Single game sports betting drags on in the Canadian senate

Thanks largely to political manouevring by conservative opponents, a Canadian bill amending gambling laws to permit single game betting has languished in the Senate for two long years despite receiving overwhelming support in the House of Commons.

Bill C-290 was back in the news yet again this week as Canada’s Minister of Sport, Bal Gosal, tried to goose things along by giving his support to the measure, which was originally launched in September 2011 as a private members bill by MP Joe Comartin.

Gosal pointed out that millions of dollars are wagered at online casinos and sports betting websites based outside of Canada and provide Canadians with the sort of wagering formats and odds that they want. As a result, the money deposited in those bets left the country and were of no benefit to Canada.

The Minister’s view is that by giving Canadian punters the sort of action they prefer in the form of single game betting, the money will go to the Canadian economy and companies, with some of it reaching worthy causes such as amateur sports leagues and the development of Canadian sports generally.

However, Gosal added a cautious rider to his support by suggesting that a more comprehensive review is required before single game betting receives the approval of the legislature. A pity that such a course was not implemented two years ago, but perhaps a way forward for this long-running bill.

There are plenty of examples that show how successful single game betting can be – Las Vegas sports books for one, but on the other side of the coin there are concerns about the impact of single game betting in Europe, where it has been linked to match-fixing scandals.

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