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The iGaming platform at 888poker has chalked up the significant milestone of becoming the first to offer aficionados in Alberta the ability to enjoy a range of real-money online poker games.
Owned by London-listed iGaming heavyweight Evoke, 888poker recently received its license from the Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis (AGLC) regulator and has now gone live with a broad selection of Omaha and Texas Hold‘em cash games alongside a regular schedule of peer-to-peer knockout and bounty tournaments.
888poker is the latest to join the recently-regulated Alberta iGaming scene, which already encompassed 51 domains, while punters can additionally access an extensive library of slot, roulette, and blackjack titles via its sister 888casino platform. Players can now enjoy both sites under a single account without the need for separate registrations, identity checks, or divided bankrolls.
This dual launch mirrors Evoke’s historic 2022 Ontario debut, which means it is now the first to offer legal online poker to punters in two Canadian provinces. The operator earlier expressed ‘excitement’ at its Alberta premier and stated its fully compliant platform prioritizes game integrity and player safety.
Due to local regulations, 888poker’s new Alberta platform is completely ring-fenced, which means players compete exclusively against others in the western province. However, Evoke asserted the domain’s client software is optimized should any future inter-jurisdictional shared liquidity deals be authorized.
Evoke has long been in favor of bringing a shared liquidity online poker network to Canada and last year revealed that its Alberta plans were heavily dependent on the establishment of a domestic player-pooling framework. While the possibility of such a structure is currently uncertain, the operator nevertheless remains hopeful of spearheading any such future developments.
888poker’s prospects in Alberta could well be helped by its first-mover status alongside the fact competitors such as PokerStars officially exited the market following the expiration of the province’s 90-day grace period for unlicensed sites. Despite being registered with AGLC, fellow rival GGPoker is similarly not present as it waits to discover if inter-provincial liquidity could become a reality.
Interestingly, the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) recently confirmed it is actively exploring domestic shared liquidity options under Canada’s Criminal Code, which could allow the province of some 5.1 million people to bypass lengthy international legal battles and forge a direct online poker player-pooling pact with Ontario. In the meantime, 888poker is expected to drive local engagement via targeted player promotions, localized marketing campaigns, and the deployment of its Mystery Bounty tournament format.
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