Early operator data puts baseball ahead of soccer in Alberta, while strong CFL interest suggests the province is developing a distinct betting market.

Baseball attracted about three times as much betting money as soccer in Alberta during the market’s opening weeks. The comparison comes from BetMGM and measures betting handle, not sportsbook revenue.

Alberta’s regulated private sports-betting market opened on July 13, 2026. The launch coincided with the final rounds of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Baseball leads the early rankings

Bet365 ranked baseball first in Alberta by total wagers. Soccer followed, ahead of basketball, tennis and mixed martial arts.

BetMGM also ranked baseball first by total handle. Soccer was second, followed by table tennis and tennis. The operator figures are not directly interchangeable because the companies measure activity differently.

The early data points to a possible difference between Alberta and Ontario. Soccer ranked ahead of baseball in comparable data from bet365 in Ontario.

GeoComply said its Alberta iGaming partners recorded more than 3.2 million geolocation checks and more than 100,000 sign-ups during the first week. Activity peaked at more than 53,000 checks around the Spain-Argentina final on July 19.

CFL betting highlights provincial ties

FanDuel said Alberta customers engaged with Canadian Football League betting three times more than its Ontario users. The company said customers in Alberta strongly favoured the Edmonton Elks and Calgary Stampeders.

In Ontario, FanDuel said activity was distributed more evenly across the league. DraftKings reported that the Edmonton Elks accounted for 55 per cent of both wagers and handle in its 2026 Grey Cup futures data collected in mid-August.

The figures suggest that Alberta bettors are responding not only to major international events, but also to teams with direct provincial ties.

Canadian teams remain part of the market

BetMGM said the Toronto Blue Jays were its most-wagered-on Major League Baseball team in Alberta. The Los Angeles Dodgers ranked second, followed by the Boston Red Sox.

Hockey interest was more limited in the early futures data. DraftKings said the Edmonton Oilers accounted for 6 per cent of Stanley Cup futures wagers and handle, placing fourth in that market.

  • The Florida Panthers led with 25 per cent of handle.
  • The Florida Panthers accounted for 22 per cent of wagers.
  • The Edmonton Oilers ranked fourth with 6 per cent of both measures.

These results show why market comparisons require caution. A sport or team can lead by total wagers, handle or user engagement. Each measure can produce a different ranking.

What the data does not establish

The operator figures cover only the first several weeks of Alberta’s private market. They do not establish annual demand, market share, profitability or the level of betting activity on unregulated websites.

They also do not show whether baseball will remain ahead after the Canadian Football League and National Hockey League seasons progress further.

Alberta’s iGaming system is overseen by the Alberta iGaming Corporation, while Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis acts as regulator, according to the Government of Alberta.

Licensed operators must apply age and identity checks, geolocation controls and safer-gambling tools. Regulators will also monitor licensed operators as the market develops.

GeoComply described its figures as an early snapshot rather than a complete picture of the province.

For readers, the immediate takeaway is that Alberta’s opening market has produced a different mix from Ontario: baseball led the early money, while the CFL and Alberta teams supplied the clearest regional signal.