More progress for Canadian sports betting bill

It’s been a long slog for Canada’s New Democratic Party MP Joe Comartin, but he is still making progress with his private members bill C-290, which seeks to legalise single-game sports bets in Canada.

Friday saw another threshold crossed when the bill successfully passed its third parliamentary reading in the House of Commons, clearing the way for a Senate rubber stamp to enshrine single-game sports bets into Canadian law.

C-290 amends Canada’s Criminal Code to permit the country’s individual provinces to decide whether to offer single-game sports wagers to their residents via their provincial gaming bodies. The Code currently limits sports betting to parlay wagers involving a minimum of three games.

Friday’s third reading was over in just 20 minutes with little opposition, according to Cromartin staffers. The same smooth passage is anticipated for the Senate, where Tory Senator Bob Runciman has already agreed to sponsor the measure.

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