Latest Gambling News: Alberta Government Releases New iGaming Regulations, Opens Registration, and more

Catch up on some of the stories our gambling compliance analysts have covered lately, and stay up-to-date on the latest news.

Alberta Government Releases New iGaming Regulations, Opens Registration

Alberta’s government has taken the first major step toward facilitating the launch of the province’s competitive online gaming market by opening up for applications and releasing new regulations and standards applicable to both operators and suppliers.

Operators interested in launching in Alberta must register with Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis (AGLC), then reach a commercial agreement with the newly created Alberta iGaming Corporation (AIGC), which will be responsible for conducting and managing gaming under federal law in a model very similar to that utilized by the province of Ontario.

On Tuesday (January 13), the Alberta government published specific standards for online gaming that include technical processes and responsible gaming requirements, as well as amended regulations that include advertising restrictions. The government also published further documentation addressing the proposed revenue share operators will have to pay for the privilege of operating in the province.

Throughout the process, government leaders have maintained that the finished product would look a lot like Ontario’s model, and the assorted documents deliver on that promise, borrowing heavily from standards promulgated by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

Provincial officials elected to bring over many of the more controversial provisions from Ontario, including a prohibition on promoting bonuses or other inducements in public advertising or privately without a player first opting in.

Amended regulations on advertising also borrow Ontario's ban on using active and retired athletes in advertising materials except for the purpose of advocating for responsible gaming.

A potential launch date still remains a question mark. Dale Nally, minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, told the Edmonton Journal that he expected it would take “a few months” to reach a launch date, although he did not offer specifics and said “it will be sooner as opposed to later.”

Government officials have touted their plans for a launch in the early part of 2026, but for comparison, Ontario officials released their final online gaming standards in July 2021, and the first regulated operators launched nine months later in April 2022.

UK MPs Warn Tax Rises Will Fuel Black Market Growth

During a debate in the House of Commons earlier this week, MPs warned that the proposed gambling tax rises outlined in November’s Budget will fuel the growth of the black market in the UK.

Shadow Treasury Secretary James Wild warned of the unintended consequences of excessive tax rises, saying that when taxes go up, it can lead to a change in consumer behaviour, which can result in a decrease in yield.

He added that the demand for online gambling will not change but will be diverted to the unregulated market where consumer protections are weaker, fraud risks are higher, and tax revenue is not collected.

The Treasury has predicted a £500m increase in unlicensed activity and has already pledged £26m to  Britain’s Gambling Commission to counter it.

Gareth Snell, Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, also highlighted the risks identified by the Office for Budget Responsibility. He noted that the report said there will be an increase in black market activity as a result of the tax changes. He added: “That is much more damaging, will raise much less revenue and, ultimately, will be much more damaging to our economy.”

Caroline Dinenage, chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, highlighted the potential impact on charities and good causes, warning that many face a “funding cliff edge” due to delays as the statutory levy is rolled out. She called on the minister to "act to ensure that no charitable organisation currently operating within the gambling harm prevention sector will have to fold due to delays with levy funding”.

Betting and Gaming Council CEO Grainne Hurst hailed MPs for raising their concerns in parliament and to highlight “the real-world consequences of further gambling tax rises, which will result in job losses, shop closures and will drive customers towards the unsafe and harmful black market”.

Canadian Gaming Association Implements New Advertising Code

The Canadian Gaming Association (CGA) announced that a new responsible advertising code is now in effect for member companies.

The nine-page policy includes an outline of prohibited behaviors that all CGA members and other signatories agree to follow in advertising gaming in Ontario.

The voluntary code includes several policies enacted in Ontario that have also been ported over into regulations in Alberta, including prohibitions on offering inducements such as bonuses in public advertising, as well as a ban on using active or retired athletes in ads for purposes other than advocating for responsible gaming.

The policy also covers truthful and transparent advertising, social responsibility, and mandatory responsible gaming.

“The code is a voluntary commitment by CGA members and signatories, designed to meet or exceed existing federal and provincial legal requirements,” the CGA said in its announcement. “It does not replace legislation or regulation but rather supplements them alongside the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards.”

