30 Days Live in Alberta: What We’ve Seen So Far

It’s been 30 days since Alberta’s regulated iGaming market opened, marking an important milestone for operators, suppliers and players across the province. While the market itself may be new, Alberta certainly isn’t new territory for GeoLocs. 

We had already been supporting geolocation in Alberta for more than five years before the regulated market launched, building a strong understanding of the province’s connectivity landscape and the complexities that come with accurately verifying players across such a large and varied geography. That existing experience meant we weren’t starting from scratch on launch day, and it now gives us valuable context as we look at how activity is developing within the newly regulated market. 

One of the most interesting observations from the first 30 days has been the variation in verification demand. On 31st July, verification demand in one region was 61% higher than its average daily volume. There isn’t enough evidence to attribute that increase to a particular event, but the spike itself demonstrates how quickly player activity can change. 

For operators, this is an important consideration. Sporting events, promotions, marketing campaigns and wider player behaviour can all influence demand, and those increases won’t always arrive at predictable times. Looking at average verification volumes alone, therefore, only tells part of the story. Understanding when demand peaks, how significant those peaks are and whether verification performance remains consistent when activity increases can provide a much more useful picture of the player experience. After all, performing reliably during normal daily activity is one thing, but maintaining that same experience when demand suddenly increases is another. 

How are Alberta players accessing platforms? 

Demand isn’t the only area where the first month has given us something interesting to look at. We’re also beginning to see how verification requests are distributed across different channels. Across one region, 47% of verification requests came through web, 28% through iOS and 25% through Android. The web figure is particularly interesting. Despite the continued importance of native apps within iGaming, almost half of the verification requests we observed originated through web journeys. For operators, that reinforces the importance of looking at the complete digital experience rather than allowing app performance to become a proxy for overall player experience. 

The real value, however, comes from looking beyond the percentages themselves. If players are accessing platforms across web, iOS and Android, are they having the same experience on each? Are verification outcomes consistent? Does one channel generate more repeat attempts or unsuccessful journeys? Are particular devices, browsers or operating systems associated with greater friction? These are the kinds of questions that become increasingly useful once a market moves beyond launch. 

The same is true when looking at unsuccessful verification attempts. A player who isn’t successfully verified doesn’t automatically represent an attempt to circumvent location controls. Connectivity, device permissions and other circumstances can also affect legitimate players. Understanding the reason behind an unsuccessful journey therefore matters just as much as knowing that it happened. 

For an operator, there is a significant difference between correctly preventing an ineligible player from accessing a platform and losing an eligible customer because they struggled to complete verification. Looking more closely at the data can help operators understand that distinction and identify where there may be opportunities to improve the journey. 

What comes next? 

Thirty days is far too early to define how Alberta’s regulated market will behave over the long term, but it is enough to start identifying the patterns worth watching. 

As the market matures, the opportunity will be to understand how verification demand changes around sporting events, campaigns and periods of increased player activity; whether channel behaviour evolves; and where legitimate players may be experiencing unnecessary friction. 

Being live was the first milestone. Now, it’s about understanding how Alberta’s players behave and what those insights can tell us about delivering a better verification experience.