Sports betting is legal in Canada. Online gambling in Canada is also popular, as this comprehensive guide shows. You can find many opportunities at casinos and various lottery outlets around the country. But people in Canada have to place bets on at least two events. People in the country cannot bet on single sports events. They can bet on various sports activities from around North America and the rest of the world, but they have to put in extra work when completing their wagers.

A look at online gambling in Canada shows that many people like the sportsbooks at many online gaming sites. They appreciate how they can bet on single events that are easier to win.

But things may change soon. There is momentum building in Canada in that people could be allowed to place bets on single sports events.

 
Being able to bet on one event at a time would be a big deal for many activities, including for the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup Finals games, and other major events. Not every sporting calendar has multiple games going in a day. The option to bet on one thing would open up the possibilities for betting.

About the Specific Bill
The House of Commons received Bill C-218 in late February. The bill is entitled the Safe and Regulated Sports Act. The bill would repeal a portion of the Criminal Code that makes betting on single sports events illegal. Bill C-218 would allow a province to conduct a lottery scheme or other activity that entails betting on a single event. The bill is sponsored by Brian Masse (ON-Windsor) and Kevin Waugh (SK-Grasswood).

The bill has yet to be heard by the rest of the House. A vote should take place soon, although details on when that will occur are unclear. It is hard to figure if it will pass, but the bipartisan support for the bill is a positive point.

Bringing In Money To Canada
The key part of this act is to bring in more gambling money to Canada. H2 Gambling Capital states that Canadians win about $1.7 billion in interactive gaming activities every year. But close to three-quarters of that total is from offshore gambling. The point suggests that people are willing to spend money on offshore casinos and sportsbooks, but not so much on casinos and other activities in Canada.

Catching Up To the United States
The move comes as the United States has embraced sports betting as of late. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was repealed in 2018, allowing legalized sports betting throughout the country. It is up to individual states to dictate how bets are available. It is possible that every state but Utah will have some legal form of sports betting soon.

Easy To Handle Funds
One reason it might be appealing to allow single-event wagering in Canada comes from how it would be easy for Canadian casinos and online betting sites to accept payments. The Interac money transfer system makes it easier for people to transfer their funds. A majority of Visa and MasterCard transactions are also approved on most offshore betting sites. It wouldn’t take much for a Canadian casino to accept such funding efforts.

The Canadian Gambling Association would have full review on how the funds move about for single-event bets. It may be safer for Canadian players to make these bets on Canada-based sites and platforms than if they were to go to offshore sites. There’s a chance that some offshore betting spots might not be as trustworthy as people assume.

Will the Lotteries Agree?
The lottery organizations in Canada would have to agree to the effort to allow single-event bets in their systems. Many lotteries in the country allow for some form of sports bets. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming, British Columbia Lottery Corporation, and Loto Quebec groups provide sports betting opportunities, but with two or more events at a time. These three groups may accept the effort to bring in more funds, but the question involves who will operate these games.

OLG uses a third-party operator to make its sports betting activities work. BCLC and LQ have not expressed any interest in such providers. Bringing in an outside party may simplify how these games would work.

A Sense of Excitement
The excitement surrounding the potential for people in Canada to bet on single sports events is worthwhile. Canadians are spending significant amounts of money on offshore sports betting. It’s no surprise that Canada wants to get in on the action and free up its rules. Recent developments in the United States have made it all the more essential for Canada to look at what to do next.
 

This article is a reprint from TheSportsDaily.com. To view the original story and comment, click here.