I OPINION Sports betting
Time to pass C-290
t’s been almost 20 months since MP Joe Comartin introduced a private member’s bill that would amend the Criminal Code and legalize betting on a single sporting event at provincially run casinos.
At the time, Comartin, the MP for Windsor-Tecumseh, pointed out that the Code was “outdated and does not recognize the modern reality of professional sports leagues and sporting events.”
As Comartin said, it doesn’t make sense that the current legislation allows betting on the outcome of three CFL or NHL games, but doesn’t allow betting on single games. Comartin said Bill C-290 recognized the reality that betting goes on and would enable the province to better regulate gambling, and the bill would help “take a large chunk of revenue out of the hands of organized crime.”
Not surprisingly, Comartin’s bill received strong allparty support in the House last March. C-290 is now making its way through the Senate and could be just weeks away from a final vote.
However, this sensible bill is now encountering its first real opposition.
Paul Beeston, president of the Toronto Blue Jays, told a Senate committee that the legalization of single sports betting would increase the chances that individuals gambling on games will attempt to influence the outcome of those games.
Similar opposition has been voiced by the NHL, NBA and NFL. However, if there is a possibility of rigging games, that’s an issue for individual sports teams — not legislators.
Conservative Senator Bob Runciman, co-sponsor of Bill C-290 in the Senate, pointed out that witnesses from gaming associations and gambling-addiction centres appearing before the committee all indicated the bill will have a positive impact.
“It’s going to have a real impact not just on monies flowing offshore to legal gaming operations in places like Great Britain, but also flowing into illegal pockets that are being used to fund other criminal activities,” he said.
Another potential wrinkle is coming from a three-member panel set up to report on Ontario’s troubled horse-racing industry. It has told the province that when Bill C-290 passes, the monopoly for single sports betting should be given to racetracks.
“The bill is expected to be enacted soon. The horse racing industry is a good fit for operating a sports book, given its experience in managing large risk pools with short margins, plus its network of off-track betting facilities,” the panel said. “Revenue from sports book is not in the current OLG business plan and a sports book is not essential for casino operators.”
Certainly that conclusion flies in the face of the intent of Comartin’s bill. Single sports betting is intended to give an advantage to casinos, including Caesars Windsor, which have struggled to contend with increased U.S. competition, border problems and a high dollar.
Single sports betting will also give communities like Windsor a boost in terms of the potential to increase gaming jobs and promote tourism. It’s time for the Senate to pass Bill C-290 and for the Ontario government to ensure that casinos remain the focus of the legislation.