Canadians can wager on sports events through government-sponsored operators, but they must be parlays, or bets on at least two games. And as any good bettor knows, parlays are simply not profitable plays in the long run, pushing many Canadians to grey-market offshore books instead.
The Canadian Gaming Association called on the NHL to help press for change. The Association estimates that Canadians bet about $4 billion per year at offshore sports books, dwarfing the $450 million that’s legally bet with Canadian operators.
“We’re going to be doing lobbying efforts. It’s going to be front and center because we have a lot of members that are in the hospitality sector that it negatively affects.” Stated David Cassidy, the president of the Unifor (pictured).
Unlike the US, which required a landmark Supreme Court decision to open the door to sports betting, changing to law in Canada would be relatively simple. And Politicians and union leaders are trying to finally legalize single-game sports betting in Canada.
“Just one change of the Criminal Code in one paragraph. This is a decade old file that needs to be addressed. I don’t really understand the resistance to something that would create jobs, not just in our community but across Canada.” said Cassidy.
In the other hand, the Liberal government who continues to oppose any gaming changes with the Minister Freeland said: “I heard some interesting things. I’ll go back and reflect on that.”
