Just a bill sitting on Parliament Hill

Back in March 2012, a bill called C-290 arrived at the floor of the Canadian Senate. C-290’s mandate was to change the sports gambling scene in Canada, a scene that has generated over $40 billion since its arrival as reported by the Canadian Gaming Commission.

Currently that same bill is being lobbied for a final decision.

Sports betting in Canada is a huge industry. Under current restrictions, sports betting in Canada generates revenues of $10 billion per year. Yet only a fraction – $450 million worth – is actually wagered through provincially mandated gaming outlets. This means that the remaining $9.5 billion is being wagered through international agencies or illegal bookmakers.

The bill is designed to make betting on single games legal in Canada. As of now, Canadians are only allowed to gamble on sports through games such as Pro-Line or online websites like Draftkings and FanDuel.

When it comes to Pro-Line, a player must choose from a minimum of three games to place a bet. By raising the stakes to three games, the likelihood of winning is greatly reduced. Bill C-290 is hoping to capitalize on the large percentage of gamblers who avoid Pro-Line in favour of other methods to place their bets.

Similarly, websites like Fan- Duel allow players to gamble a predetermined amount by creating a one-day fantasy team to play against other users. However, with online websites like this, the prize amounts are scaled and only a few people can win big.

With these as the two most common available, one can see why people end up choosing illegal means to place their bets. Gamblers want a simpler way to increase their odds of winning.

Bill C-290 could be a way to add some much needed jobs and funding to a slumping Canadian economy. On the flip side, if the bill is passed, it could open Canada up to a major ethical dilemma.

C-290’s opposition argues that legalizing single game sports betting will open up Canadians to controversial social issues ranging from widespread gambling addiction to problems with match fixing.

With recent events like former NBA referee Tim Donaghy and ex- NHL player Rick Tocchet fresh in our minds — both of whom plead guilty to illegal sports betting — it’s no wonder that Bill C-290 has a strong opposition.

Still, according to Bill C-290 supporters, gambling rates have stabilized in Canada to roughly one per cent of the population. Considering the large amounts of money already in the gambling industry, supporters argue that any social issues relating to sports betting are already present in today’s society.

Bill C-290 serves to allow our government to capitalize on the profits rather than having the benefits go to organized crime rings.

The one thing that is for sure about Bill C-290 is that it will be a hotly debated topic as we approach an election in 2015.

To read more on Bill C-290 and the statistics behind it, head on over to c290now.ca.