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Alberta is investing approximately $2.4 million in gambling addiction treatment as the province continues to build responsible gambling protections around its new regulated iGaming market. Brick House Recovery Centre will use the funding to expand outpatient and virtual treatment for Alberta residents dealing with problem gambling. The investment is supported through social responsibility funding associated with Alberta’s regulated iGaming market. The province has dedicated 1% of gross gaming revenue to addiction treatment.
Brick House Recovery Centre is the first organization to receive funding through a provincial competition launched earlier this year to expand gambling treatment and recovery services. The program will include four weeks of outpatient treatment followed by up to eight weeks of individualized aftercare.
In-person treatment will be available in Edmonton and Calgary, while virtual services will be offered across the province. That gives residents outside the province’s two largest cities access to the same specialized support.
Additional organizations will receive funding later this fall. The investment comes just over two months after Alberta launched its competitive regulated online gambling market on July 13.
Alberta has committed 1% of gross gaming revenue from the regulated iGaming market to addiction treatment. The Brick House investment is supported through that social responsibility funding.
That means the province’s approach isn’t only focused on regulating operators and collecting revenue. Part of the framework is also designed to fund services for people who experience gambling addiction.
In the public statement announcing this funding, Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally emphasized the need to have treatment available for people who struggle with gambling.
With this latest funding, Alberta is providing an example of how to develop a well-rounded regulated market. One that prioritizes the safety of players.
Alberta isn’t the only competitive Canadian iGaming market increasing its focus on responsible gambling. Ontario recently expanded its campus prevention program from 20 to 40 publicly funded colleges and universities for the 2026-27 academic year.
The Responsible Gambling Council program, supported by iGaming Ontario, is targeting up to 10,000 in-person student interactions. At least 10,000 educational kits will also be distributed, while students will receive information about BetGuard, Ontario’s centralized self-exclusion system for regulated online gambling.
The program places more emphasis on prevention and education among younger adults, while Alberta’s latest investment focuses directly on treatment and recovery.
Both approaches show how responsible gambling efforts are expanding alongside competitive iGaming markets rather than being limited to basic warning messages or self-exclusion tools. It’s a proactive approach to responsible gaming, encompassing the entire process: prevention, intervention, and treatment.
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