New Hope? – Canada set to review new C-122 ‘single sports betting bill’

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Canadian gambling stakeholders and political backers are aiming to breathe new life into the nation’s sports betting agenda, by presenting Bill C-122: ‘The Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act’, to Ottawa’s House of Commons.

C-122 is expected to gain a second review this Tuesday, with Canadian news sources claiming that the bill has the support of Canada’s Chamber of Commerce. C-122 aims to introduce the legal framework for regulated ‘Single Sports Betting’ in Canada.

The new bill replaces the failed C-290, which was backed by multiple Canadian MP’s but ultimately failed to progress within the House of Commons. Pro betting stakeholders deemed C-290 “to be dead” having failed to gain approval before Canada’s October 2015 National Election.

Like its predecessor, C-122 will aim to introduce wagering on single sports events approved and monitored by Canada’s Gaming Association.

Furthermore, C-221 would amend Canada’s Criminal Code by repealing betting restrictions thus permitting national provinces to individually decide on allowing single-sports betting.

At present Canadian authorities allow betting wagering to be serviced via parlay bets / pools system, where the consumer has to predict numerous sporting outcomes to win money. The betting system has been deemed inefficient as it does not match the requirements needed to engage with modern betting consumers.

Canadian betting stakeholders are hoping that the newly elected Liberal Party led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be more effective at handling C-122’s debate  and progress.

Although supported by numerous MP’s, regulated sports betting in Canada remains a sensitive issue. In 2015, the NHL (who has eight Canadian franchises) stated that it remained completely opposed to allowing regulated sports betting.

Throughout 2015, the House of Commons was lambasted by the gambling industry for continually stalling its review of Bill C-290 over a period of three years, with many commentators stating that it did not want to tackle a bipartisan issue.


Source: SBC News

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