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OTTAWA — The Liberal government says it will bring in a bill on one-game sports betting, five years after a previous attempt died in the Senate.
The legislation on the House of Commons notice paper would amend Criminal Code provisions around gambling on single games of football, hockey and other sports, an activity that is currently illegal.
The bill could mirror previous parliamentary attempts to reclaim for casinos some of the $14 billion that the Canadian Gaming Association estimates is lost annually to the black market and foreign gambling websites.
Ontario has said it supports single-game sports betting. Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk is shown in front of Caesars Windsor on Wednesday, Nov. The Liberal government’s bill to. On one hand, what Butler called the “pre-legalized sports betting phase,” is an affiliation agreement between DraftKings and Foxwoods making the casino their official partner in Connecticut. While this is a first for Windsor, sports betting is available at casinos in other regions of Canada. Casino Niagara in Niagara Falls, Ontario, recently opened a $10 million sports betting lounge. While gambling on sports is illegal in most U.S. States, many Midwesterners travel to Las Vegas to wager on sports.
In 2012, then-NDP MP for Windsor-Tecumseh Joe Comartin tabled a private member’s bill to allow single-game betting that zipped through the House of Commons with all-party support, but foundered in the Senate and died when an election was called in 2015.
Liberal MP Irek Kusmierczyk — Windsor-Tecumseh’s current representative — says in a Facebook post that the bill is about protecting 2,500 casino jobs in his region and strengthening the Caesars Windsor casino.
Las Vegas-style betting on single-game sports would open the books to gamblers eager to put down cash on individual games rather than just Pro-Line-style betting, where consumers wager on fixed odds around two or more games, depending on the province.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 25, 2020.
The Canadian Press
By Mark BrownNovember 25, 2020 9:51am
The long-awaited discussion of single-sports betting in Canada will reach the House of Commons.
According to a tweet by Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk, Bill C-218, which would allow single-sports betting in Canadian casinos, will be tabled in the House this week. The bill passed second reading three weeks ago.
Working hard since Day 1 for this very moment – Excited our Government will be introducing Single Sports Betting legislation this week
Total team effort. Thank You @JustinTrudeau@DavidLametti@LOCAL444UNIFOR@CaesarsWindsor@WERCofC@WEECDEV@MayorMcNamara@DrewDilkenspic.twitter.com/MbE2VYVrUH
— Irek Kusmierczyk (@Irek_K) November 25, 2020
This is the latest attempt to get a single-sports betting bill through Parliament, as several previous tries failed. Kusmierczyk’s NDP colleague, Windsor West’s Brian Masse, had been trying to steer such legislation through the House for several years.
Bill C-218 has generated support from the Liberals, Conservatives, and the NDP. Kevin Waugh, the Conservative MP from Saskatoon-Grasswood, is a sponsor.
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The drive to bring the pastime to Windsor-Essex came to the forefront two weeks ago, when Kusmierczyk participated in a private Zoom call involving Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and local labour leaders. Among those on the call was Unifor Local 444 President Dave Cassidy, whose local represents workers at Caesars Windsor.
The casino is currently operating on a limited invitation-only basis due to COVID-19 control restrictions. Proponents of the betting bill say it will help add at least a hundred casino jobs.
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After the debate in the House of Commons, the bill will then head to the committee level, most likely in the new year. Once it passes committee level, the bill will return to the House for a final vote, then move to the Senate.