PENN Entertainment confirmed in April 2026 that its Canadian brand, theScore Bet, had received formal registration from Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC), clearing it to launch in the province when regulated iGaming goes live on July 13. For Alberta players, this matters for a specific reason. TheScore is not a brand arriving cold. Albertans already have the sports app on their phones. They use it for Oilers scores, Flames updates, and CFL standings. The casino product plugs directly into that existing relationship, and PENN has been positioning this province as a priority market since at least 2024.
Registration was confirmed on April 23, 2026, according to Canadian Gaming Business, making theScore Bet one of the earliest commercial operators to receive an official green light alongside DraftKings. It enters Alberta as a registered operator under both AGLC and the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC), the dual-body structure that governs the province’s new regulated market. AGLC handles licensing and compliance. AiGC manages the commercial side, including public complaints. Together they form the framework every licensed operator must satisfy before a single Alberta dollar changes hands. For a broader look at which operators are live across Canada, our guide to the best online casinos in Canada covers the full regulated landscape.
Is theScore Bet Licensed in Alberta?
Yes. AGLC registration was confirmed April 23, 2026, per Canadian Gaming Business. That places theScore Bet among the very first wave of operators cleared to take Alberta players on day one of the July 13 launch. The operator enters under both AGLC oversight and AiGC’s commercial framework, the same dual-body structure that applies to every licensed platform in the province.
The registration also carries weight because of what it does not show. TheScore Casino’s Ontario record includes zero AGCO enforcement actions across four years of regulated operation, per the iGaming Ontario operator registry. That clean record is the most reliable signal available ahead of a market that hasn’t opened yet. No complaints from regulators, no documented payout disputes, no public sanctions.
What the Ontario Track Record Actually Shows
Alberta-specific product data won’t exist until after July 13, so Ontario is the only verified benchmark. The payout window in Ontario runs 1 to 5 days, with a minimum deposit of $10. Those figures come from theScore Casino’s verified Ontario profile and represent real operational performance, not projected numbers.
The game library in Ontario sits at over 2,200 titles. Whether Alberta launches with the same count depends on AGLC’s content certification timelines. It’s reasonable to expect a phased rollout for some titles, with the core slots and live dealer library available from day one. The live dealer section runs on Evolution Gaming infrastructure and covers blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and game show formats. The exact Alberta table count is not publicly disclosed ahead of launch.
Where theScore genuinely separates itself from most competitors is the mobile experience. This is not a marketing claim. It is a consequence of how the company was built. TheScore has been developing mobile sports applications since smartphones became mainstream, and that engineering culture carries directly into the casino app. The sportsbook and casino share a single interface. Navigation is fast. Moving from a live score to a casino game does not require switching apps or logging in twice. Operators that retrofitted a casino onto an existing sportsbook cannot replicate that experience because the architecture was never designed for it.
What AGLC Registration Means for Player Protections
Every AGLC-registered operator must implement mandatory responsible gambling tools. Deposit limits, session limits, and loss limits are not optional features. They are compliance requirements baked into the platform. Players can set these controls from within the account interface, and AGLC requires them to be accessible without friction.
Self-exclusion in Alberta works through a centralized AGLC portal rather than operator-by-operator requests. A player who chooses to self-exclude does so province-wide. That single action covers all licensed online platforms operating under AGLC, which means players don’t need to contact each operator individually. The Alberta gambling helpline operates at 1-866-332-2322 for anyone who needs immediate support. If you want to understand how responsible gambling tools work across Canada’s regulated markets more broadly, our guide to Canadian responsible gambling tools covers provincial frameworks in full.
The CFL Deal and What It Means for Alberta
In June 2026, theScore Bet announced a sponsorship arrangement with the Canadian Football League. The operator will present the CFL’s new fantasy game and serve as the presenting sponsor of the CFL App, which will include a betting odds integration allowing users of both the CFL app and the theScore media app to view betting markets, as reported by Canadian Gaming Business. The arrangement is explicitly designed to reach both Ontario and Alberta.
For Alberta players, the CFL angle is more than a marketing footnote. The Stampeders are a point of genuine civic pride in Calgary. The Elks draw a dedicated Edmonton fanbase. A platform that integrates live CFL content, fantasy contests, and a licensed casino in one place is a different product from a generic offshore site. That said, the fantasy game and odds integration are separate from the licensed iGaming platform. Players linking accounts across apps should review the privacy settings in both before doing so.
The Broader Alberta Market Context
TheScore Bet enters a competitive field. More than 30 operators have registered with AGLC for the July 13 launch, according to Canadian Gaming Business, including bet365, BetMGM, FanDuel, DraftKings, Caesars, and BetRivers. DAZN Bet, which converges sports streaming and betting in a single product, is also registered and has described itself as a fundamentally different kind of platform.
Alberta’s market also includes Indigenous-owned operators. Pure Casino Entertainment and River Cree iGaming are both registered, reflecting AGLC’s approach to inclusive licensing that goes beyond the major commercial brands. Players looking at the full field should expect meaningful variety in product design, branding, and focus across these operators. TheScore’s edge is specifically in mobile integration and Canadian sports content depth. That’s a real differentiator for a certain kind of player. It is not a universal advantage for someone whose primary interest is table games or a deep live casino lobby.
Bottom Line
TheScore Bet’s AGLC approval on April 23, 2026 confirms one of Canada’s most recognized sports brands will be a licensed option for Alberta players from day one of the July 13 launch. Four years of clean Ontario operation, a verified payout window of 1 to 5 days, and a mobile product built from the ground up rather than bolted on make it one of the more credible entries in a crowded field. Alberta-specific performance data, including real withdrawal speeds and game availability, will only exist after launch, and players should treat Ontario benchmarks as informed estimates rather than guarantees.
Sources
- Canadian Gaming Business, “PENN to spend big on Alberta launch after theScore Bet license approval,” April 23, 2026, canadiangamingbusiness.com
- Canadian Gaming Business, “theScore Bet to sponsor CFL app and fantasy product in Ontario and Alberta,” June 11, 2026, canadiangamingbusiness.com
- Canadian Gaming Business, “DAZN Bet secures Alberta iGaming operator license”, canadiangamingbusiness.com
- Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC), operator registration data, aglc.ca
- CFL press release, “Over 50 brands pushing limits of fan engagement in 2026,” June 11, 2026, cfl.ca
