Ahead of his appearance at the SBC Summit in Lisbon, Jared Beber of Bet99 provided insights into the Canadian market and how Alberta can achieve channelisation success.
Beber will be speaking on the ‘Canada: Province by Province Progress’ panel and he revealed to us ahead of the panel that Ontario has demonstrated what is possible and Alberta can follow in the country’s lead.
iGaming Expert: What are the key takeaways from the early days of launch in Alberta?
It’s still early, but the initial signs are very encouraging.
Alberta has done something smart by learning from Ontario’s experience while tailoring the framework to its own market. That willingness to collaborate with industry, listen and iterate is incredibly important because no market gets everything perfect on day one.
More broadly, the early days have reinforced something we’ve believed for a long time: Canadian consumers want choice. When you combine competition with strong consumer protections and robust responsible gaming standards, everyone benefits. That’s ultimately what makes these markets successful over the long term.
Which province do you believe will be the next to open up off the back of Alberta?
Rather than speculate on which province might be next, I’d say Ontario and Alberta are creating two incredibly important case studies for the rest of Canada.
Ontario has already demonstrated what’s possible. A competitive provincially regulated market has generated billions of dollars in economic activity, thousands of high-quality jobs, significant tax revenue and, importantly, provided consumers with greater choice alongside robust responsible gaming and consumer protection measures.
Every province will ultimately make decisions based on its own priorities and circumstances, but I think the evidence emerging from Ontario, and, over time, Alberta, will provide valuable insights for governments evaluating their own approaches.
Success tends to leave clues, and I think the conversation will increasingly be about how to create the best outcomes for consumers, governments and the broader Canadian economy.
What do you believe will be the key lessons learnt from Ontario’s approach to gambling from Alberta?
Ontario deserves a tremendous amount of credit for being willing to lead. Opening a competitive market was a significant undertaking, and naturally there have been important lessons learned along the way. Alberta has the advantage of building on those learnings from day one, which should only strengthen the market going forward.
I think one of the biggest takeaways is that regulation works best when it’s collaborative. Regulators and operators ultimately share the same objective: protecting consumers while creating a robust competitive market that people actually choose to participate in.
What steps do you believe Canada can take to modernise its gaming framework. Are there any gaps that you think could be missing in the market?
I actually think the biggest opportunity isn’t simply modernising regulation…..it’s modernising the customer experience.
Consumers increasingly compare their sportsbook/casino experience to companies like Uber, Spotify and Netflix, not just other sportsbooks/casinos. They expect intuitive products, personalization, speed and seamless digital experiences.
Regulation should continue evolving alongside technology, but always with responsible gaming and consumer protection at the centre. If we can strike that balance, Canada is incredibly well positioned for long-term success.
Alberta is aiming for a 70% channelisation rate; do you think this is optimistic and what can it do to ensure it reaches this?
I actually think the more important question isn’t whether 70% is optimistic or conservative….it’s whether we’re continuously moving in the right direction.
Ultimately, consumers decide where they play. The most effective way to improve channelisation isn’t through restriction; it’s by creating provincial government-regulated environments that consumers genuinely want to choose.
That means offering competitive products, meaningful consumer choice, strong responsible gaming tools, frictionless onboarding and a customer experience that keeps pace with consumer expectations.
The more successful government-regulated operators are at delivering that experience, the more activity naturally migrates into government regulated environments. In my view, that’s the most effective form of consumer protection because it extends those safeguards to the greatest number of players.
Ultimately, success shouldn’t simply be measured by a channelisation target; it should be measured by whether more consumers are choosing provincial government-regulated environments where they can benefit from stronger protections, responsible gaming tools and greater oversight.
How important is it that balance is found when it comes to advertising in the market?
Balance is incredibly important.
Advertising plays an important role in helping consumers distinguish provincial government-regulated operators from unregulated alternatives, but it also comes with a responsibility to market our products thoughtfully.
As an industry, we have an obligation to promote responsible gaming, avoid targeting vulnerable audiences and ensuring that our marketing reflects the standards expected of provincial government-regulated operators.
Ultimately, the goal shouldn’t be to advertise more, it should be to advertise better. Building long-term trust with consumers will always be more valuable than chasing short-term acquisition.
How significant has the review of the Ontario market been and what did you make of the news that Stan Cho had resigned midway through the process?
I do think that periodic reviews are healthy for any emerging industry.
Ontario was the first province to launch a competitive provincially regulated market at this scale, so it’s only natural to reflect on what’s working and where there are opportunities to improve.
The industry continues to evolve quickly, and regulatory frameworks should evolve alongside it. The fact that Ontario is willing to review and refine its approach is, in my view, a sign of a healthy and mature regulatory environment.
Regarding Stan Cho, I won’t comment on individual political developments.
How crucial do you believe the SBC Summit is, and what are you hoping to learn from the event?
SBC is obviously a great place to learn what’s happening across the industry, but for me the real value isn’t in running from meeting to meeting just to check a box. The magic happens in the conversations in between. It’s the discussions over coffee (beer), the debates, challenging each other’s thinking, hearing different perspectives and building relationships with people who are all trying to solve similar problems. That’s where the best ideas usually come from.
I’m also a big believer that we shouldn’t just be looking at what other sportsbooks are doing. Consumers compare us to the best digital experiences they have every day, so I’m just as interested in learning from companies outside our industry…..whether it’s AI, payments, personalization, content or community building.
At the end of the day, innovation rarely happens in isolation. It happens when smart people with different perspectives come together, challenge each other’s assumptions and leave thinking a little differently than when they arrived. That’s what I’m looking forward to most.
