In Canada, Bill C-218, the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, recently had its first hearing in the House of Commons. Introduced by Saksatoon-Grasswood MP Kevin Waugh, the bill would legalize single-event sports betting, which supporters said could help communities rebound from economic losses due to Covid-19. “Everything has changed. Safe, regulated betting, that’s all we’re asking for. I think it’s time that we move forward on this,” Waugh said.
Under current gambling laws, bettors must make parlay bets—correctly pick at least two outcomes in order to win a wager.
Canadian Gaming Association President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Burns said, “Amending the Criminal Code to legalize single-event sports wagering will provide provinces with the necessary tools to deliver a safe and legal option to Canadians while enabling economic benefits to flow to licensed gaming operators, communities and provincial governments. I can’t emphasize enough how this small change to the Criminal Code would help communities recover from the economic devastation of the ongoing Covid-19 shutdown.”
Burns warned if nothing is done to regulate sports betting for single events, an estimated $14 billion a year would continue to flow to offshore websites and illegal bookmaking operations, with only $500 million flowing through provincial sports-betting organizations.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government in its 2019 budget said it would push the federal government on the subject on single-event wagering, stating the time had come “to treat the people of Ontario as adults by allowing them to bet on the outcome of a single sporting event.” Ford and the Progressive Conservatives (Ontario Tories) have said the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporations’ limited offerings can no longer match sports wagering opportunities available in the U.S. Observers in all Canadian provinces plan to keep an eye on single-event wagering developments in Ontario.
Additionally, professional leagues have encouraged the Canadian government to legalize single-event betting. In June, the commissioners of the National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer and the Canadian Football League wrote to a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emphasizing that Canada must drastically update its sports betting laws to protect franchises and national consumers. “People have been preparing, and anxious, because the customers are asking for it. We just think it’s time,” Burns said.
