Canada is looking to follow in the footsteps of its southern neighbor and pass legislation for a broad legal sports betting platform. The country’s Senate has been in talks to pass Bill C-218, the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act for a couple of weeks now. It looks as though a few more days will be required before Canadian citizens will be granted the opportunity for single-game betting.
The Senate is the last stage of any debate on legislation in Canada. Bill C-218 was in the midst of its third and final reading Thursday before a host of debate topics bogged down the proceedings and punted the topic for further consideration Monday. While some see the debate topics as necessary, others view them as re-hashed talking points designed at delaying a vote.
The pressure is on for Senators – the current legislative session ends this week, making Friday the deadline for a vote that would bring single-game betting to Canadians by the end of the calendar year.
Looking Back Before We Look Forward
Canada has always had legal sports betting, just in parlay form. Recent debate is about expanding wagering opportunities to include single-game betting for its citizens.
The idea of platform expansion dates back to early 2020 when years of consideration resulted in House of Commons member Kevin Waugh finally bringing legislation surrounding single-game betting up for debate among lawmakers in November.
Things moved quickly and Canada’s House of Commons easily passed Bill C-218 in April, sending it to Canada’s Senate for final approval, where it sits now.
To bring on single-game betting, there will be a required change in Canada’s criminal code, hence the debate among lawmakers and the airing of grievances by a host of possibly affected Canadian entities. The current law banning single-game betting has been in place for about 30 years, and while it shouldn’t be too difficult to change, all avenues have to be pursued before passage.
Ultimately, what lawmakers like Kevin Waugh are after is a set of laws and practices similar to the US legal sports betting platform which launched in just 2018 when the US Supreme Court tossed out its blanket ban on sports betting.
“[Provinces] have been seeking this change for years and are ready to respond to it quickly and responsibly,” Senator David Wells said. “While we can not dictate the regulatory practices of Canada’s provincial governments, what we can do is make this modification to one line of the Criminal Code, thereby empowering them to safely bring single-event sports betting within Canada.”
The Potential Canadian Scene
A Canadian legal sports betting market would roughly be the same size as California’s. Canada is home to about 38 million residents, its own football league (the Canadian Football League), seven NHL teams, MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays and NBA’s Toronto Raptors. All have typically rabid fan-bases whose overall experience with the clubs in question would be enhanced with the launch of a single-game sports betting model.
One of the biggest proponents of Bill C-218 has been the brass of the Canadian Football League that has been searching for some new revenue streams, ways to spice up their product and to get on a level playing field with other North American sports leagues. The CFL has a surprising amount of clout in Canada and is carrying the torch for a potentially broader industry.
Single-game betting would benefit fans, teams, leagues and heavily impacted tax coffers that have been drained during COVID-19. Supporting and taxing single-game betting will take the betting activity that is already taking place with offshore gambling sites and keep revenues at home, where they will benefit all Canadians.
In the Way…
The Senate has heard from a host of opposition forces to the potential single-game betting legislation. One that has been given a ton of oxygen in the Senate has been the traditional and seemingly over-hashed sensitivity to match-fixing. It has been a main talking point in other counties that have moved toward broad legal sports betting platforms.
The same concerns came up in the US drive for sports betting legalization. Since 2018, there have been few, if any examples of such nefarious activities.
Canada’s First Nations, who already have a hand in the legal gambling industry have also voiced concerns that expansion of a wagering platform would ultimately cut into their profits. Negotiators are currently working on some amendments on that front and will have to be acceptable to all parties before Bill C-218 becomes reality.
Debate surrounding criminality associated with the gambling industry has been ongoing as well. Subjects such as cheating, the creation of unfair advantages, fraud, bribery and conspiracy have been a big part of the Bill C-218 conversation in the Senate aren’t going away just yet.
The Chances Single-Game Betting Actually Happens
The fact that Bill C-218 is in its third and final reading in Canada’s Senate is certainly a good sign. On Monday, debate will pick up again with an eye on the end of the week for final passage.
David Phillips, COO at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario says legalization will be in place “By the end of 2021.” Stewart Groumoutis, British Columbia Lottery Commission predicts it will be “Almost immediately.”
So, the appetite is there and so is the piece of legislation. Widespread agreement on single-game sports betting legalization framework is close.
“Colleagues, it is time to bring single-event sports betting into the light of day,” said Senator David Wells. Most agree. So, look for Canada to step on the gas pedal this week and join the single-game sports betting family by the end of the year.
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