We look at the stats claiming 90% of Alberta players gamble on overseas online gambling websites rather than Play Alberta’s regulated site.
According to a new research study conducted by Canadian Gaming Association (CGA) on behalf of the Canadian Gaming Association (CGA), 90% of online gamblers bet and play games on overseas websites.
Furthermore, it seems that those gambling at overseas websites did not know that the sites they are playing on are not considered regulated.
It seems that earlier statistics that claim 50% of players in Alberta who gamble online do so at the only legal gambling website in the province, Play Alberta, could be incorrect.
Initially, the stat was highlighted by Dan Keene, AGLC’s Vice President of Gaming. He used the H2 Gambling Capital report to make the claim, which we highlighted in our Alberta, Canada Private Online Gambling Firms gambling news report.
The new statistics highlight that Alberta has a significantly higher proportion of online gamblers within its population who gamble overseas. This could mean that Play Alberta is not attracting as many players as it should, if the research stats are accurate.
As a result, inviting private operators into a new domestic Alberta licensing framework would make the online gambling market more competitive and potentially attract some of those who currently play on overseas iGaming platforms.
Source: We sourced the information and formulated our views for this Cassinoplusbonus from the CGA Ipsos Report Online Gambling Alberta news story on the Canadian Gaming Business gambling news website.
How Was The Ipsos Study Carried Out?
Iposes used a sample of 1,319 online gamblers in Alberta. The same study also includes British Columbia, which is currently lobbying for an online gambling licensing authority to bring private operators to its iGaming and online sports betting market.
The research was conducted over 30 days from February 24 to March 24.
Now, here is the key part that brings relevance to the study. Respondents were gamblers who had placed real money bets online within the three months preceding the survey.
As a result, the players had to be those who had recently gambled online to give more validity to the survey’s results.
Alberta Ipsos Study Statistics
| Metric | Percentage | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Used only unregulated sites (past 3 months) | 77.3% | Exclusive use of unregulated sites |
| Used only Play Alberta | 10.4% | Exclusive use of the regulated site |
| Used both Play Alberta and unregulated sites | 12.3% | Combination of regulated and unregulated sites |
| Total who used Play Alberta (any use) | 22.7% | Defined as the “channelization rate” |
| Believed Play Alberta is regulated | 93% | Awareness of legal platform |
| Believed unregulated sites were regulated | 55% | Misconception about unregulated platforms |
Players Unaware They Are Playing on Unregulated Sites
A key point that we find slightly baffling is that Ipsos claimed many of those who gamble on overseas sites believed the websites are regulated. The problem is that we don’t have access to the report to see exactly what this statistic means. When they use the term ‘unregulated’ do they mean not regulated in Alberta?
Or does ‘unregulated’ also include online gambling sites operating under the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), Curacao GCB, and Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC)? If it is the latter, does that mean players believe these sites are classed as ‘regulated’ under Alberta laws?
You can see the confusion here. At a guess, we would say that if the gambling platform is not Play Alberta, then the statement that there is a ‘misconception’ around regulation means any non-Play Alberta gambling website counts as ‘unregulated’, and that’s where these stats come from.
We did try to search the Ipsos website for the official research statistics, but had no luck. If you happen to come across the official research study, please let us know.
Casinoplusbonus Opinion
As mentioned, an online gambling market that allows private operators to register in Alberta appears to be the right move. However, the team here at Casinoplusbonus always raises questions about the accuracy of these research studies.
Honestly, we’ve seen these research studies across several licensing jurisdictions. They often release conflicting studies. We observed a similar scenario in the UK regarding responsible gambling studies. What’s more, the results of these research studies depend rather on how the questions are asked and the sample of respondents that participate.
In the case of Ipsos, the study covered 1,319 online gaming players in Alberta. It’s quite a small portion compared to the overall gambling market when you consider that there are a little over 300,000 members of Play Alberta. We are referring to 0.44%, and we haven’t even touched on those who gamble overseas, which could be as many as 1 to 2 million Alberta citizens.
It’s great to see these stats and surveys, but we’ve seen Dan Keene claim a little over half of Alberta’s online gambling population play overseas, and now Ipsos say it’s more like 90%. Therefore, we are left with the question of what the real number is.
For the sake of argument, let’s meet halfway. At the juncture in time, with the information available to us, it would be fair to say 75% of Alberta’s online gamblers likely gamble at overseas online casinos available in Canada.
What are your thoughts? Feel free to comment below. Are you from Alberta? If so, we’d love to interview you here on Casinoplusbonus about your online gambling activities.
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