A big step forward on sports betting in Canada?

Changes for the gaming world in Canada

At the moment, in the Canadian provinces and territories, betting is allowed only in the form of lotteries. That is to say, the bets are pooled and all the stakes wagered by the players are grouped together in a common mass redistributed to the winners. Concretely, there is no fixed odds and you have to check an entire grid of matches to participate.

📍 Parliament has seen a real shortfall in this way of proceeding , because the offer is not attractive to players and the taxes allocated to the state are not optimized. That is why the goal is now to offer, as in most countries, simple bets with odds set by bookmakers that will include a government tax.

As Kevin Waugh, sponsor of this bill, pointed out: "By passing Bill C-218, we can ensure that in the future, the benefits of sports betting are reinvested in our communities , in health care, education, problem gambling programs, youth sports and other important services rather than those of offshore companies or even criminals".

A bill that appeals to the Canadian Parliament

During the reading of this bill in the Canadian Parliament, many parliamentarians expressed their support because of the positive impact it could have on the Canadian community. It was adopted unanimously with 303 votes in favor and 15 against.

Many stakeholders, such as gaming companies in Canada have come forward to express their support. Here are the steps to be taken for this law to succeed :

• 🔎 The C-218 project is forwarded to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights , to get his approval ;
• 🔎 Another vote to approve this project in the House of Commons ;
• 🔎 Draft law sent to the Senate of Canada .

Once all these steps have been passed and validated by each committee, the bill will finally be able to take shape. Although in December 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had made some progress with Bill C-13, this new project would finally mark the arrival of fixed odds for all sports. Good news for the players!