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Alberta Casinos OnlineThe Alberta list, and how to read it
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Staying safe

Self-exclusion, one request for every registered site in Alberta

Self-exclusion is a promise that a player makes to themselves and asks the province to enforce: for a chosen period, every registered site must refuse that person, keep the account closed and stop sending offers. AGLC runs it as a single programme, so that one request reaches every site on the list at once, and the casinos too if the player wants.

What it covers

When the private market opened, AGLC made its centralized programme a "condition of registration", and its standards say that a registered operator must not let a person enrolled in it enter or remain on its site. A player can choose the online sites, the "land-based venues" (the casinos and the racing entertainment centres) or both, and the programme's own page names Play Alberta among the places it covers.

An exclusion from the online sites does not close the door of a casino, and the reverse is also true, so the choice made at sign-up deserves a moment's thought (we would choose both if in doubt).

The same standards forbid sending advertising or offers to anyone enrolled, for as long as the exclusion lasts, and they require every registered site to promote the programme and to give easy access to it from the site itself. That last point matters more than it seems, because the moment you decide to stop is often the moment you are logged in and playing!

How long it lasts

AGLC offers four lengths (six months, one year, two years or three years), and its page is plain that an exclusion cannot be cancelled or changed once signed. We think that is the point of it; a "barrier" that can be lifted on a bad evening is only a limit with a longer and more solemn name.

At the end of the period the player may enrol again, and AGLC's staff offer optional "follow-up calls" during it (at roughly ten, thirty, sixty, ninety and 175 days).

How to sign up

The programme can be joined in person at a GameSense Info Centre in any casino, through the security staff of any casino or racing entertainment centre, at an AGLC office, or by phone with the programme's specialist (780-447-7582 or 1-844-468-8034, or by email at se@aglc.ca). Virtual sign-ups are booked online and run over a "video call" (a device with a camera is needed), and since February 2026 the programme's records and forms have lived on a "digital platform" that AGLC describes as available around the clock.

Someone who would rather not enter a gaming venue can also sign up through two "partner organizations", the Problem Gambling Resources Network (780-461-1259) and Our House Addiction Recovery (780-474-8945). Each registered site must link to the programme from its own pages as well, so that the request can start where the gambling happens, without a visit or a call.

Before and after signing

A little preparation helps. We would withdraw any balance before signing, or ask each operator how it will be returned, because an excluded account cannot be used to play and a balance left behind is one more reason to keep thinking about the site. We would also delete "saved cards", unsubscribe from messages (which the sites must stop sending anyway) and tell one "trusted person", since an exclusion is easier to keep when someone else knows about it.

AGLC says that self-exclusion files are shared only with the staff who administer the programme, and each agreement comes with a package of "local resources" and contacts. The help page lists the counselling that we would pair with it, starting with the Addiction Helpline of Alberta Health Services (1-866-332-2322), which answers at any hour.

What it does not reach

The programme has edges. It binds the registered sites and venues in Alberta and nothing else; a site that is not on the list ignores it (the page on unregistered sites explains why), and the other provinces run programmes of their own, under their own rules. Blocking software for phones and computers, and a request to the bank to block "gambling payments" where it offers that service, can cover part of the gap, and the responsible gambling page describes the limits that come before any of this.

By the Alberta Casinos Online editorial team · Last updated: November 13, 2026 · Online since 2026