Single Game Sports Betting

Posted : admin On 7/31/2022

Sports betting is the activity of predicting sports results and placing a wager on the outcome. The frequency of sports bet upon varies by culture, with the vast majority of bets being placed on association football, American football, basketball, baseball, hockey, track cycling, auto racing, mixed martial arts, and boxing at both the amateur and professional levels.

The American Gaming Association also anticipates that this year’s Super Bowl will “generate the largest single-event legal handle in American sports betting history,” its CEO said this week. Approximately 23.2 million Americans intend to bet a total of US$4.3 billion on this year’s game alone, according to the AGA’s research. By betting 1 unit on three games with traditional vig or juice (-110), you can win a max of 2.73 units if you hit all three games. However, if you’re feeling a bit riskier, you can turn each bet into a leg of a three-game parlay, which will payout 6 units if all three picks hit.

  • There is already one form of sports betting allowed in Canada.
  • Kevin Waugh introduced Bill C218, which would legalize single-game sports wagering in Canada.
  • U.S. border states have impacted sports bettors in Canada.

TORONTO, Canada – A new sports betting bill in Canada was introduced at Canada’s House of Commons which would allow for the legalization of sports betting in the country. The fight for legalizing sports betting has been ongoing in Canada.

The way the bill was introduced, however, uses the United States as leverage to persuade them to legalize sports betting sooner rather than later.

Ontario has said it supports single-game sports betting. © Provided by Windsor Star Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk is shown in front of Caesars Windsor on Wednesday, Nov. The American Gaming Association also anticipates that this year’s Super Bowl will “generate the largest single-event legal handle in American sports betting history,” its CEO said this week. Approximately 23.2 million Americans intend to bet a total of US$4.3 billion on this year’s game alone, according to the AGA’s research.

Sports

Canadian Sports Betting

Sports betting in Canada is legal, however, it must be done in a specific way. In order for bettors to place bets in Canada, they can only bet on parlay bets of three games or more. Canadian bettors can either go in person or they can bet online. Online sportsbooks must hold government-issued licenses.

Offshore sites that operate in Canada offer better odds to the typical sports bettor but they do however have strict regulations and limit the bet size. The Canadian government often ignores the offshore sites in order to focus more on its in-state policies.

Safe Regulated Sports Betting Act

The Safe Regulated Sports Betting Act, known as Bill C-218, was introduced this week at the House of Commons. This bill would legalize single-game sports betting across the country.

Kevin Waugh, a member of the Canadian Conservative Party, introduced the bill by pointing out that single-game sports betting already exists in the country.

“Let me be clear that single-event sport wagering already exists in this country, and if members do not think so, they are behind the curtains—The Canadian single-event sport wagering industry is worth over $14 billion, but most of it, 95% of it, exists underground on the black market or through offshore websites,” said Waugh.

Waugh continued to point out how these offshore and black market sportsbooks are in no way helping their economy.

“These are unregulated sport-wagering sites—none of that activity is subject to government regulations or taxes; none of it is creating jobs in this country or economic opportunities; and none of it is contributing to consumer protection, education, harm reduction initiatives or support services, which are badly needed in this country—by passing this bill we can put a stop to the billions of dollars going to organized crime and put that money back into our communities,” Waugh continued.

The legislation would amend the Criminal Code to repeal the Federal ban on single-sport betting. Waugh even mentions how the United States has allowed for sports betting.

“The United States has allowed it. Sports leagues like the NHL and NBA are in favor of sports betting being regulated. It is time this country follows forward,” Waugh said.

Single Game Sports Betting Bill Canada

The Canadian Gaming Association has been fully supportive of Waugh during the introduction of C-218 in order to legalize sports betting.

“Amending the Criminal Code to legalize single-event sports wagering will provide provinces with the necessary tools to deliver a safe and legal option to Canadians,” said Paul Burns, Chief Executive of the CGA.

United States Impact

Of the 12 states on the border between the United States and Canada, five of them have fully legalized sports betting. Montana is the westernmost state of the five. Michigan is the next state over that has legalized sports betting.

In the northeastern part of the United States, there are three states on the border that allow for sports betting: New York in 2019, Pennsylvania in 2018 and New Hampshire in 2019.