Efforts have been made in Canada’s parliament in recent years to pass stricter language to curtail gaming advertising, which the CGA has opposed.

The code will be administered by Ad Standards, a Canadian non-profit advertising self-regulatory organization.

Ukraine Begins Launch Of National Online Gambling Monitoring System

Ukraine has started the launch of its State Online Monitoring System (DSOM) as part of a two-stage rollout in 2026 to monitor the real-time operation of the legal gambling industry and create a “transparent” market.

In the first stage, which has started operating, the DSOM will record bets, payouts, refunds and players’ balances.

Stage two, planned for later in 2026, will expand the system’s capabilities including recording games results, controlling the operation of slot machines as well as monitoring responsible playing and transactions between gaming substitutes for hryvnia, the Ukrainian currency.

Licensed operators will have six months to join DSOM.

Without high-quality, verified and regular data, it was not possible to have effective regulation, accurate budget revenue forecasts or to evaluate the success of responsible gaming policies, commented deputy minister of digital transformation, Natalia Denikeieva, on  January 15.

Ukraine is moving to a data-driven approach, where decision-making would not be intuitive or manual, but based on a “real picture of the market”, she added. From this summer, Ukraine will have a tool to regulate the legal gambling industry and combat the illegal sector.

PlayCity, the state agency for controlling Ukraine’s gambling and lottery sector, said that in 2024 UAH10bn (€200m) of potential tax revenue was not collected because it was generated within the illegal market.

BGC Chair To Step Down After Six Years

Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) chair Michael Dugher has announced he will step down from his position at the industry standards body.

Dugher has been with the BGC for the past six years and was the trade association’s founding CEO before becoming its chair in April 2024.

His resignation has immediate effect, with Dugher now taking up a position as head of public policy at the global advisory company, the Brunswick Group.

Dugher will also continue to work as a freelance business adviser and remain a board member and director at Nottingham Forest Football Club.

Speaking about his time with the BGC, Dugher said he was proud of everything the organisation had achieved, highlighting how much it had raised for good causes.

He added that while public opinion on betting had not been entirely helpful, he feels that the current white paper into the Gambling Act review avoided “many of the most draconian and disproportionate measures advocated by anti-gambling prohibitionists”.

Dugher did point out that while progress has been made in raising standards of regulation in the UK, there is still “very worrying growth” in harmful gambling from the black market.

Current BGC CEO Grainne Hurst praised Dugher's contribution to the organisation during his tenure and through his leadership, the BGC has established itself as a credible standards body.

Lastly, Ian Proctor, chairman of Flutter UK & Ireland, remarked that during a period of great regulatory change in the UK, Dugher’s experience and judgement were invaluable in supporting constructive engagement with the government and Britain’s Gambling Commission.

U.S. Congress Seeks To Restore Gambling Tax Deduction

A bipartisan bill that seeks to restore the long-standing federal rule allowing gamblers to deduct 100 percent of their losses against their winnings has been introduced in Congress.

Representatives Steven Horsford, a Democrat from Nevada, and Ohio Republican Max Miller introduced H.R. 6985, known as the Facilitating Useful Loss Limitations to Help Our Unique Service Economy, or Full House, Act, to rectify a tax provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill.

Beginning with the 2026 tax year, federal taxpayers filing itemized returns can only deduct up to 90 percent of their gambling losses against their winnings. The change was a last-minute add-on by Republicans in the Senate Finance Committee to the omnibus tax bill.

Miller said their effort to restore the full deduction was about “basic fairness in the tax code.” The bill has been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee.

“Americans should not be taxed on money they didn’t actually take home,” Miller said. “By restoring the full deduction for gambling losses, this bill ensures the IRS treats taxpayers honestly and consistently.”

The Full House Act is the exact same bill as the “Full House Act” introduced in July in the Senate by Senators Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat from Nevada, and Texas Republican Ted Cruz.

“Losses from wagering transactions shall be allowed only to the extent of the gains from such transactions,” the two-page bill reads.

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