Written By:
Dennis
About Author
Dennis has been honing his craft by writing content specifically tailored to the US and Canadian market for the last 3 years. This helps him recognize the preferences of the audience and adeptly create engaging and informative articles, reviews, and guides that resonate with the readers. He uses his experience reviewing tech products to test out various betting platforms and fact-check claims so you make informed decisions.
Fact Checked By:
Amy Webb
About Author
Amy's introduction to the gambling world was 6 years ago, when she joined a casino operator as a content specialist. Since then, she's helped launch and maintain gambling review sites in over 8 different countries. She's tested dozens of casinos and sportsbooks, which is how she can spot a subpar brand in an instant!
Last Update
April 18, 2024
Last Update:
Best Betting Sites in Alberta Tested & Compared
Alberta Betting
Sports betting has been legal in Alberta for decades. Betting activity is regulated by the AGLC (Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis) in conjunction with the WCLC (Western Canada Lottery Corporation).
This leaves Albertans with two options
- Bet at Play Alberta: This is a provincially regulated site by the AGLC, making it the only legal sportsbook for Albertans.
- Private sportsbooks like Sports Interaction, Betway, or bet365.
Since Alberta lacks a regulatory framework for private sportsbooks like Ontario, they aren’t regulated.
However, Albertans can use these private sportsbooks without legal repercussions.
Furthermore, we have carefully chosen these sportsbooks after testing 25+ sportsbooks.
They also have an iGO license, which means they meet iGaming Ontario’s (a subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario) high standards for game integrity and player protection, in turn, making them trustworthy and safe.
Well, now that we know that Play Alberta and private sportsbooks are both safe, which of these sportsbooks should you choose?
To answer that, we dive deep into the odds, markets, betting tools, etc., to help you make a more informed decision.
Play Alberta vs. Private Sportsbooks
Welcome Bonus
| Bet99 | bet365 | Play Alberta | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonus Type | 100% deposit match | Bet Credits | Free Bets |
| Max Deposit | $600 | $50 | $75 |
| Min Deposit | $20 | $10 | $10 |
| Validity | 30 days | 30 days | 30 days |
| Min Odds | 1.80 | 1.20 | 1.50 |
| Wager Reqr | 5 times | N/A | N/A |
What are Bet Credits or Free Bets
As you can see in the table above, both bet365 and Play Alberta give you free bets or bet credits as a welcome bonus.
Bet credits are great if are a beginner and do not want the hassle of having to wager the bonus amount 5 or 7 times.
All you need to do is place a qualifying bet, and you’ll have credits in your account.
Once you do, you do not need to make any more deposits to bet. Plus, you get greater flexibility with how many bet credits you want to use for each bet.
On the downside, you cannot withdraw your initial stake. For example, if you place a bet using $10 bet credits, you will only receive the winnings, not the $10 you staked.
bet365 Bonus vs Play Alberta Bonus
Play Alberta offers you a better bonus of $75 compared to $50 from bet365.
However, the free bets from Play Alberta have a minimum odds requirement of 1.50, whereas the odds requirement for bet365 is much lower at 1.20.
Furthermore, you need to use the code 75FREEBET24 to get the free bets. On the other hand, you get the $50 bonus on bet365 by simply making a deposit of $10 or more.
These factors make it hassle-free to grab and use the bet365 bonus.
To top it all off, bet365 has a second offer known as the First Bet Safety Net bonus for new users (if you are a newbie and worried about losing money on your first bet, this is just what you want).
This bonus gives you a 100% match bonus of up to $1,000 in bet credits if your first qualifying bet loses.
Sounds like a win-win, right?
Choose from multiple welcome bonuses on bet365.
Sign Up19+. Gambling can be addictive. Please play responsibly.
Now, bet credits and free bets are generally smaller. If you are a full-time bettor and have experience with wagering requirements, then you get bigger bonuses with 100% deposit match bonuses (like the one on Bet99).
100% Deposit Match Bonuses
The best thing about these bonuses is that you can withdraw the bonus amount along with your winnings if you meet the wagering requirements.
Plus, you get the bonus as soon as you make a deposit.
Bet99 offers a 100% deposit match bonus of up to $600. Their 5x wagering requirement is much lower than those of sportsbooks like Sports Interaction, Bwin, and Betway.
