BetMGM Alberta Review

BetMGM Alberta Summary

BetMGM was a household name long before the legalization of online sports betting in North America. With deep roots in the Las Vegas casino and resort business, the shift to operating as one of the most popular betting sites in the industry was a natural transition.

We know that BetMGM is willing to spend top dollar on utilizing A-list celebrities like Kevin Hart or Tom Brady with their in-your-face promotional campaigns, but does the overall quality of the product hold up to all the fanfare? Before the app is expected to launch in Alberta on July 13, we will walk you through everything you need to know about the BetMGM Alberta sportsbook, casino, and betting app.

See the BetMGM review here.

BetMGM Alberta Quick Facts

BetMGM Locations

BetMGM launched in Ontario in April 2022, as the province was the first in Canada to welcome locally-regulated mobile sports betting. And as an industry leader, BetMGM will continually be one of the first sportsbooks offered in provinces and territories accepting legal online betting, including in Alberta on July 13.

Sports Leagues to Bet On

BetMGM covers pretty much every sport under the sun that you would be interested in betting on. You’ll see pretty standard odds at BetMGM powered by Entain’s software. They will open the market occasionally or be one of the first books to offer lines on major sports, so at times you can get an early advantage with them. 

NFL Betting

Like most sportsbooks, BetMGM relies heavily on its NFL betting options to be a flagship of its overall platform. As an official partner of the NFL, BetMGM should easily be one of your top-3 options for NFL betting. In total, there are over 130 different NFL bets you can make on a single NFL game.

You’ll find standard spread, totals (over/under), and moneyline markets for both full games and the first half. 

BetMGM offers a robust selection of alternative spreads and totals compared to some NFL betting sites and Super Bowl betting sites. There are 30+ alternative half-point options here, while some books stop around 10-12 options. You can also choose winning margins like Chiefs by 1-6 or Chiefs by 7-12 at more favorable odds, but those are higher-risk bets. 

You’ll find loads of touchdown props at BetMGM, including lines for the first TD, anytime TD, and the last TD, along with multiple TD markets.

NBA Betting

BetMGM is an official sports betting partner of the NBA, making it a solid destination for all of your NBA bets. Aside from the standard spread, total, and moneyline betting options, you’ll find a massive selection of player and team props throughout the NBA season.

NBA futures markets are available year-round, and the offering of markets is extensive. Aside from NBA Finals lines, you’ll find odds for divisional winners, exact outcomes per division (first place and second place), and awards like regular season MVP, Rookie of the Year, and more. 

The quality of the NBA futures odds at BetMGM stand fairly close to competitors like FanDuel and DraftKings, but they aren’t generally the best among the most popular U.S. betting sites. At the time of this review, I found that BetMGM only had the best line for two teams to win the NBA championship, while FanDuel had the best line for eight different teams. Most notably, BetMGM didn’t have the best odds for any top-12 teams expected to win the championship, meaning they were hanging fat lines on long shots. 

College Football

If it’s college football betting markets you seek, you’ve come to the right place. You’ll find markets with moneyline, spread, and total plays for most Division I games on any given Saturday during the season. You can also find a large assortment of quarter-by-quarter or halftime plays. Depending on regulations in your region, you can also wager on team and player props.

In total, you’ll find at least 20 different betting options for a single NCAA football game at BetMGM.

College Basketball

You’ll find one of the industry's most robust college basketball betting markets at BetMGM. Futures bets are available year-round. Marquee games and smaller markets during the regular season are also covered well. BetMGM kicks things up a notch like most sportsbooks when March Madness tips off.

NHL Betting

BetMGM offers a healthy number of hockey betting markets every day during the season and into the Stanley Cup playoffs. In addition to moneyline, puckline, and total plays, bettors have access to team and player props, along with period-specific betting markets. Alberta players will often find regionalized promos and odds boosts supporting the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers.

MLB Betting

As an official partner of Major League Baseball, you’ll find a high-quality selection of baseball betting options at BetMGM. You can bet on standard spreads, totals, and moneyline bets for the full game of just the first five innings. There are promoted “One Game Parlay” options, which are the same as high-risk same-game parlay offerings. 

BetMGM also offers a solid prop selection for MLB, including betting on which team will score first, if the final score will be odd or even, and more. In total there are about 75 different bets you can make on a single MLB game at BetMGM.

Other Sports Leagues

BetMGM has a solid list of other sports and events to bet on. It's an official sponsor of the PGA Tour, so golf fans with find substantial selections here. Those include special props like a popular player to birdie on their first hole, and live betting options like who will lead after the current round that is in play.

The A-Z list at BetMGM includes Alpine skiing, badminton, baseball, basketball, biathlon, boxing, cricket, cross-country skiing, cycling, darts, football, Formula 1, golf, handball, hockey, lacrosse, MMA, NASCAR, pool, Rugby League, Rugby Union, snooker, soccer, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, and water polo. 

