• About
  • Offices
  • Careers
  • Students
  • Alumni
Background Image
Logo Bennett Jones
  • People
  • Expertise
  • Resources
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z All

FEATURED AREAS

Energy
Funds & Finance
Mining
Capital Projects
All Industries
Crisis & Risk Management
Environmental, Social & Governance
Governmental Affairs & Public Policy
All Practices
Insights
Media
Events
Subscribe
COVID-19 Resource Centre
Business Law Talks Podcast
Kickstart
New Energy Economy Series
People
Featured Areas
All Practices
All Industries
About
Offices
Careers
Insights
Events
Search
Search
 
Blog

No Longer a Private Member's Bill: Minister of Justice Proposes Legal Single Event Sport Betting in Canada

November 27, 2020

Written by Craig Garbe, Christian Gauthier, S. Paul Mantini, and Nathan Shaheen

After almost a decade of attempts by individual members of parliament, Cabinet has taken up the mantle of gaming law reform, and yesterday the Minister of Justice introduced legislation to decriminalize single event sport betting in Canada. If passed, Bill C-13, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (single event sport betting), would permit provinces and territories to regulate and license single event sport betting on any sporting event except horse racing. This is an important development in gaming in Canada that will create a new and regulated sector in the industry.

The proposed amendments would give provinces and territories the discretion to manage single event sport betting in their respective jurisdictions and offer Canadians an opportunity to place bets in a regulated environment either online or in physical facilities. This is a long-awaited announcement. The gaming industry, professional sports leagues, labour unions, provincial governments and opposition parties have been calling for this change to Canada's Criminal Code for years. The federal NDP first introduced a private members bill proposing the change in 2011.

This is the second major announcement for Canada's gaming industry this month. Ontario's pandemic-recovery budget bill (released November 5, 2020) included a suite of revisions to the legislation regulating online gaming/gambling in the province. Notably, these revisions would grant the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) the authority to conduct and manage online gaming through a subsidiary, in addition to continuing its role as provincial regulator. In its budget bill, Ontario prompted the federal government to pay heed to the issue of legal single event sport wagering. We wrote on this in Pandemic Payoff: Can the AGCO, and the Potential for Single-Event Wagering, Reinvigorate Legal Online Gaming in Ontario?

The proposed amendments to the Criminal Code were also driven by the rapid legalization of legal sports wagering in the United States—including border states Michigan, New York and Washington. In May 2018, a United States Supreme Court decision overturned a federal law prohibiting states from authorizing sports gambling (Murphy, Governor of New Jersey, et al. v. National Collegiate Athletic Association et al.). We previously wrote on this in What Are the Odds for Single Event Sports Wagering in Canada?

The federal government says that decriminalizing single event sport betting in Canada will strengthen Canada's economy, support jobs and reduce criminal activity. The revenues generated from provincial and territorial-operated gambling could be used by provinces and territories to fund programs and services, as they currently do with other lottery revenues. The government says it is also proposing to engage with provinces and territories and with Indigenous communities and organizations that have expressed an interest in discussing how gambling is regulated.

Interested businesses and prospective service providers should take note and prepare for the passage of this legislation, including through engagement with the applicable provincial regulators. As always, the Bennett Jones Gaming & Hospitality team, as well as our Governmental Affairs & Public Policy group, are available to assist you as you look to identify and implement business strategies in this sector.

Authors

  • Craig R. R. Garbe Craig R. R. Garbe, Partner
  • Christian P. Gauthier Christian P. Gauthier, Partner
  • S. Paul Mantini S. Paul Mantini, Partner
  • Nathan J. Shaheen Nathan J. Shaheen, Partner

Read the Fall 2020 Economic Outlook

Related Links

  • Insights
  • Media
  • Subscribe

Recent Posts

Blog

Canada Border Services Agency Publishes Update of [...]

January 20, 2021
       

Blog

Ontario Employers Need to Review their Employment [...]

January 20, 2021
       

Blog

Are You Ready for Your CEWS Audit?

January 18, 2021
       

Blog

Advancing Alberta's New Liability Management Framework

January 11, 2021
       

Blog

Supreme Court of Canada: Silence Can Breach the Contractual [...]

January 05, 2021
       

The firm that businesses trust with their most complex legal matters.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use

© Bennett Jones LLP 2021 All rights reserved. Bennett Jones refers collectively to the Canadian legal practice of Bennett Jones LLP and the international legal practices and consulting activities of various entities which are associated with Bennett Jones LLP

Logo Bennett Jones