888 opens first regulated Alberta poker as PokerStars exits

888 launched a locally licensed online poker site in Alberta on 13 October, the day the province's three-month transition period ended, and is currently the only operator offering regulated online poker there, according to Pokerfuse. The same day, PokerStars stopped serving players from Alberta on its international site. The email to players gives no date for a return, Pokerfuse and Canada Gaming Review report.

What 888 launched

Poker was missing when Alberta's regulated market opened on 13 July. Under the province's rules, poker has to run in a segregated player pool. Alberta has around five million people, so a pool of its own is small, and Pokerfuse had expected 888 to leave poker out of its Alberta offer.

888 launched poker anyway. According to Pokerfuse, players had to download new software and open new accounts. The client offers cash games in Hold'em and Omaha, plus guaranteed tournaments, including turbos, Mystery Bounties and knockout tournaments, with modest guarantees at the start.

An 888 spokesperson told Poker Industry PRO: "From today, players from Alberta will move into a separate pool (Alberta only, not with Ontario), in line with the new rules in Alberta." In practice, Albertans on 888 now play only one another, not 888's Ontario players and not the international pool.

According to Pokerfuse, no launch promotions had been announced at the time of publication.

How PokerStars is stepping back

PokerStars emailed players in Alberta ahead of the deadline. The operator had already blocked casino and sports betting in the province when the market opened in July. From 13 October, players with Alberta as their registered province also lose access to poker, enforced through IP location and registration details, according to the email as reported by Pokerfuse and Canada Gaming Review. Those reports say:

• Balances remain withdrawable;
• Buy-ins for tournaments from 13 October are refunded;
• Non-promotional rewards are converted to cash.

The email gives no date for a return. That would take an Alberta licence. In Ontario, PokerStars operates as PokerStars on FanDuel.

Why the size of the pool matters

The larger question is liquidity. Alberta and Ontario could in theory share players, and Canada's Supreme Court is weighing whether provinces may pool players internationally. According to Canada Gaming Review, Alberta's attorney general argued for international pooling at a hearing on 7 October. Neither change has happened. Until one does, a poker lobby in Alberta is an Alberta-only lobby.

What it means for players

If you have been playing PokerStars from Alberta, withdraw your balance. If you want regulated poker in the province, 888 is for now the only regulated option, according to Pokerfuse, and it needs a new account. For the deadline as a whole, see our briefing on Alberta's transition period. BetMGM separately reports a multi-product launch in Alberta in its Q3 update, and Games Global entered the market earlier.

18+. If gambling has stopped feeling like a pastime, see our responsible play page. In Alberta, 211 Alberta and AGLC's GameSense programme offer support.