Caesars is formally stepping into Alberta for the very first time as the province prepares to roll out a regulated online gaming market.
The Las Vegas-based operator announced on Monday that players from Alberta who are interested in gambling online can now pre-register. On top of that, the gaming company has shown a very serious commitment by applying for an operator license. If this is the case, the operator would be one of the few who are ready to face a very competitive market and open doors to it.
Local residents who are at least 21 years old and who have an inclination towards betting or gambling can sign up for a game even before the official launch day. Caesars is set to introduce its entire digital portfolio to the province which, besides its flagship brand Caesars Palace Online Casino, includes Caesars Sportsbook & Casino and Horseshoe Online Casino. Using several brands merges the benefits of different customer segments and that is exactly what Caesars has done in Ontario and some of its US markets.
In this way, the company plans to cater to the requirements of different types of customers at the same time. Caesars Palace and Horseshoe are going to be the two main brands for casino gaming that will offer a variety of slots, table games, and live dealer games. Meanwhile, Caesars Sportsbook is going to be the brand predominantly responsible for the sportsbooks; however, this brand will not become disconnected from the casino games side.
Competition in Alberta will be fierce. Caesars is believed to be one of more than 15 operators either filling out the license application form or actively preparing to enter the market as the province moves to regulate the system, similar to Ontario. This can be a drastic change.
Alberta’s regulators have pointed out that a very big part of online gambling is done through unregulated sites. Therefore, when the regulated market is introduced, it is the licensed operators who are very likely to be the ones benefiting from the change. Caesars’ entry into the region is linked to the timing of its digital business recording excellent performance. The company has just announced that its online gambling yearly turnover is almost C$2 billion, with iCasino being a major North American growth driver.
With pre-registration underway and the official launch set for later this year, Caesars is definitely looking to gain an early position in what could soon be Canada’s second-largest regulated iGaming market.
