BetMGM: "Our goal for Alberta is to create a highly engaging, gamified experience that gives players reasons to return regularly"

As Alberta prepares to launch its regulated online gaming market, operators across North America are closely watching what could become one of the continent’s most competitive jurisdictions. With lessons drawn from Ontario’s successful rollout and growing expectations around localization, player protection and sustainable growth, the province represents a major new chapter for Canada’s online gaming industry.

During SBC Summit Americas in Florida, BetMGM Senior Manager of Casino Operations Paul Adams sat down with Yogonet to discuss how the company is preparing for Alberta’s launch, the key differences between Canadian markets, and why regulation, responsible gaming and localized entertainment will be essential to long-term success.

He also reflected on Ontario’s evolution, the challenges posed by gray-market competition, and how operators can balance growth with sustainability in an increasingly regulated environment.

Alberta is now just weeks away from launch. What are your expectations for the first few weeks once the market goes live, and how is BetMGM preparing for that moment?

We expect Alberta to become one of the most competitive gaming markets in North America.

There are a lot of lessons operators have learned from launches in U.S. states and especially from Ontario. BetMGM is focused on delivering a world-class gaming experience that is both entertaining and sustainable. We approached Ontario that way from day one, investing heavily in a localized team that truly understood the market while also leveraging expertise from our U.S. operations.

What’s interesting is how much Ontario exceeded expectations. Deloitte originally projected the market would reach roughly CAD 1.3 billion by 2027, based largely on estimates of the gray market size. In reality, the market surpassed CAD 4 billion in 2025 alone, completely outperforming those projections.

Because of that, I think operators are approaching Alberta much more aggressively from the start. They understand the potential now. Most major operators are expected to launch immediately and bring their strongest products to market.

From a consumer perspective, that’s fantastic because it means players will have access to high-quality, highly competitive offerings right from day one.

What are some of the biggest lessons from Ontario that BetMGM will apply in Alberta?

One of the biggest lessons is that no two markets are identical. There are clear differences between jurisdictions, whether you compare Michigan to New Jersey or Ontario to Alberta. Sports preferences vary, casino preferences vary, and even player behavior differs significantly.

Localization is critical. In Ontario, for example, our NHL-related products and exclusive league-branded content performed exceptionally well, even outperforming expectations compared to some U.S. states. Alberta will have its own dynamics and player preferences, so we need to understand what resonates locally.

Alberta is also unique geographically and demographically. Roughly a third of the population is centered around Calgary, another third around Edmonton, and the rest in more rural communities. That changes how players engage with products and brands.

You really need to treat Alberta as its own market with its own identity rather than simply copying strategies from elsewhere.

Much has been said about Alberta’s regulatory framework being modeled after Ontario’s. Do you believe that was the right approach?

Absolutely. Ontario is widely considered one of the great success stories in regulated online gaming, so it makes perfect sense for Alberta to build on that framework rather than reinvent the wheel.

Ontario created a strong foundation, and over the past four years regulators have continued refining the market based on real-world data and experience. Because the market is fully regulated and transparent, regulators can actually study player behavior, anti-money laundering concerns, responsible gaming trends, and compliance issues in ways that simply aren’t possible in gray markets.

Alberta is taking those lessons and adapting them to fit its own needs, which is a very smart approach.

What’s also important to recognize is how difficult regulating a market actually is. It took years of work in Ontario and years again in Alberta. There’s an enormous amount of effort involved in building a sustainable framework that balances player protection, operator viability, and market competitiveness. Both provinces deserve a lot of credit for that.

Advertising restrictions and responsible gaming measures have evolved in Ontario. What do you think is essential to maintain a competitive regulated market without pushing players back toward gray-market operators?

Ontario’s channelization rate is around 91%, which is incredibly impressive and one of the strongest examples globally of a successful regulated market.

One major difference compared to many U.S. jurisdictions is that Ontario prohibits operators from publicly advertising inducements and bonuses. Initially, some people believed that restriction might hurt the regulated market, especially since gray-market operators could still advertise aggressively elsewhere in Canada. But the opposite happened.

What it did was shift the focus toward the quality of the product and the brand itself rather than just promotions and bonuses. Players engage with operators because they’re interested in the entertainment experience, not simply because of sign-up offers.

At the same time, restrictions around responsible gaming, player protection, age verification, and anti-money laundering are absolutely necessary. Those safeguards create sustainability for the industry.

Something people often forget is that online gambling already existed long before regulation. When I first signed up for online gaming sites in the early 2000s, there were virtually no protections, no responsible gaming messaging, and very little oversight.

Regulation brought everything above the surface and created an environment where player protection could actually be enforced.

Influencer marketing and creator-led content have become increasingly important in gaming. How do regulated markets approach that challenge?

That’s one of the most interesting areas right now. In regulated markets like Ontario, the same advertising standards apply to creator-led content. You can’t promote inducements irresponsibly, and you can’t create campaigns that target underage audiences.

Outside regulated markets, however, those restrictions often don’t exist. You have influencers with millions of followers promoting gaming products without meaningful oversight, even when their audiences skew younger.

That’s exactly why regulation matters. These safeguards exist to protect players and create a sustainable industry.

The success of Ontario proves that regulation can work. Today, Ontario and Alberta together will represent more than half of Canada’s population under regulated online gaming frameworks, which is a major milestone for the country.

What metrics will be most important for BetMGM in Alberta during the early stages of the market?

Market share will obviously be a major focus. We’re extremely proud of the success we’ve had in Ontario, and we want to become a market leader in Alberta as well. Competition will be fierce, but we’re confident in the strength of our product and brand.

At BetMGM, entertainment is central to everything we do. We offer a large amount of exclusive content that players can’t find elsewhere, and much of what has been successful in Ontario and the U.S. will also be available in Alberta.

That includes exclusive intellectual property partnerships like Game of Thrones, The Wizard of Oz, Friends, The Price Is Right, as well as league partnerships with the NHL, NBA, and MLB.

Our goal is to create a highly engaging, gamified experience that gives players reasons to return regularly. We want the platform to feel dynamic, entertaining, and differentiated from competitors.

How important are exclusive branded titles in driving engagement today?

They’re extremely important. We recently launched the Game of Thrones slot in Ontario with a six-week exclusivity window, and it became one of our strongest game launches.

It’s a globally recognized brand with incredible visual identity, and that translated beautifully into the gaming experience. The slot itself is visually stunning and very immersive.

Exclusive content like that helps differentiate operators in increasingly competitive markets. Players want recognizable entertainment brands and unique experiences they can’t access elsewhere.

That’s something we continue investing heavily in as part of our broader strategy.