platform. Instead, a separate site where only Alberta players participate opened to the public from Tuesday. A company spokesperson said that under the new regulation, players will move to a separate pool that is not shared with Ontario.

Although the player pool in Alberta is small, 888 expects a favorable ruling from the Supreme Court. Ontario wants to create shared liquidity with other regulated markets, including Alberta, Europe and the United States. The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled in November 2025 that operators may pool players with players from other provinces and countries. The Canadian Lottery Coalition brought this ruling to the Supreme Court in March.

Alberta's population of 4.3 million makes it difficult to build a strong online poker market within the province alone. Shared liquidity appears more suitable for large player pools and prize pools. If the court rules in favor of Ontario, 888poker could quickly change direction to include players from Ontario and perhaps from outside Canada.

The province of Alberta opened a regulated market in July, but initially had no poker operator. Under the new regulation, companies must obtain a license from the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission. Operators were given a three-month transition period until October 13 to comply or leave the market. PokerStars had already blocked players in Alberta from its online casino and sports betting platforms.

No statement has been made on whether PokerStars will return to the regulated market. The decision is widely expected to depend largely on the outcome of the case in the Supreme Court. The company still operates a separate platform in Ontario after transferring its poker product to FanDuel earlier this year.