PokerStars Announces Alberta Return as GGPoker Appears to Withdraw Registration

Alberta’s online poker market took two very different turns this week. PokerStars on FanDuel has told Alberta players it’s coming back to the province, just ten days after PokerStars shut its doors there. At the same time, GGPoker, the first poker-focused brand to register with Alberta’s regulator, has reportedly withdrawn its registration.

Here’s what happened, what it means for Alberta players, and what to watch next.

The Key Points

• PokerStars is coming back: PokerStars on FanDuel told Alberta players on October 23 that its poker desktop client and mobile apps are on the way. No launch date has been given.
• New accounts required: Existing PokerStars accounts won’t transfer. Players will need a FanDuel account.
• GGPoker may be out: Poker Industry PRO reported today that GGPoker appears to have withdrawn its Alberta registration.
• 888poker is the only regulated option right now: It opened an Alberta-only poker room on October 13.
• Shared liquidity is still unresolved: The Supreme Court of Canada heard the key case on October 7 and hasn’t ruled yet.

PokerStars on FanDuel Is Coming Back

On October 23, PokerStars on FanDuel emailed Alberta players to say its poker desktop client and mobile apps would be coming to the province soon. The notice didn’t include a launch date or further details.

The return comes just ten days after PokerStars closed its international poker room to Alberta players on October 13.

What Alberta Players Need to Know

Question	Answer
Brand	PokerStars on FanDuel
Launch date	Not announced
Platforms	Desktop client and mobile apps
Can I use my old PokerStars account?	No, accounts won’t transfer
What do I need?	A FanDuel account, which you can already create through FanDuel’s casino site
Player pool	Expected to be Alberta-only at launch

Pokerfuse expects PokerStars on FanDuel to launch as a ring-fenced site serving only Alberta players, noting that the wording of the email suggests the operator won’t wait for shared liquidity.

The platform heading to Alberta is the same Flutter poker product that already runs the shared Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania player pool, as well as its Ontario version.

Why PokerStars Left in the First Place

Alberta launched its regulated iGaming market on July 13, 2026. Registered operators were given a three-month transition period to keep serving players through their international sites while they moved into the regulated market.

That window closed on October 13. PokerStars told Alberta customers that poker would close to accounts registered in the province, with blocks based on both IP address and registration details. Balances remained available for withdrawal, tournament entries for October 13 or later were refunded, and non-promotional rewards were paid out as cash.

Poker was the last PokerStars product to leave. PokerStars Sports and Casino had already been pulled from Alberta on July 13.

GGPoker Reportedly Withdraws Its Registration

GGPoker’s Alberta story has been a rollercoaster:

Date	GGPoker in Alberta
July 13, 2026	GGPoker hadn’t registered and shut down its Alberta operations entirely
August 12, 2026	GG International Limited, operating as “GG Poker,” was added to the AGLC registry
August 2026	Reports suggested GG was unlikely to launch without access to Ontario or international player pools
October 13, 2026	Still registered, but had not launched poker in the province
October 26, 2026	Poker Industry PRO reports GGPoker has apparently withdrawn its registration

When GGPoker registered in August, it became the first poker-focused operator to secure AGLC registration and was seen as a sign it intended to enter the market. That registration came with a one-year term, but GG still needed an operating agreement with the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) before it could take real-money players.

Our take: If confirmed, GGPoker’s withdrawal suggests it doesn’t see an Alberta-only player pool as worth launching for, at least until shared liquidity becomes possible. We’ll update this article as more details become public.

The full Poker Industry PRO report is behind a paywall, and we couldn’t independently confirm the details of GGPoker’s withdrawal or find a public statement from GGPoker at the time of publishing.

888poker: Alberta’s Only Regulated Poker Room

For now, regulated poker in Alberta means 888. On October 13, it shut off Alberta access to its international site and opened a ring-fenced room for Alberta players only. An 888 spokesperson confirmed the pool doesn’t include Ontario players.

With that launch, 888 became the first operator to bring regulated online poker to two Canadian provinces, after launching first in Ontario in 2022.

Alberta Online Poker: Who’s Where

Operator	Status in Alberta (October 26, 2026)
888poker	✅ Live since October 13 (Alberta-only pool)
PokerStars on FanDuel	🔜 Return confirmed, no launch date
GGPoker	❌ Not available; registration reportedly withdrawn
BetMGM Poker	Registered with AGLC; poker not launched
BetRivers Poker	Casino and sportsbook live; poker launch timing unconfirmed
PartyPoker	Left the province on October 13

The Big Issue: Shared Liquidity

Alberta’s biggest problem is player numbers. A single province offers a small pool of players, which means fewer games, smaller tournaments and lower guarantees. That’s why operators are watching the courts closely.

The Supreme Court of Canada heard almost three hours of argument on October 7 in file 42141, Atlantic Lottery Corporation et al. v. Attorney General of Ontario. The case challenges a November 2025 Ontario Court of Appeal opinion, which ruled 4–1 that Ontario players could legally play against people outside Canada, as long as the province kept conduct and management of the games.

The justices reserved their decision, and no date for a ruling has been announced.

Alberta has taken a side. The province intervened in support of Ontario, and the Alberta iGaming Corporation has said it is actively looking at shared liquidity pools within Canada.

Why it matters: A ruling in Ontario’s favor could open the door to Alberta pooling players with Ontario, or even international player pools. That would make the market far more attractive to operators like GGPoker.

The Wider Alberta Market Is Growing

Poker is lagging, but Alberta’s overall iGaming market is growing fast. After the October 13 deadline, the province had 50 licensed websites run by 29 companies, up from 22 sites at the July 13 launch. AiGC chief executive Dan Keene expects another 10 to 15 sites to launch before the end of 2026.

The province takes a 20% share of net revenue from sanctioned platforms, and any operator still taking Alberta customers without approval risks being found permanently unsuitable for registration.

What Should Alberta Poker Players Do Now?

1. Withdraw any old balances. If you still have funds on PokerStars’ international site, request a withdrawal.
2. Create a FanDuel account if you want to play PokerStars on FanDuel when it launches.
3. Try 888poker if you want regulated poker right now.
4. Avoid unlicensed sites. Operators taking Alberta players without approval face enforcement action.
5. Watch for the Supreme Court ruling. It could change the market overnight.

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