With approval for a Day 1 launch, theScore Bet Alberta is locked to go live when their regulated private market opens July 13, 2026. The approval via the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) was announced by PENN Entertainment CEO Jay Snowden during the company's Q1 2026 earnings call back on April 23.
Pre-registration for Alberta online casinos is already underway for residents, giving theScore quite a head start on building its player base ahead of the summer launch. Already a strong brand based on their Canadian ties, expect theScore Bet's iCasino and sportsbook product to have a ton of support come launch.
PENN Forecasting $20M Loss at Launch, Calls It an Investment
PENN isn't expecting Alberta to be immediately profitable. In the earnings call Snowden confirmed the Alberta launch is projected to generate approximately $20 million in adjusted EBITDA losses in 2026, with the bulk of that showing up in Q3, and that it is the sole driver of PENN's revised full-year interactive guidance moving from breakeven to a loss. Snowden and Co. framed this explicitly as an investment, with a full-scale marketing push planned to coincide with the July 13 opening.
The financial commitment makes more sense when you look at what PENN has going for it in the Alberta province. The province sits at roughly 4.7 million people, has a strong sports culture thanks to NHL teams like the Oilers and Flames in Edmonton and Calgary, respectively, and until now has had zero access to regulated private online gambling there.
theScore's popular media app already has tons of usage across Canada which gives the brand name recognition that many of the incoming U.S.-based operators simply won't have. This'll give an edge in to Alberta's sports betting market as well.
Ontario Momentum Creates Optimism For Alberta Launch
The Alberta announcement came on the same call where PENN reported a record quarter for its standalone iCasino product. Net gaming revenue for the segment was up roughly 362% YoY in Q1 2026, with average monthly active users up approximately 345%. Snowden pointed to the Ontario online casino market as a proving ground, noting that continued positive trends in the province is a large reason for the confidence behind expansion into Alberta this summer.
For Alberta players, theScore Bet will arrive with both a sportsbook and a casino product integrated under one mobile app, with the same setup that earned it a 4.8/5 star iOS rating in Ontario.
Alberta represents one of the only new English-language regulated markets opening in North America in 2026. With theScore becoming one of the first operators formally cleared by the AGLC, PENN has already begun positioning itself to be a market leader right from the launch opposed to a late entrant just trying to catch up. Whether the $20 million upfront cost pays off will depend on how quickly Alberta's player market eventually develops post-launch, but the infrastructure and brand awareness are clearly taking fold and positioning itself.
