Canadian Conservative Party Member of Parliament Kevin Waugh is sponsoring a bill that aims to legalize single event sports betting across the country.The private member’s bill, which was filed yesterday, aims to repeal paragraph 207(4)(b) of the Canadian Criminal Code to allow gambling operators to offer betting on a single sport event or athletic contest.
Currently the Criminal Code states that only bets on at least three games or more are legal.
Bill C-218, also known as the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, aims to repeal this restriction, and to allow provincial and federal governments to tap into an illegal market Waugh estimated to be worth around CAD$14bn.
“Let me be clear that single-event sport wagering already exists in this country, and if members do not think so, they are behind the curtains,” Waugh said when introducing the bill. “The Canadian single-event sport wagering industry is worth over $14 billion, but most of it, 95% of it, exists underground on the black market or through offshore websites.”
