Election betting will be a no-go when Alberta’s competitive online gambling market opens later this year.
Alberta has said ‘hell naw’ to election betting.
On Tuesday, the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) published a bulletin alerting prospective online gambling operators to a new rule banning political wagers.
The regulatory shift involves an amendment to section 4.6, ‘Sports and Event Betting’ of Alberta’s Standards and Requirements for Internet Gaming (SRIG).
The one-line addition, 4.6.5. p. expressly prohibits election betting:
Bets on political events (e.g., elections, by-elections, leadership contests) are prohibited.”
The regulator (and operator of Play Alberta) said it’s “committed to reviewing policies to meet the needs of stakeholders, while maintaining an effective regulatory environment.” This amendment, AGLC explained, is a result of that commitment.
Given that Alberta’s new market launch is still months away, this might not be the last tweak.
Alberta Not Carbon Copy of Ontario
Precisely when Alberta’s regulated online market will go live is still TBD, but the current expectation is some time this summer. In the meantime, the amendment is an example of the important work going on behind the scenes to make the market a reality.
Ontario, the only Canadian province with a live regulated open market, allows election betting. While Alberta’s gambling expansion plans largely borrow from Ontario’s framework, its ban on political wagers is one example of the province beating its own path.
The ‘Strong and Free’ province will also implement a slightly steeper tax rate than Ontario’s 20% and have centralized self-exclusion solidly in place before launch. Almost four years in, Ontario’s provincial self-exclusion program still hasn’t launched.
Prediction Markets, Offshore Operators Pick Up Slack
Alberta’s regulators haven’t shared why they’ve opted to prohibit political wagers, but they’re certainly not alone in making the decision.
Except for a few minutes in 2020, Ontario is the only North American jurisdiction to have ever had regulated gambling on political battles.
In April 2020, after receiving approval from the state lottery board, FanDuel launched presidential election markets in West Virginia. Almost immediately after betting opened, government officials shut down it down. West Virginia senator Jim Justice (R), formerly Governor of the state, called the attempt ridiculous at the time.
I thought, you know, are you kidding me? The first thing that came to my mind was, you know, what next? It’s humorous, but it’s ridiculous.”
The lack of legal election betting in Canada and the US doesn’t mean there’s no opportunity to wager on political markets. Grey and black market operators give users the option to bet on political contests.
Election betting is big on prediction market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket. Currently, the markets are largely unavailable in Canada, although Polymarket is accessible to Albertans.
On the US side of the border, prediction markets operate under federal regulations, much to many states’ chagrin.
On Kalshi, several election markets are available:
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