GGPoker Alberta: Launch Shelved as the Site Calls a Province-Only Player Pool Too Small (Oct. 29)
Updated on October 31, 2026.
GGPoker Alberta plans are on hold. GGPoker is withdrawing its application in the province and won’t launch a licensed Alberta site for now, it told Poker Industry PRO in a statement reported Thursday, Oct. 29. The reason: an Alberta-only player pool is too small, which leaves 888poker as the only licensed poker room in Alberta.
Quick summary
- GGPoker won’t launch a licensed online poker site in Alberta for the time being and is withdrawing its application.
- The company says an Alberta-only pool can’t support a “sustainable, top-tier poker room,” even with Ontario players added.
- GGPoker says it would reconsider if Alberta allows international shared liquidity.
- 888poker remains the only licensed poker site live in Alberta, according to Pokerfuse.
- The Supreme Court of Canada has not ruled on Ontario’s international player pool case, which Alberta supports.
Why won’t GGPoker launch in Alberta?
GGPoker says the numbers don’t work. In its statement to Poker Industry PRO, the company said that even shared liquidity between Alberta and Ontario wouldn’t create the scale needed for a “sustainable, top-tier poker room.” Liquidity simply means how many players are online, which decides how many games run and how big tournament prize pools get.
Alberta is a ring-fenced market. Only players physically located in the province can play on sites licensed by Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC), so Albertans can’t sit at the same tables as players in Ontario or the rest of the world. According to Pokerfuse, Alberta’s market is about one-third the size of Ontario’s.
GGPoker argued that “shared international liquidity is the only proven model” to protect players, encourage competition and maximize tax revenue. It added that it would “eagerly reconsider entering the market should a framework permitting international shared liquidity be adopted.”
How did GGPoker get here?
The decision comes after months of back and forth. Alberta’s regulated online gambling market opened on July 13, and GGPoker stopped serving players in the province that day, according to Pokerfuse and PokerHeaven. By August, GG International Limited had registered with AGLC, but it still had to complete the commercial side of the process, PokerHeaven reports. No launch date was ever set.
PokerStars took a different path. It kept its international poker room open for Albertans until Oct. 13, then closed it. Ten days later, it said it would return as PokerStars on FanDuel, as we covered in our story on PokerStars’ plans in Alberta.
Which poker sites are licensed in Alberta now?
Only one: 888poker, which went live in the province on Tuesday, Oct. 13, according to Pokerfuse. Here is where the main operators stand.
Operator | Status in Alberta |
|---|---|
888poker | Live and licensed since Oct. 13, 2026 |
PokerStars on FanDuel | Return announced Oct. 23; no launch date |
GGPoker | Registered by August; launch shelved and application withdrawn |
BetMGM | Showed interest months ago; no launch announced, per Pokerfuse |
With a single licensed room and no shared tables, Alberta players have a small pool. That is the same problem GGPoker points to in its statement.
Could shared liquidity bring GGPoker to Alberta?
It could, but nothing will change soon. Ontario is in court to let its players share tables with the rest of the world, and Alberta has joined that effort before the Supreme Court of Canada. The court heard arguments in October and reserved its decision, with no timeline, according to Pokerfuse.
If the court allows international pools and Alberta adopts that model, GGPoker says it would reconsider. Until then, it has no planned Alberta launch.
What it means for players in Canada
If you live in Alberta, the licensed option for online poker today is 888poker, with PokerStars on FanDuel promised but not yet live. GGPoker is not available in the province. Many international rooms also don’t accept players located in Alberta or Ontario, and each room checks your location when you sign up. Our guide to online poker in Canada explains how the rules work in each province.
Outside Ontario and Alberta, provinces run their own government sites, such as PlayNow, which we covered in our BCLC online poker explainer. Many players in those provinces also use international rooms that accept Canadians. These rooms are not licensed by your province, so check the rules where you live before you play. Many players deposit with crypto, and games usually run in US dollars.
If you play at one of our partner rooms for Canada, rakeback returns part of the rake you pay each month. For example, if you open your account through the button in our Betsson Poker review and message us on Telegram, you can receive 40% rakeback, paid monthly, under the room’s terms. Compare the options in our list of the best online poker sites, or see what rakeback is and how it’s calculated.
This article is for information only and is not legal advice.
Get the news on Telegram
Follow our channel for market news from Canada and the rest of the poker world, and ask us your rakeback questions.
Frequently asked questions
Is GGPoker available in Alberta?
No. GGPoker stopped serving players in Alberta when the province's regulated market opened on July 13, 2026, and it now says it won't launch a licensed Alberta site for the time being.
Why did GGPoker drop its Alberta launch?
GGPoker says an Alberta-only player pool is too small to support a sustainable, top-tier poker room, and that sharing tables with Ontario wouldn't add enough players either.
Which online poker sites are licensed in Alberta?
According to Pokerfuse, 888poker is the only poker site licensed and live in Alberta. It launched on Oct. 13, 2026. PokerStars on FanDuel has announced a return but has not given a date.
Will GGPoker ever launch in Alberta?
Maybe. GGPoker says it would reconsider if Alberta adopts a framework that allows international shared liquidity. Alberta backs Ontario's case on that question at the Supreme Court of Canada, which has not ruled yet.
Sources
- Pokerfuse: GGPoker Won’t Launch in Alberta Without Global Player Pool
- Poker Industry PRO: GGPoker will not enter Alberta online poker
- PokerHeaven: GGPoker Pulls the Plug on Alberta Before Its Poker Room Even Opens
- Pokerfuse: 888 becomes first operator to launch regulated online poker in Alberta
- Pokerfuse: GGPoker gets Alberta approval, but online poker launch faces liquidity hurdle
Play responsibly. 18+ only, and check the legal age where you live.
★ Add RakebackPokerWorld to your preferred sources on Google
Who writes this
The RakebackPokerWorld team: professional poker affiliates since 2017, more than 20,000 players helped. We test rooms, payments and rakeback before recommending them.
