Alberta Funds $2.4M Gambling Treatment Before iGaming Fees
Alberta has announced $2.4 million in funding for Brick House Recovery Centre to expand treatment and recovery programmes for problem gamblers, according to iGamingToday.
The grant arrives as the province's regulated iGaming market, launched in mid-July 2026, ramps up under an agreement that allocates 1% of operator profits to addiction treatment.
Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally said Albertans should think of the funding as an advance against the payback that will come from the gaming companies now doing business in the province, describing it as the first in a series of stages addressing problem gambling.
He said the province did not want residents to wait while the 1% levy accumulated, so the grant is being made available now to let treatment services begin without delay. Brick House Recovery Centre operates branches in Edmonton and Calgary and provides virtual assistance to clients across the province.
iGaming Revenue Still To Come
Alberta expects to earn $76m in revenue this year from iGaming, representing 20% of all revenue generated by legally regulated sites in the province.
As of the announcement, the Alberta iGaming Corporation had 31 sites listed as legally open for business, though operator payments have not yet begun flowing, meaning the province is fronting the addiction treatment costs while it waits for that revenue.
Nally has said Alberta joined Ontario as one of only two Canadian jurisdictions to legalise iGaming because millions of dollars a year were already being spent on offshore gaming sites before regulation.
Betway, one of the licensed sportsbook operators, previously reported an 8% rise in Alberta revenue over the past year on an earnings call, according to iGamingToday.
Legalising An Existing Black Market
Nally has said the decision to regulate iGaming was not primarily about creating a new market, but about bringing an already flourishing black market for offshore betting under a legal framework that can be taxed and controlled.
By bringing operators into that regulated structure, Alberta can apply consumer protections while collecting tax revenue on activity that was already taking place.
The 1% Rate Stays Under Review
Nally said the province is currently satisfied with the 1% allocation, though Alberta's population is growing and neighbouring Ontario's gaming revenues have already far exceeded that province's own estimates, with Ontarians wagering more than $9 billion a month this year.
He said the 1% figure will remain under review as Alberta's land-based casino revenue grows a couple of percent a year and iGaming revenue is expected to grow annually too, with the province prepared to raise the rate if treatment funding needs increase.
Dr. Lovneet Hayer, one of the founders of Brick House Recovery Centre, said in an official press release that the centre is dedicated to providing individuals and their families affected by gambling addiction with quality, recovery-oriented treatment across its Edmonton and Calgary locations.
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