The sports betting site features a “specials” section that features cross-sport parlays. There is also an “Entertainment” section where you can bet on things like the Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Online Betting Experience

BetMGM offers an average browsing experience on their desktop, app, and mobile platforms. Some users report it to be slower functioning than rivals such as DraftKings and FanDuel, but that can be subjective to individual users’ internet speeds. I had no issues with pages loading abnormally long while running at internet speeds of about 100 Mbps.

Website Experience

The website layout for BetMGM isn’t bad, but not relatively as smooth or well thought out as someone like FanDuel. BetMGM confusingly offers its sports menus in two places on the homepage by giving you a top menu running left-to-right and a left navigation menu running top-to-bottom. It all sends you to the same place, and it feels a bit odd and like a waste of space to have it in both places.

More primary navigation space is also taken up on your right menu by a media section, your bet slip, and “mini games.” The media and mini-games section will fold up if you don’t wish to see them, but you can’t close them off your screen to expand your primary browsing screen, which keeps things tight and cramped. 

On the plus side, BetMGM offers a search feature, which is convenient as this is a fundamental feature missing in many books. Unfortunately, it can be unreliable, making specific bets like player props harder to find.

Mobile Betting and Betting App

BetMGM offers one app regardless of location, while their online platform offers separate platforms per state. Mobile alerts for games you have action on is a favorite feature for users. Their mobile app has a 4.8 out of 5 on the Apple App Store and 4.3 out of 5 on Google Play/Android for the sportsbook.

Live Betting

Live betting and live streaming are critical areas for many users, and BetMGM generally seems to excel here. Its odds can be some of the best on live betting. It also has a wide variety of in-game player props, which not all sportsbooks feature. Its user interface isn’t the best, but it becomes easier to get around if you consistently use the platform.

Casino, Poker, & Other Gaming Options

Given its roots in casinos and resorts, it shouldn’t be a surprise that BetMGM offers one of the best online casino platforms in the industry. It was even named Casino Operator of the Year in 2021 and 2022 by SBC, the largest news publisher in the betting and gaming industry.

Where top competitors like FanDuel and DraftKings hang their hats on their DFS platforms to help give them a unique edge, sites like BetMGM and Caesars have shifted more focus to their casino products.

BetMGM Poker and partners Borgata Poker, and partypoker took New Jersey’s top position in online poker in late 2021. It reported over $1 million in the month of September 2021 alone. Online casino games are still one of the most significant sources of user complaints, which is pretty standard amongst all sportsbook platforms that offer games like slots and roulette, so play at your own risk.

BetMGM launched its first horse-racing app in Ohio in November 2021 that lets users bet on races at over 200 tracks worldwide. While betting on sports teams isn’t legal yet in the Buckeye State, betting on horse racing is.

BetMGM History

BetMGM was born from a partnership between MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) and London-based Entain Plc (LSE: ENT). BetMGM’s parent company, MGM Resorts International, has been known for its gambling expertise in the U.S. for more than 30 years. That experience has translated well with the evolution of iGaming as BetMGM is the largest iGaming operator in the country.

The company expanded into the sports betting industry in July 2018 when it partnered with the UK gambling operator GVC Holdings. The two sides formed a joint venture called Roar Digital in January 2019. Together, they launched the BetMGM Sportsbook app in New Jersey in August 2018. Also, the online sportsbook helps service the retail-based Borgata Casino in Atlantic City.

BetMGM projected net revenue of $1 billion for Fiscal Year 2022 while increasing its long-term U.S. market share guidance.

Customer Ratings & Reputation

BetMGM has a generally favorable reputation amongst casual bettors. It's a leading sportsbook in the U.S. and have a wealth of experience in gaming, thanks to its foundation in casinos and resorts.

The biggest problem you will run into with BetMGM is that it quickly limits bettors who get hot, making it a better betting site for casual players than experienced bettors. This is a trend among the major sportsbooks in the industry where they like to sort out the sharps or anyone lucky enough to go on a tear and cater to the more inexperienced crowds. 

Customer Service

This is one of the most glaring issues with BetMGM, and it is shocking it hasn't yet found a more convenient way to connect with its players The live chat feature is difficult to find on the site. It offers email support, but nothing via phone.

Even in app store reviews, you see most sportsbooks have at least bots with automated responses to customer complaints. BetMGM offers none. It’s an unfortunate downside that is surely hurting customer retention in a fiercely competitive landscape.

BetMGM Alberta Contact

• 24/7 Live Chat
• Phone: Not Available
• Email: support@on.betmgm.ca
• X/Twitter Support: @BetMGMCare

Alberta Sports Teams to Bet On

Alberta has some of the most iconic sports franchises in Canada, with fierce rivalries between the teams in Edmonton and Calgary. When online sports wagering launches in the province, FanDuel is expected to be highly competitive, offering strong markets and promotions tailored to fans betting on local teams.