Michigan recently became the fifth state on the border to have it legalized. This is forcing Canada to open its eyes. It is making it easier for Canadians to cross the border and place bets. Mobile and online betting strengthen that issue as Canadian citizens would not even have to go to a retail sportsbook as they would be able to do it right from their phones.

Other than the states that have already legalized sports betting, there are four more potential states on the border that could legalize sports betting.

  • Washington State
  • Ohio
  • Vermont
  • Maine

Canada would benefit from this as well. It would allow for those American’s in border states that sports betting is not legal, to travel north and place their bets.

News tags: Bill C-218 Canada Kevin Waugh Michigan Montana New Hampshire New York Paul Burns Pennsylvania Safe Regulated Sports Betting Act

Samuel has been writing professionally for 4 years. He comes from a sports writing background where he enjoys writing mostly about basketball and football both professional and collegiate. He is a recent graduate of Florida State University where he majored in Editing, Writing and Media with a minor in Communications. During his free time, you can find him watching or playing sports as well as playing videogames and listening to music.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — The Liberal government says it will bring in a bill on one-game sports betting, five years after a previous attempt died in the Senate.

The legislation on the House of Commons notice paper would amend Criminal Code provisions around gambling on single games of football, hockey and other sports, an activity that is currently illegal.

The bill could mirror previous parliamentary attempts to reclaim for casinos some of the $14 billion that the Canadian Gaming Association estimates is lost annually to the black market and foreign gambling websites.

In 2012, then-NDP MP for Windsor-Tecumseh Joe Comartin tabled a private member's bill to allow single-game betting. It zipped through the House of Commons with all-party support but foundered in the Senate and died when an election was called in 2015.

Liberal MP Irek Kusmierczyk — Windsor-Tecumseh's current representative — says the bill is about protecting 2,500 casino jobs at Caesars Windsor casino as well as bolstering the pandemic-battered tourism industry and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.'s bottom line.

'It just allows our gaming institutions here in Canada to be able to actually operate on a level playing field with what’s already available online, but also with our American counterparts across the river,' Kusmierczyk said in a phone interview.

More than two dozen states have moved to legalize single-event betting after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal ban in 2018.

Gameday Sports

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Las Vegas-style betting on single-game sports would open the books to gamblers eager to put down cash on individual games rather than just Pro-Line-style betting, where consumers wager on fixed odds around two or more games, depending on the province.

Brought forward by Justice Minister David Lametti, the legislation is expected to draw in part on a bill tabled earlier this year by Conservative MP Kevin Waugh to repeal the ban on single-event sports betting and pave the way for provinces to regulate the pastime.

Waugh's bill faced blowback from a horse-racing industry wary of casinos encroaching on their turf, despite an Ontario funding agreement that provides the sector with up to $105 million per year starting in 2019.

'Horse racing is really the only industry that allows single-event sports betting. So the concern from the horse-racing industry is that some of the funding would be lost,' Kusmierczyk said, referring to market share.

Waugh acknowledged that major players like Toronto's Woodbine Racetrack may 'want a piece of the action,' but said the bill's main goal is to level the track globally.

Sports Betting Online

'Sport Select/Pro-Line is not a very fair betting option in Canada. The odds are low. You have to do parlays — three-game parlays, sometimes two. It’s hard enough to win one game, and the odds over the years are stacked against you,' Waugh said in an interview.

Free Betting Games

'So when offshore sports sites like Bet365 and Bodog started offering single-game betting, then you could see the money that was being spent on the corner grocery store being sucked out ... We could have used that money in this country.'

The Canadian Gaming Association said Wednesday it is pleased Ottawa has recognized the 'urgent need' to decriminalize single-game gambling.

'Amending the Criminal Code to legalize single-event sports wagering will provide provinces with the necessary tools to deliver a safe and legal option to Canadians while enabling economic benefits to flow to licensed gaming operators, communities and provincial governments,' the association said in a release.

'We can’t emphasize enough how this small change to the Criminal Code will help communities recover from the economic devastation of the COVID-19 shutdown.'

The Game Sports Apparel

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 25, 2020.

Sports Betting Sites

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press