Alberta’s information and privacy commissioner says newly passed legislation allowing a Crown corporation to sell users’ personal information to a private company sets a “concerning precedent” for how the province handles sensitive data.
It could soon be legal for Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) to sell Play Alberta, its online gambling platform, along with the personal information of customers now that legislators have passed Bill 31, The Red Tape Reduction Statutes Amendment Act, 2026.
Alberta’s relatively new Protection of Privacy Act (POPA), which came into effect June 11, 2025, prohibits public bodies from selling personal information for any purpose.
The red tape bill, which passed in the legislature on Thursday, allows a narrow exemption from that rule, allowing AGLC to sell personal information if cabinet is confident there are reasonable measures in place to protect it.
“This sets a concerning precedent,” privacy commissioner Diane McLeod said in a written statement to CBC News last week. “As far as we are aware, this would be the first instance in which personal information collected by a public body would be sold to a private sector organization under POPA.
“What are Albertans to believe if a clearly stated prohibition in POPA is nullified through another piece of legislation?”
Leaving the door open for other laws to override privacy protections was a possibility McLeod warned the government about in 2024 when the revamped privacy law was introduced, she said.
McLeod said she is also concerned about the potential transaction itself. Play Alberta may be storing information such as demographic data, as well as geolocation and behavioural records about members’ online gambling habits, her statement said. She questioned whether people who created an account would know if their information would be sold.
As of October 2025, Play Alberta had 434,000 registered accounts.
In an interview with CBC News, Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally said AGLC has no immediate plans to sell Play Alberta.
AGLC had previously told the government it couldn’t sell the gambling platform if it wanted to because the law prohibited the sale of customer information.
Nally had told reporters last month that potential buyers told AGLC they are interested in buying the province’s only legal gambling website.
Should such a sale occur, AGLC would notify customers and allow them to opt out and delete their personal information before the sale, Nally said.
“We wanted to put Albertans in the driver’s seat,” he said.
Nally pointed to the privatization of other public corporations, such as the federal government’s sale of Air Canada in 1989. He said such transactions would be illogical without including customer data.
“Flights would be cancelled, money would be refunded, vacations would be disrupted,” he said.
Nally said Play Alberta customers would also likely want their accounts to be transferred to a hypothetical new owner.
Likewise, were the province ever to privatize ATB Financial — which Nally emphasized is not in his government’s plans — he said “it would be ridiculous” to sell it without the customers’ information.
Nally dismissed concerns that the change opens the door to selling Albertans’ personal information in other situations.
“This is specific customer information as it pertains to a government business enterprise,” he said. “The exception that we’re giving is very specific — very narrow in scope.”
The Play Alberta website earned $267 million in net sales in the 2024-25 year, its most recent annual report says.
AGLC spokesperson Karin Campbell directed any questions about privacy protection and legislation back to the provincial government.
On July 13, Alberta will open its regulated, legal online gambling market to private companies. The provincial government will get 20 per cent of the private sites’ revenue.
“As Alberta prepares for changes in the iGaming landscape, AGLC is routinely assessing how Play Alberta can continue to deliver value,” Campbell’s statement said. “No decisions have been made, and our focus remains on ensuring Albertans have access to safe, responsible gaming entertainment.”
As of late April, 49 operators have expressed interest to AGLC about running 56 gambling sites, Campbell said. At that point, 28 companies had submitted applications to operate 36 sites.
