Is now the time to finally expand gambling laws?
YES Single-sports betting has broad support
Canada has had legal sports wagering for decades. We just can’t do it the way everyone wants to. Betting on the outcome of two or more sporting events or “parlay” bets is legal and is the only option available to Canadians through the sports lottery products offered by provincial lottery corporations.
However, there is a holdover from the 1960s in Canada’s Criminal Code that prohibits the betting on the outcome of a single sports event, which is the type of betting that Canadians enjoy most and seek out. Canadians have turned to betting online through offshore sportsbooks with great enthusiasm for the product, as more than $4 billion annually is wagered through these sites by Canadians.
An additional $10 billion is bet through illegal bookmaking operations controlled by organized crime. That’s $14 billion in gross wagers annually through illegal channels vs. the legal provincial sports lottery products which see about $500 million annually, making it very clear how Canadians prefer to place a bet.
The Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act (Bill C-218) is currently in the Canadian Senate and has wide support from a broad coalition of stakeholders. The gaming industry, municipal and provincial governments, First Nations, labour and business leaders, professional and amateur sports bodies, law enforcement, and problem gambling experts are standing together to urge the Senate to move swiftly to consider C-218 before the summer recess.
Add in the threat of a fall election and this Criminal Code amendment will be lost for another year while the billions of dollars wagered illegally will continue to fill the pockets of unlicensed offshore sports books and organized crime.
We’ve been asking to legalize singleevent sports betting for over a decade and we are now very close. The House of Commons passed Bill C-218 by a strong margin of 303-15 in April, at second reading, and even the prime minister made an appearance to go on record with his “yes” vote.
Amending the Criminal Code to legalize single-event sports betting will give the provinces the ability to create strong regulatory standards and enforcement. It is the only way to ensure sports wagering is delivered with the proper level of control and supervision, including:
Age and identity verification to ensure minors cannot participate.
Information and data sharing between sports organizations, sport book operators, gaming regulators and law enforcement to protect the integrity of matches and prevent match fixing.
Access to responsible gambling tools and self-exclusion options.
Only through the regulation of this activity can it be brought out from the shadows and into the light where we can ensure that proper player protections are available, bets are fair, and the activity is safe.
Passing Bill C-218 will allow economic benefits to stay in Canada and help provincial governments, Canadian businesses, and local communities. The pandemic has had a severe impact on the hospitality, sports, and entertainment sectors, and making this product available will provide tremendous support as they build back their businesses.
It will create jobs by enabling Canadian technology and sports betting companies to offer services at home, like two Toronto-based companies, theScore, which is licensed and provides sports betting in five U.S. states, or Rivalry, a sports and eSports betting platform thriving in Latin American countries.
It will allow Canada’s casino operators, who are large employers in communities like Windsor, Niagara Falls, Brantford and Ottawa, to add a new sports book venues as amenities to draw customers back and they could use the boost right now.
Close to 90,000 workers in Canada’s gaming industry have not been able to work for most or all of the past 14 months, and right now, no gaming facilities are open in Canada. Allowing casino operators to have a new product to offer when it’s safe to reopen will support employment and provide a no-cost relief measure to a suffering industry.
It’s a simple amendment, with broad and diverse support, that will provide significant economic benefits and greater oversight and protection for Canadians. You can see a full list of supporting organizations by visiting bettersportsbetting.ca
Let’s get C-218 over the goal-line and give Canadians safe and regulated sports betting.