The long drawn out saga of attempts to move Canada’s sports betting legislation into the 21st century with single game sports betting (see previous reports) will have another run on September 21 when bill C-221 is scheduled for a committee review in the House of Commons.
Lawmakers on the Committee on Justice and Human Rights will decide whether to commit the measure for further review or kill it off. In April this year the newly elected Canadian Liberal Party government back-pedalled on the current proposal, consigning it to possible death by committee.
our readers will recall that previous Bill C-290 attempts to pass this legislation received massive support in the Commons but were derailed in the Senate by political manouevring and delaying tactics.
The current iteration of the bill, dubbed ‘’The Safe & Regulated Sports Act” is sponsored by Windsor MP Brian Masse, and seeks to amend Canada’s criminal law by making it legal for a state licensed individual or entity “to conduct and manage a lottery scheme in the province that involves betting on a race or fight or on a single sport event / athletic contest.”
Assuming the proposal makes it out of committee and through the Commons, it will still face the challenge of a hostile opposition in the Senate.
Until full passage is achieved, Canadian punters are stuck with the present regime, which permits sports wagering only in a pooled parlay format.