Canada: Sports Betting Act expected to be approved today

The bill is expected to be approved by a majority vote and will see single-game sports betting legalised in the country

Today, Monday 21st Canada is expected to vote for passage on Bill C-218 on regulated sports betting legislation.

This bill has been an ongoing discussion for quite some time with the third hearing finishing off on Thursday and set to continue Monday morning. If today’s bill passes it will then go to the Governor-General for Royal Assent before getting penned down as a law.

Bill C-218 has the potential to unravel new growth opportunities, reduce illegal betting and generate revenues for the sports industry as well as the governments.

TheScore CEO John Levy wrote in a statement “following committee, we are optimistic that Bill C-218 will be swiftly passed at third reading in the Senate, receive royal assent, and become law.”

This legislation will end the long-standing ban on single-game sports betting in Canada. C-218 has been added to Canada’s legislation about 30 years ago and it aimed to control match-fixing.

If passed this bill would make it legal for provinces and those they licence to conduct and manage single-event sports betting on all types of sports except horse racing, wagering for which would remain under national surveillance.

First Nation Tribes involved in Gaming are worried that this expansion bill will impact the industry negatively.

Sponsoring this bill is Senator David Wells. During his speech, on Thursday, Wells spoke about consumer protections, responsible gaming, and economic opportunities as some of the few expected benefits that will come along with this bill.

“[Provinces] have been seeking this change for years and are ready to respond to it quickly and responsibly,

“While we can not dictate the regulatory practices of Canada’s provincial governments, what we can do is make this modification to one line of the Criminal Code, thereby empowering them to safely bring single-event sports betting within Canada.”

If all goes according to plan Canada will see the sports betting industry get regulated.

Among those expressing reservations is former Ottawa police chief Vernon White, who has proposed an amendment to the bill, whereby the fixing of a sporting event will be unlawful. When speaking about the cons of this legislation during Thursday’s debate White, said that single-event betting will bring with it the problem of match-fixing. ‘Every other country has it, so why would we be different?’

During an earlier session, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau voted in favor of C-218 in a House reading.

If all goes to plan, the sports betting scene is looking at becoming fully regulated in 2022.

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