A bill that would repeal existing laws and make it legal for Canadians to wager on single sporting events is to be reintroduced into the country’s parliament.
Sponsored by Conservative Member of Parliament Kevin Waugh, C-218, which is also known as the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, was first introduced in February this year.
The bill seeks to repeal paragraph 207(4)(b) of Canada’s Criminal Code, under which consumers are only permitted to place bets on at least three games or more, meaning that a wager on a single match or event is illegal.
Should the bill pass into law, Canadians would be able to place bets on single games or events – a campaign backed by a number of leading operators in the country, including provincial lottery operator the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) and media business Score Media and Gaming (theScore).
Responding to the reintroduction of the legislation, theScore chief executive John Levy welcomed the announcement, reiterating its support for the bill and to open up more wagering opportunities for Canadians.
“We strongly support this bill to amend Canada’s outdated federal laws and give sports fans the choice to wager on single events,” Levy said. “Canadians deserve a modernized, regulated, and competitive sports betting market, and the reintroduction of this bill is another important step in that direction.
“As Canada’s leading independent digital sports media brand, and with an active and growing US sportsbook business, we are very excited about the potential opportunities around regulated sports betting here.”
Aside from the two operators, a number of major North American sports leagues also previously publicly expressed their support for single-event sports betting.
The Canadian Gaming Association (CGA), National Basketball Association (NBA); National Hockey League (NHL); Major League Soccer (MLS); Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Canadian Football League (CFL) hailed efforts to allow legal betting in the country.