The Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis (AGLC), the regulatory agency for gambling in the province of Alberta, is currently being sued by two tribes which consider its recently-launched online casino illegal.
The agency was very proud to launch the very first legal online casino in the province back in October, featuring a wide range of video slots and lottery games, all being played in a safe and fully regulated environment.
However, the launch of this online platform came at a rough time for the land-based side of the industry. Some venues in the province had to be closed for months as the coronavirus pandemic hit Canada, so the AGLC’s online casino was virtually the only available gambling platform in the province.
That situation made two tribes in the province quite unhappy, the Tsuut’ina Nation and the Stoney Nakoda First Nation both operate land-based casinos and have filed a lawsuit in which they solicit the immediate closure of the PlayAlberta.ca website.
The two tribes describe the online gambling platform as “an unauthorized entry” into the market and also indicate that it might constitute a conflict of interest as the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission also has to serve as a regulator for gambling in the province.
