Knowing the Canadian Gaming Summit panel discussion Wednesday morning with the Honorable Dale Nally, Minister of Service and Red Tape Reduction for the province of Alberta, would be jam-packed, I got to Conference Room 1 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre 45 minutes before the scheduled start of the talk.
Alberta’s progression toward a private-operator, Ontario-style, igaming market is foremost on everyone’s mind at this year’s summit and the Nally presentation has been widely anticipated. SBC and the Canadian Gaming Association, organizers of the summit, have also made Alberta the theme for several other panel discussions over the three-day event in Toronto. Would any announcements from Alberta come out of Nally’s talk to industry leaders?
There wasn’t exactly any news, but certainly, a brighter spotlight and clarity on the fact Alberta is moving fast to an open market.
Nally spoke boldly about the province’s record in cutting corporate taxes by 30 percent (collecting more taxes at the lower rate than they did when taxes were higher, he said, because business responded and invested in the province), cutting bureaucratic red tape, and how his province is now entering a massive economic boom. Thus, a regulated, open, igaming market is a matter of when, not if.
“Ontario built the road map,” he told the audience. “We’re free market conservatives. We’ll have an open and free gaming market for gaming. Our gaming site is going to look very similar to Ontario, because we’re following their model as far as I’m concerned. We’re working through that now. We’re probably going to massage it a little bit.”
Currently, the government is in consultations with First Nations representatives (45 First Nations in Alberta) about a new igaming platform. Nally said that will run through the summer. Government officials are also talking to their counterparts in Ontario, asking questions, so they can learn best practices.
“We know that responsible gaming can be fun and we want responsible gaming to be alive and well in Alberta,” he said.
Bill 16 passed a few weeks ago. Companies would not come to Alberta if market were managed by Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC), due to the AGLC’s relationship with Play Alberta. The new bill ensures that the provincial government will conduct and manage gaming in the province, as well as AGLC.
“So [private operators] can come to Alberta and invest in the province, knowing they won’t have to share their data with AGLC or Play Alberta,” he said. “Our goal is to have an open, responsible gaming experience that very much emulates the Ontario experience. Now you’ve heard my pitch. Now I want to hear yours. And that’s why I came here today.”
That’s about as clear a message as you’ll hear. Alberta sees what has occurred in two years in the Ontario market, which Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey laid out before Nally’s speech, highlighting 47 operators, 77 sites, 1.3 million active player accounts, and an igaming market that was 70 percent bigger than the first year, $63 billion in wagering and $2.4 billion in gaming revenue.
Alberta wants a piece of that pie. Nally came to the summit this morning, with executives from major private operators in attendance, to formally open the door and extend a hand.