Calgary Flames 🏒

The Calgary Flames joined the NHL in 1980 after relocating from Atlanta. Through Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation, they’ve partnered long-term with Play Alberta, featuring its branding on jerseys and GameSense on helmets, highlighting the growing connection between pro sports and regulated betting.

On the ice, Calgary has struggled as of late, missing the playoffs for a fourth straight year this season and finishing near the bottom of the league with just 77 points, their worst finish in decades. However, the team has committed to a rebuild, moving veterans for prospects and draft picks. With a strong chance at a top pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, there’s renewed optimism in Blue Sky City.

FanDuel is known for its competitive NHL odds and deep betting markets, often rolling out odds boosts and hockey-focused promos. For Alberta bettors, it’s likely to become a go-to platform for wagering on the Flames and the rest of the league.

Edmonton Oilers 🏒

On the other side of the Battle of Alberta are the Edmonton Oilers. Based in Edmonton, they joined the NHL in 1979 from the WHA and have won five Stanley Cups, including four during the Wayne Gretzky era. Like the Flames, they maintain a major partnership with Play Alberta, extended in 2024, with branding featured on jerseys and helmets.

After a challenging 2010s, Edmonton has built a contender around Connor McDavid, leading to some of the franchise’s best results in decades. However, consecutive Stanley Cup Final losses to the Florida Panthers have kept them from lifting the Cup. With McDavid’s contract entering its final years, the pressure to win now is only increasing.

FanDuel’s platform is expected to feature a wide range of Oilers betting markets, including game lines, player props, and in-play options, along with targeted promotions tied to marquee matchups.

Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Elks 🏈

Two of Alberta's oldest sports franchises compete in the Canadian Football League: the Calgary Stampeders and the Edmonton Elks. The Stampeders, founded in 1945, play at McMahon Stadium and have won eight Grey Cups, most recently in 2018. The Elks (formerly the Eskimos) were established in 1949, play at Commonwealth Stadium—Canada’s largest stadium with a capacity of 56,302—and hold 14 Grey Cup titles, the second most in CFL history. The rivalry between these two teams is another chapter in the “Battle of Alberta,” and both groups currently have multi-year partnerships with Play Alberta.

On FanDuel, bettors can expect a solid selection of CFL markets, along with localized promotions geared toward Alberta residents looking to back their favourite football teams.

Cavalry FC ⚽

Cavalry FC, based just outside Calgary’s city limits, is Alberta’s lone representative in the Canadian Premier League following the folding of FC Edmonton in 2022. Since launching in 2018, the club has enjoyed considerable success, capturing the CPL Shield in 2019 and 2023, along with its first league title in 2024.

Last season, Cavalry FC featured in a widely publicized CPL Final in Hamilton that was played in a blizzard. Although they fell 2–1 to Atlético Ottawa, the match gained viral attention and is expected to draw increased interest in the league moving forward.

FanDuel’s offers a strong selection of CPL markets and that's only expected to evolve as the league continues to grow, particularly with the added spotlight of the FIFA World Cup coming to Canada this summer.

Calgary Roughnecks 🥍

The Calgary Roughnecks compete in the National Lacrosse League (NLL), a 14-team league spanning Canada and the United States. While lacrosse is officially Canada’s national summer sport, it ranks lower in mainstream popularity. Still, the Roughnecks boast a dedicated fan base, and sportsbooks are always looking to get in on the action where they can.

FanDuel currently provides a modest showing of NLL betting markets, including game lines, totals, and spreads, along with some team futures.

BetMGM Alberta Legal Betting

BetMGM Sportsbook will be regulated in Alberta by Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) and the new Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC).

Visit BetMGM.com for Terms & Conditions. Must be 19+. AB Only. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable site credit, unless otherwise provided in the applicable Terms. Please Play Responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact the Alberta GameSense Info Line at 1-833-447-7523 to speak to an advisor, free of charge.

Responsible Gambling

Here's a list of recommended responsible gambling resources available to BetMGM Alberta players:

• ResponsibleGambling.org
• GameSenseAB.ca
• GambleAware.org
• Gambling Therapy

Why Choose BetMGM Alberta?

BetMGM is an industry-leading betting site for a good reason. It has one of the best sportsbook platforms for casual, everyday sports fans. And the live betting platform at BetMGM is also on par with competitors like Caesars and FanDuel.

On top of the sportsbook offering, BetMGM has put extensive consideration into its online casino and poker, making this a one-stop-shop for people just looking to play for fun without a huge investment.

If you are a sharp bettor, you know you aren't going to be welcome here. Even if you don't consider yourself a sharp bettor, if you are continually finding an edge against BetMGM, you will most likely be limited at some point. For this reason, it's always good to have accounts at competing sites to make sure you can always get some money down where you want, when you want, and to ensure you're always getting the best odds.

All-in-all, BetMGM is in the elite tier of betting sites for the average sports fan.