NHL joins opponents of betting legislation change
Pro leagues fight single-game wagers
OTTAWA — The National Hockey League has become the latest professional sports league to voice last-minute opposition to a bill that would legalize betting on individual games.
That has prompted parliamentarians spearheading the proposed legislation to question the sports leagues’ motives, setting up a fight that could have dramatic ramifi- cations for the country’s gambling scene.
The Criminal Code only allows legal betting on three or more sports games at a time.
Bill C-290 would change that so provinces could set up rules and regulations for single-game betting.
Parliament is on the verge of approving the bill after it quietly passed through the House of Commons and into the Senate with all-party support.
Those in favour of the bill, including casino owners and gaming associations, say the change would create jobs, generate revenue for government, and help fight illegal offshore gambling.
But Toronto Blue Jays president Paul Beeston and a lawyer from Major League Baseball threw a wrench in the works last week when they appeared before a Senate committee to strongly oppose the bill.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly has added his voice to the debate, saying in an emailed statement to Postmedia News: “We too oppose the proposed legislation and we hope to have the opportunity to voice our concerns to the Canadian Senate in the near future.”
Daly is now scheduled to appear before the Senate committee on Nov. 8.
National Basketball Asso- ciation commissioner David Stern has also taken a disapproving view of the legislation.
But the last-minute interventions have prompted sharp rebuttals from the bill’s sponsors.
Conservative Senator Bob Runciman, C-290’s co-sponsor in the Red Chamber, said witnesses from gaming associations, gambling-addiction centres and others have indicated the bill will have a positive effect.
Runciman admitted the sports leagues’ opposition probably had an effect on some senators, a number of whom are already opposed to the change.