This means that if you deposited $200, you’d get another $200 as the deposit bonus making it $400 in your wallet.
You then need to place bets worth $1,000 ($200 bonus amount x 5x wagering requirement).
Odds
The season’s final week is upon us. Let’s compare the odds for some of the final matchups, starting with the Seattle Kraken and the Minnesota Wild.
Note: Odds are true at the time of writing and are subject to change closer to the matchday.
NHL Odds
The season’s final week is upon us. Let’s compare the odds for some of the final matchups, starting with the Seattle Kraken and the Minnesota Wild.
| Play Alberta | Bet99 | bet365 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Kraken | 2.45 | 2.50 | 2.35 |
| Minnesota Wild | 1.56 | 1.57 | 1.62 |
In the above match, bet365 has the highest odds for the favourites i.e. Minnesota Wild, while Bet99 has higher odds for the underdogs (Seattle Kraken).
| Play Alberta | Bet99 | bet365 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton Oilers | 2.71 | 2.70 | 2.75 |
| Colorado Avalance | 1.47 | 1.48 | 1.47 |
Talking about this match, bet365 takes the cake for the underdogs (Edmonton Oilers), while Bet99 has the highest odds for the favourites (Colorado Avalance)
NBA Odds
| Play Alberta | Bet99 | bet365 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| LA Lakers | 3.20 | 3.40 | 3.50 |
| Denver Nuggets | 1.29 | 1.33 | 1.32 |
For the above match, bet365 is the ideal sportsbook for anyone who wants to bet on the LA Lakers, as they have the highest odds.
Bet99 trumps bet365 and Play Alberta with higher odds for the Denver Nuggets.
| Play Alberta | Bet99 | bet365 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Mavericks | 1.81 | 1.83 | 1.90 |
| LA Clippers | 1.86 | 2.00 | 1.90 |
Play Alberta’s odds are again lacking with bet365 having the highest odds for the favourites, while Bet99 has the highest odds for the underdogs.
MLB Odds
| Play Alberta | Bet99 | bet365 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 2.31 | 2.35 | 2.35 |
| San Francisco Giants | 1.62 | 1.65 | 1.62 |
Coming to MLB, Bet99 and bet365 have better odds for Arizona Diamondbacks than Play Laberta.
Bet99’s odds trump both bet365 and Play Alberta for the San Francisco Giants
| Play Alberta | Bet99 | bet365 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Marlins | 2.34 | 2.50 | 2.45 |
| Chicago Cubs | 1.57 | 1.57 | 1.58 |
Here again, Bet99 and Bet365 outperform Play Alberta. Bet99 has higher odds for the underdogs, while Bet365 has better odds for the favourites.
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Bet99 and bet365 have better odds for all the compared NBA, NHL, and MLB matches.
Read more about Bet99 sportsbooks and odds in our comprehensive review of the sportsbook to see how it compares for other matches.
Sports Coverage
All three sportsbooks cover a great range of sports. Not only are there the popular ones, like basketball, hockey, soccer, football, baseball and cricket.
There are also niche sports like lacrosse, cycling, golf, rugby, Olympics, snooker, etc. This puts Play Alberta at par with Bet99, bet365, or any other Canadian sportsbook.
One of our main complaints with provincial lottery sites (like Mise-o-jeu+) is that they do not cover niche sports like lacrosse, etc., giving bettors fewer sports to be toned.
However, Play Alberta ensures there’s something for everyone to bet on.
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I’ll have to call this one a tie as Bet99, bet365, and Play Alberta all offer a wide range of sports to bet on, including niche sports like lacrosse.
Now, while Play Alberta covers many sports and leagues, do they also have the betting markets to compete with private sportsbooks?
Let’s find out.
Betting Markets
NHL
Bet99 had more prop bets than bet365 or Play Alberta for most of the NHL matches.
For example, the NHL match between the Seattle Kraken and the Minnesota Wild bet99 had Game Props. We did not find these on bet365 or Play Alberta
Player Prop also had Skating Player Props, another market we didn’t see on bet365 or Play Alberta.
NBA
Coming to the NBA, Bet99 and bet365 both had more prop bets than Play Alberta.
Bet99 had Game Props, while bet365 had Team Props, Quarter Props, and Half Props, which were unique.
MLB
For MLB, Bet99 and bet365 again had more prop bets than Play Alberta.
