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About Merge Up
“Standing still was not the responsible choice,” Nally said when the market launched. “Albertans were already gambling. What we’re putting in place is a regulated market that will put player safety and player responsibility first.”
“At the end of the day, this is not about revenue. This is about channelization,” Nally added. “How much of that black market can we channelize into the legal, regulated market?”
According to Nally, approximately 70% of online gambling in Alberta occurred through unregulated operators prior to the July 13 launch, with the remaining 30% flowing through Play Alberta, the province’s sole legal platform at the time.
How to play Merge Up
For Splash Tech founder Adam Wilson, RubyPlay’s acquisition of his company is not simply the coming together of two complementary suppliers. It is an early indication of where the wider supplier market may be heading.
The deal adds Splash Tech’s free-to-play games and supplier-agnostic jackpot engine to RubyPlay’s existing portfolio of free spins, rewards, missions and tournaments. In doing so, it strengthens RubyPlay’s evolution from a content-led provider into a broader content and engagement tools company, giving operators a way to add engagement mechanics across existing and third-party portfolios without building those capabilities from scratch.
Wilson expects others to follow.
What is Merge Up?
Air travel is booming, but Las Vegas isn’t seeing the same lift, as tourism numbers remain turbulent.
Through July, the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority (LVCVA) reported that visitor volume has rebounded only 0.5%. 2026 followed a difficult 2025, where visitation crashed 7.5%.
Far fewer travelers are arriving in the casino town by air this year. Harry Reid International Airport reported 30.2 million passengers through July—a 6.9% drop from the same period in 2025—with international traffic down nearly 9%.
