Canada Asked To Approve Single Event Sports Betting
Published June 16, 2020 by Sol FH
Punters in Canada may soon be able to bet on single sports events if the major N. American leagues get their way.
A new coalition of major leagues from North America has publicly expressed their support for single-event wagering in Canada. Until now, Canadian punters have been limited to parlays requiring wagers on a minimum of three matches. But after a joint statement by the Canadian Gaming Association (CGA), the National Basketball Association (NBA); National Hockey League (NHL); Major League Soccer (MLS); Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Canadian Football League (CFL) it looks as though the iGaming regulating authority in Canada might need to rethink things.
“Sports betting gives fans another exciting way to engage with the sports they love,” the leagues stated. “Because a legal and regulated sports betting market in Canada would be beneficial to sports and their fans, we urge prompt action to make this a reality.
“Sports betting already happens illegally in Canada; creating a legal framework would shift consumers from illicit, unregulated markets to a legal and safe marketplace. Regulating single-game betting would allow for strong consumer protections as well as safeguards to further protect the integrity of sports.”
The League's Flipped It
A few years ago, leagues were against iGaming in N. America altogether, but nowadays, it is these same leagues that have been pressing US states to make sure they are cut in for a slice of the pie when writing new betting legislation, whether through the use of league data for in-play wagering or for 'integrity' fees.
Back in 2012, the MLB claimed that legalizing single-game betting would endanger the game, and its “integrity would be open to question, play by play, day after day.”
Also in 2012, the NHL warned that “the very nature of sports in North America will change, and we fear it will be changed for the worse” if the government approved single-game betting.
In 2015, the NBA suddenly abandoned its opposition to online betting, while the NHL was still holding out. NBA commissioner, Adam Silver knew too well the slice of iGaming cash was too much to pass upon.
Government officials including New Democratic Party MP Brian Masse commented that the leagues’ support was “a vindication of what needed to be done a decade ago,” while claiming that this moment “shouldn’t go unnoticed by the prime minister.”