Bet99 had Game Props and Player Props. We also found Flash Bets that allow you to bet on the next plate appearance, half innings, hits, pitches thrown, runs scored, strikeouts recorded, etc.
On the other hand, bet365 had Innings props and Team Props.
Play Alberta has a good number of betting markets for NHL, MLB, NBA, etc. However, it isn’t at par with Bet99 or bet365 (especially for Prop bets).
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Bet99 and bet365 offer not only more main markets but also prop bets than Play Alberta.
Betting Tools
Live Stream
Both bet99 and bet365 have live streams for limited matches.
However, when we compared Bet99 and Bet365, we found that Bet365 had a live stream for more matches.
While Bet99 streams some matches from important leagues, like the NHL and NBA, bet365 also streams greyhound races, cricket matches, tennis matches, etc. (and not just the popular ones).
Furthermore, finding matches that have live streams is also easier on bet365. All you need to do is:
1) Select the ‘Live In Game’ option in the green menu bar at the top of the screen.
2) Select your favourite sports from the menu available on the Live In Game page.
3) You’ll see a ‘Play’ button against the matches with live streams available.
You’ll also find the play button on live betting pages for matches with live streams.
Coming to Play Alberta, we did not find any live streams.
Statistics
Only bet365 has a detailed stats section out of the three sportsbooks.
Here’s the easiest way to access the stats section:
1) Go to your favourite league from the left-hand side menu. We’ll take the NHL, for example.
2) Next to all the NHL matches listed is the stats icon (marked in red).
3) Once you click on it, you’ll be taken to the stats for that match.
As you can see in the image above, the page highlights Toronto’s and Boston’s recent form, highest wins, total goals, average goals, total victories, etc.
Scrolling below, you’ll also see their scores from the last six meetings, odds and scores for the last few matches, and odds for the upcoming match.
Further down are the player stats, which highlight the goals, positions, etc., of the players from each team.
You can also switch teams and leagues, check more fixtures, see full league tables, get basic info about stadiums, etc. from the main menu.
Cashouts
All three sportsbooks offer cashouts. This means you can create rules to withdraw your winnings automatically once it reaches a certain amount.
However, the cashout on bet365 is more user-oriented, as they have an auto cashout option (which you can also use for partial cashouts).
This is a great option for anyone who won’t be able to watch the match live or doesn’t like staying glued to the live stream the whole time.
And even if you are watching the match, things change so frequently that you can easily miss clicking on the cashout option at the right time.
Notifications and Alerts
bet365 allows you to create alerts for basketball, soccer, and tennis matches. Here’s a list of alerts that you can create for the respective sports:
- Soccer – Kick Off, Goals, Corners, Substitutions, Yellow and Red Cards, Half Time Result, Full Time Result, Penalties and Penalties Missed. You can also create team-specific alerts for up to a week or the entire season.
- Tennis – Start of Match, Final Score, Game Results and Set Results.
- Basketball – Start of Match, Start of Quarter, Start of Half, Result of Quarter, Half Time Result, Result of Match and Point by Point Score.
You can set notifications and alerts for mobile, tablet or desktop (as long as you are using the Chrome browser on the desktop).
Here’s how to set them on your desktop:
1) Select the NBA match you want the alerts for.
2) On the match page you’ll find a bell icon in the top-right-hand corner.
3) You’ll now get a pop-up asking you to allow notifications in Chrome. Click ‘OK.’
4) Next up, move the cursor to the start of the address bar, and in the dropdown menu turn on ‘Notifications.’
5) Click on the bell icon again, and this time you will see all the alerts available for the selected match.
This is another handy tool for anyone who cannot watch the match but wants to stay in touch with the latest scores and events. Thus, you can quickly hop on and modify bets or make new bets when needed.
Read more about bet365 and its tools in our detailed bet365 review.
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All in all, bet365’s betting tools are superior to Bet99 and Play Alberta as they stream more matches in HD, provide auto cashouts, and a have detailed stats tool. Plus, you can set alerts.
DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM in Alberta
DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM are only available in Ontario. That’s because these sportsbooks have decided to serve only regulated markets.
Thankfully, Albertans have plenty of other great alternatives to choose from.
The above-mentioned sportsbooks match (or even outperform) FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM in terms of odds, betting markets (especially prop bets), customer support, payment modes, etc.
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