Larry Spagnolo: “AGLC continues to work with the Alberta Government as we approach an open igaming market”

Larry Spagnolo, the newly appointed AGLC Board Chair, spoke with Focus Gaming News about Alberta’s igaming future, regulatory challenges, and his vision for balancing growth with responsible gambling.

Exclusive interview.- In July, Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) appointed Larry Spagnolo as its new board chair. Following the announcement, Focus Gaming News sat down with Spagnolo to discuss his vision for guiding AGLC through the next few years, with a focus on ensuring that growth in igaming continues to benefit Albertans.

Congratulations on your appointment as Board Chair of AGLC. Given your extensive leadership background in technology and business, how do you intend to apply this experience to guide AGLC’s strategic direction?

My experience in business has grounded me in a number of principles, which starts with being a knowledgeable, market leader and being able to stay in front of industry trends versus chasing them. I value a communications driven approach, which I believe is an important aspect for our stakeholders, to fully understand the lengths we will go to support them. If we are not meeting their expectations, we will work to improve our stakeholder outreach and prioritize business-friendly policy.

Moving forward, AGLC needs to be a leader when it comes to the latest technology, offering the best experience we can for all Albertans. We can not claim that we offer best-in-class options without engaged team members, fully supporting our mission and our mandate which will help us further develop a world-class, trusted brand.

My intention is to leverage available technology to ensure that we are making improvements throughout all AGLC lines of business, to effectively and efficiently present work that we can be proud of!

“AGLC needs to be a leader when it comes to the latest technology, offering the best experience we can for all Albertans.”

Larry Spagnolo, AGLC’s board chair.

AGLC has recently seen significant commercial growth—for instance, Play Alberta reported net sales of around $270m in net sales in 2024-25. How will you ensure continued performance while maintaining the organisation’s regulatory responsibilities?

Proceeds from Play Alberta generate wins for programs and services in communities around the province. One of Play Alberta’s core values is Responsible Play and the platform has integrated AGLC’s best-in-class responsible gambling programs in both GameSense and Self-Exclusion, giving players a trusted igaming destination. Responsible Play also means responsible access. Since launching Play Alberta in 2020, the website has maintained a world-class age gating system, only granting access to legal-aged Albertans.

Our goal to provide an appealing product with consumer safeguards in place will continue whether there is one operator or 50 operators in Alberta. An exciting, convenient and secure gambling site giving players a wide variety of games.

Alberta is preparing to open its regulated online gambling market beyond AGLC’s current monopoly, with a structure inspired by Ontario. What is your perspective on this move, and how will AGLC balance its roles in regulation and operation?

AGLC continues to work with the Alberta Government as we approach an open igaming market. We look forward to developing the next steps that appeal to Albertans. As AGLC will act as the regulator of the igaming market, Play Alberta will continue to be operated as an arms-length igaming platform, maintaining AGLC’s regulatory approach to be evenly applied for all future online gambling operators.

The grey market remains sizeable—estimates suggest over CAD 120-150m is wagered annually on unlicensed platforms. How will AGLC address this challenge, especially in light of potential regulation changes?

Play Alberta will continue to be an industry leader for Albertans once the market fully opens in the province. The platform already offers hundreds of leagues and sports while providing competitive odds boosts for players. There’s much more variety available on Play Alberta, with casino games and the ability to buy and check your lottery tickets.

The partnerships with the professional sports teams province-wide also allows Play Alberta to synergise its relationship with GameSense and show those fans that Play Alberta (and AGLC) offers a brand that epitomizes responsible gambling.

In its early years, the site has continued to evolve to better appeal to Albertans throughout the province. In 2023, a brand new sportsbook was developed and in 2024, a new app was rolled out for sportsbook players. The app saw a second phase launch in early 2025, to include all aspects of the website.

Play Alberta has entered a multi-year partnership with the Edmonton Elks—rebranding the field at Commonwealth Stadium. How does AGLC view this type of sports integration in promoting responsible gaming and visibility?

There is tremendous value in these sports partnerships between Play Alberta and the professional sports teams around the province. There is only one regulated igaming destination in the province and reaching branding agreements with teams allows Play Alberta to remind legal aged Albertans of the safe-and-secure option available to them.

In September 2024, Play Alberta’s logo was added to the jerseys of the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames but a significant part of this agreement was to incorporate the GameSense logo as well for home games, a first for any jurisdiction to incorporate responsible gambling into the game day presentation in North America.

As AGLC Board Chair, how will you engage with other provincial regulators across Canada to share best practices and foster collaborative approaches in areas such as igaming and responsible gaming?

AGLC is in a unique position to collaborate with other provinces and lottery corporations throughout Canada. As AGLC sits as one of the founding members of the Western Canada Lottery Corporation, we engage regularly with our partners from Manitoba and Saskatchewan, as well as associate members from the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Additionally, AGLC has licenced the GameSense brand from our partners in British Columbia. This gives us an opportunity to strengthen responsible gambling awareness in both physical venues and online, working with jurisdictional partners in Canada and abroad to develop the best tools and resources for players. AGLC will continue to observe practices and policies applied in other jurisdictions and maintain a healthy working relationship with our partners in other provinces.

What are your main objectives and expectations for AGLC over the next few years?

AGLC will continue to review each line of business and adapt proactive policies to ensure growth within the gaming, liquor and cannabis industries. For liquor, we will continue to focus on choice for consumers. We want to better support our cannabis model and establish the right fit for the Alberta market, one that is efficient and effective while making sure legal options are the best choice for consumers.

The fast-paced and ever-changing igaming and retail casino industry will come with new hurdles and challenges that I am confident our team can overcome. Our role as regulator will be tested as the market expands, giving Albertans more choice for responsible play while at the same time protecting our youth.