Canada’s Liberal government, which holds a majority in the House of Commons, recently announced it will oppose Bill C-221, the “Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act,” which would amend a section of Canada’s criminal code to legalize single-game sports betting. Currently under the country’s criminal code, provinces and territories may not accept single-game sports betting in their jurisdictions.
During debate on the bill, Liberal MP Sean Casey, parliamentary secretary to the minister of justice and attorney general of Canada, stated, “Opposing this bill means protecting our most vulnerable citizens.” He added passing C-221 would result in “more gambling and will contribute to the many ills to society brought about by problem gambling.”
Casey added that Canada’s stance on single-event betting is helping to fight match-fixing and that altering current law could have an adverse impact on the progress being made.
