Stake Plans Alberta Launch as Province's Grey-Market Deadline Nears

Stake will open a licensed online casino and sportsbook in Alberta on Oct. 11, the chief executive of Stake's parent company Easygo said in an Oct. 6 post on X.

Stake's own announcement gave Oct. 12 instead. It also made that date depend on signing an operating agreement with the Alberta iGaming Corporation, the provincial body that runs the market.

The timing matters because Alberta's grace period for unlicensed sites ends on Oct. 13. Regulator guidance says extensions are not expected past that date. Stake already serves Canadian players through its Curaçao-licensed site, according to multiple industry reports.

Stake Canada Clears the Regulator

Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) lists Stake Canada Ltd. as an iGaming operator in its public registrant list. The registration runs to Sept. 24, 2027. Stake says it then secured its license on Oct. 6.

The Alberta site will offer a sportsbook and online casino, according to multiple industry reports. Stake says it will run under AGLC standards with responsible gambling and player protection tools.

Alberta opened its regulated market on July 13. Kris Abbott, country manager at Stake Canada, told Canadian Gaming Business in September that the company asked for the three-month transition extension in July while its platform was still being certified.

"We are not here to blend in."

Abbott made that pledge in the Oct. 6 announcement, adding that Stake would "raise the bar" in the province.

Stake's Market List Still Includes Brazil

The Easygo post names eight other regulated markets: Denmark, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Peru and Curaçao. Stake's own release lists six, leaving out Brazil and Curaçao.

Brazil's licensed betting sites went offline on Oct. 6 under a nationwide ban, the same day as the post.

Ontario remains out of reach for now. Stake Canada has an application before the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, but Abbott said in September that the company has no indication of a timeline. In Alberta, the next marker is Oct. 13, when the transition window closes for every operator still serving the province without a license.

Treat gambling as entertainment you pay for. 18+, and if it stops feeling like entertainment, help exists at BeGambleAware and GamCare.