Canada Sports Betting Bill Passes Second Reading In House of Commons

• Canada could see legal sports betting on single-game events in 2021 as Private Members Bill C-218 passed in the House of Commons in its second reading.
• Plenty of advocates for the industry are putting pressure on the Parliament of Canada to pass legislation, including the British Columbia Lottery Corporation.
• Yearly revenue from gambling on sporting events in Canada could bring in nearly $100 million USD from a conservative estimate.

OTTAWA – Canada is moving closer to a positive outcome for avid sports bettors in the country as legislation to legalize single-event sports betting moved forward in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

There are plenty of gaming businesses that call Canada home who are actively advocating for the passage of Private Members Bill C-218 and making their voices heard to Canadian Parliament.

The second reading of the proposal proved to be fruitful with the pressure of the country wanting to give Canada a legal sports betting industry but the approval within the House of Commons is one of many needed for Private Bill C-218 to become law.

The Next Step For Legislation

Private Members Bill C-218 has everyone in its corner, from the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) to sports betting platforms like theScore. The bill would make brick-and-mortar and mobile sportsbooks legal in Canada.

It has also been proposed by the BCLC to find a way to offer sports betting to customers at retail lottery locations in the country through the passage of Bill C-218.

The amount of revenue that a Canadian legal sports betting market could bring in is estimated to be anywhere from $98.4 million USD to $137.76 million annually. So many sports bettors in Canada wager on sports using outside outlets, putting the economy in the country at a loss for profits that could easily be seen through a legal industry, and insiders on the issue want lawmakers to be aware of this fact.

“We’re calling on all Members of Parliament to work together collaboratively to legalize single-event betting for the benefit of our players and provinces,”  said Stewart Groumoutis, BCLC’s Director of eGaming. Our players want single-event sports betting, and we are ready to provide this enhanced offering to them in a safe and responsible manner while also generating additional revenue for the Province of BC.”

What’s Next?

Canadian sports bettors currently resort to mobile sportsbooks to gamble on single sports matchups but Bill C-218 wouldn’t have them need to do that anymore. This would make sports wagering legal on a provincial level. However, another proposal Bill C-13 would seek the same things but on a federal level.

Bill C-213 is expected to be heard for consideration sometime in 2021.

As for Bill C-218, it will move to committee for more approvals before officially becoming law. However, the present progress has advocates like Canada’s top mobile sports media platform, theScore excited with how things will turn out.

“Today’s development in the House of Commons, focusing on the legalization of single-event sports betting in Canada, is a significant step forward in the process to amend an outdated law,” said John Levy, theScore Founder and CEO.

 

“The positive outcome of today’s vote demonstrates the continuing momentum and strong cross-party support for this issue. We expect that the legalization of single-event sports betting will facilitate the introduction by provinces and territories of a much-needed modernized sports betting framework in their respective jurisdictions that can include important consumer protections and the ability to generate new revenue streams for provincial and territorial governments.”

News tags: BCLC | Bill C-13 | British Columbia Lottery Corporation | Canada | House of Commons | John Levy | Parliament of Canada | Private Members Bill C-218 | Stewart Groumoutis | theScore