Single-game betting is just another way to fleece gamblers

There is actually more news than the pandemic, despite COVID-19 having sucked all the oxygen out of the air. The federal legislation controlling gambling is one of the former, flying under the collective radar.

All things being equal, Parliament will eventually pass Bill C-13. It will be accompanied by the sounds of snoring throughout the country. (I made that up, but like most other bills that pass through the House of Commons, the Senate and eventually royal assent, only a handful of interested parties will be aware of its existence.)

In essence, Bill C-13 makes single-game betting legal. I can see a host of furrowed brows signalling a cumulative “who cares?” The rest will be surprised, thinking a nation with a system of legal casinos strung across Canada's vast geography and the wildly popular provincial lotteries has already accepted gambling. Yes, but. Truth is, you cannot place a legal one-time bet on the outcome of the Grey Cup or the Super Bowl. Obviously, a great many Canadians do. They just don't know they're flirting with the Criminal Code.

Gambling, like drugs, cigarettes and liquor, can be an addiction, and it is for about one per cent of the population, according to U.S. statistics. (That's about 350,000 Canadians and more than two million Americans.) But for most Canadians, the only form of gaming they're used to is buying a quick-pick lottery ticket at the checkout. The mantra “You can't win if you don't play” is true, but specious. It's the dream many people cherish, the chance of winning. This flies in the face of reality — the odds of winning Lotto 6-49 are just under one in 14 million. In the U.S., the Mega Millions odds put that to shame: one in 302.5 million.

Compare those with the odds of being hit by lightning — one in 500,000 — although nobody would choose that as the lesser of two evils. (My late brother survived being struck by lightning and one of his trenchant comments was he stood a better chance of being hit twice by lightning than winning the lottery.)

The legalization of lotteries and, eventually, video lottery terminals and casinos, proved a windfall for provincial treasuries. Millions of dollars from dreamers and the desperate were willingly handed over to the government. It is no secret that many of these willing gamblers would object to an increase in provincial taxes — heaven forfend an Alberta sales tax — even while they are being fleeced by their own government.

In addressing Bill C-13, Niaz Nejad, the head of Alberta Gaming Lottery and Cannabis, wrote: “In addition to integrating sports wagering into Playalberta in 2021, adjusting the Criminal Code to allow for betting on a single event would give AGLC the ability to work with its industry stakeholders to offer sports wagering in destination facilities throughout Alberta.

“The Canadian Gaming Association estimates that $3 billion annually is gambled on unregulated offshore sports gambling websites. Those websites provide limited protections or means of responsible play, education or access to responsible gambling tools. Playalberta uses AGLC'S best-in-class Gamesense responsible gambling program, which promotes healthy gambling behaviours and gives players access to valuable tools and resources.”

Despite the rather unctuous tone, it's really all about the money. Here's where COVID-19 comes into play. As if Alberta doesn't have enough money woes ranging from dwindling oil prices to crippling debt load, the gusher of legal gambling funds has diminished, thanks to public health restrictions. This hasn't stopped gamblers from taking chances, just taking chances with their health. I suspect online gambling has seen a windfall and all the provincial governments are seeking a slice of the pie.

I'm not much of a gambler, short of once placing a $50 bet on Secretariat's nose in his last race at Woodbine in Toronto. It paid out $52. I find casinos numbingly boring and the attractions of Las Vegas have lured me there only once, one more than was necessary to convince me that slot machines are a tax on the stupid and VLTS designed for the drunk and desperate.

If you gamble, you are paying more taxes than those of us who don't. I'll say thanks.