Canada rekindles single-event sports betting bill

A bill has been reintroduced to Canada’s House of Commons in a bid to generate more revenue amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Canada.- A bill that would facilitate the legalisation of gambling on single sporting events in Canada has been formally reintroduced to parliament.

Bill C-218 was initially introduced back in February. It has been brought back into the House of Commons in a bid to generate more state revenue amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

If the bill passes, it would allow Canadians to wager on individual sports events by revoking paragraph 207(4)(b) of Canada’s Criminal Code, which states that consumers can only place bets on three games or more.

The bill is sponsored by Conservative member of parliament Kevin Waugh, and has the backing of entities such as the British Colombia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) and Score Media and Gaming (theScore).

The President and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association (CGA), Paul Burns, has publicly endorsed the bill.

Burns said: “Amending the Criminal Code to legalize single-event sports wagering will provide provinces with the necessary tools to deliver a safe and legal option to Canadians while enabling economic benefits to flow to licensed gaming operators, communities, and provincial governments.

“I can’t emphasize enough how this small change to the Criminal Code would help communities recover from the economic devastation of the ongoing COVID-19 shutdown.”