Single-event sports betting bill defeated in Canadian Commons

Canadian House of Commons has voted down a bill to introduce single-event sports betting in the country.

A total of 156 MPs voted against the introduction of Bill C-221, the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, with 133 votes in favour.

C-221 sought to remove a line in the Criminal Code restricting provincial gambling monopolies from offering anything beyond parlay sports wagers.

Brian Masse, who introduced the bill in February and serves as MP for Windsor West, has expressed his disappointment at the decision.

He said: “By defeating this legislation the Liberal Government just endorsed an unacceptable reality in the gaming sector in Canada.

“They are well aware of the massive revenue stream sports wagering is providing organised crime to fund human trafficking, the illegal drug and weapons trade, money laundering and tax evasion.”

Masse based his support for the bill on the potential benefits it carried in job creation and support for the nation’s provincial economies, as well in helping to combat organised crime.

Critics of the bill had argued that its passage would fail to effectively curtail illegal wagering and could contribute to problem gambling.

The ruling Liberal Party came out in formal opposition to the bill in April based on sporting integrity fears, with C221’s defeat likely spelling an end to any hopes of sing-event sports betting being introduced in the country for the foreseeable future.

Masse commented: “It’s done. There’s no way else it can be revisited in terms of the language we have for the criminal code... I can’t imagine another way.”