Bettors with the desire to have single-game sports betting in Canada might have their wish come true. The major sporting leagues of the NBA, NHL, MLB, CFL, and MLS sent a joint statement to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Finance Minister Bill Morneau, the attorney general of Canada and Justice Minister Dave Lametti to get the opportunity in bettors’ hands.
The statement is in support of the amendment to Canada’s federal laws that would allow bettors to wager on single sporting events. This regulation of sports betting is a great stepping stone to move from parlay-only betting that is already happening to a safer and better environment for sports bettors.
The main goal
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and those that want to stop the illegal spread of sports gambling are in favor of getting this done. They believe that it has gone on long enough and are looking to start fresh with this law change.
Sports betting is another way for the fans to become engaged in the action. A legal and regulated betting market would be in the best interest of both the professional teams and the residents of Canada.
You can check out the amendment act here: https://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/43-1/bill/C-218/first-reading
Following the US’ footsteps
Over the past two years, sports betting has skyrocketed since the addition of online wagering and online casinos. The amount of tax benefits and consumer popularity has paved the way to other states in the US making this move.
Canada is also looking into this. With the success that the US has had in this regard, it would make sense that they would want to emulate the success too.
Third time’s the charm
Looking back this last decade, this will be the third attempt that the Parliament of Canada is talking about making moves to this bill. However, the positives surrounding it this time around appear to be better than it had been in the past.
In 2012 and 2015 were the last two attempts at this. If Canada does not make the bill happen this time around, it is estimated that it would be until 2023. Still, there is no telling what the next timetable would look like if this falls through.
As mentioned above, it appears that the success of the US could help the case for Canada this time around. For international sportsbooks that take Canadian customers, they take in anywhere from $10 to $14 billion a year. Canada might want a little sliver of this pie.
How it could play out in House of Commons
The Canadian House of Commons has a total of 338 seats. This passing overall requires a total of 170 votes.
The New Democratic Party and the Conservatives will be voting on the bill. The Conservatives make up 121 of those seats, and it is estimated that about 100 of them could be in favor of the bill passing.
Other parties that are involved in the voting process are the Greens and the Bloc Québécois. These could contribute up to about 36 more votes should they all vote in favor of the bill.
Conclusion
Based on the recent positivity in the Canadian support for this bill, it seems somewhat likely that this bill will be passed, and single-game sports wagering can legally begin. For the longest time, parlays were the only legal bets in Canada.
If this passes, it would be great news to Canada and their fans of sports. If not, it could likely never happen or will not happen again for a long time.