Alberta Gambling Ad Rules May Change, Premier Says
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she has heard complaints from Albertans about being bombarded with gambling ads and that changes to the advertising rules may be coming, according to a CityNews Calgary report published on October 25, 2026.
The report's summary does not say which rules could change or when. It lands about three months after the province opened its regulated online gambling market on July 13, 2026, and after weeks of public debate over how visible operator advertising has become.
On her Saturday radio show in July, Smith said the government had built advertising limits into the new market, including no professional athletes encouraging people to bet, no advertising aimed at young people and none aimed at people with gambling problems who are trying to quit. She said those measures were not possible while most operators ran in the unregulated grey market.
In August, Service Alberta minister Dale Nally said that the province has strict advertising rules and will look at next steps if further action is needed to protect Albertans. The province projects the market will add $76 million in revenue in its first year, with one per cent of gross online gambling revenue set aside for problem gambling programmes.
The Rules Operators Follow Today
The Alberta iGaming Corporation set out the current standards in an advertising overview on August 4, 2026. Paid advertising cannot be aimed at minors, self-excluded people or other vulnerable people. It cannot appear on billboards next to schools or youth-oriented locations, and it cannot use cartoons, influencers or celebrities who appeal to minors.
Active or retired athletes can appear in operator marketing only to promote responsible gambling. Advertising that communicates bonuses, inducements or credits is prohibited, except on approved registered sites and in direct messages to players who have given express consent. Ads must be truthful, must not suggest that gambling is a route to financial security and must not encourage players to chase losses.
Registered sites must also point players to 211 Alberta for support, offer time and deposit limit tools and display the AiGC logo to show they are approved. The standards have already been revised once: an AGLC bulletin dated June 18, 2026 moved the advertising rules out of the Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Regulation and into the Standards and Requirements for Internet Gaming, where they now sit as policy.
What Players Can Use Now
Whatever the government decides on advertising, the player protections are already in place. Smith has said a self-exclusion request applies across all platforms, online and in person, and operators must let users set betting and time limits.
Our guide to Alberta's new player protection rules explains how those tools work. The debate also sits alongside a federal push, covered in our report on a group urging Canada to ban all online gambling ads.
The next step to watch is whether Smith or Nally announces specific changes, and whether they come through the AGLC standards or through the regulation itself.
