The High Demand for Sports Betting in Canada

​Canadians love sports, and they love to wager on them, too. Of course, hockey is Canada’s most popular sport, but the majority of American sports are equally popular among Canadians. The National Football League (NFL) has been broadcast in Canada for decades, and most sports fans in the country root for both a U.S. and a Canadian Football League (CFL) club. With the Toronto Raptors winning the NBA Championship in 2019, NBA basketball is a popular pastime among Canadians. It’s worth noting that although the Blue Jays may be based in Toronto, all of their games are televised throughout the country.

The history and structure of sports betting in Canada and the UK are vastly different from those found in the United States. Single-game wagering was not expressly authorized until August 27, 2021, despite the fact that sports betting is very popular in the nation. Many Canadian bettors ended up gambling with European bookies and other offshore operators since it was not clearly forbidden.

They worked tirelessly to change the criminal code so that single-event wagering could be legalized in all of Canada, eliminating any uncertainty in the law. This concept has been discussed for some time, but it has now come to fruition. We’ll go over the single-game legalization initiatives that were approved by Parliament back in June 2021 in addition to the Canadian sports betting market, the country’s current gaming sector and our expectations for the country’s sports betting market once it’s up and running.

​Is​ online sports betting allowed?

Sports betting is not a new concept in Canada, and the concept of legalized sports betting is not either. Prior to August 27, 2021, Canadians were allowed to wager on athletics, but only in the form of parlays. After that date, they were no longer allowed to wager. Since the early 2000s, online sports betting in the form of parlays has been available in Canada. What exactly does this mean? Consider the following scenario: you wanted to place a wager on the Super Bowl or Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. You could, but you couldn’t use them as a one-time bet to win money. You had to place any wagers on each ticket, which decreased the probability of your winning.

The only option up until August 2021, when Bill C-218 comes into force, was to place several bets or lose everything. But what about now? With the new legislation in place, gamblers in Canada will be able to wager on specific things, which opens up a whole new universe of possibilities for them. In sports betting, like everything else, knowledge is power or in this case, knowledge is money. This means it is vital to be able to select wisely from the thousands of sportsbooks out there and choose the ones which are the safest and most trustworthy. This task can be daunting and time-consuming, that is why it is recommended to turn to a credible source such as Safebettingsites, the ultimate guide to online betting, which provides in-depth information regarding the surrounding markets, bonuses and payment methods, with a specific emphasis upon Canadian sports betting sites.

Canada Passes C-218

Single-game wagering has been on the table for some years in Canada. In Parliament, the concept has been considered since at least 2015. The legalization of sports betting in the United States might be said to be the catalyst for the complete legalization of sports gambling in Canada. After initially opposing the idea of legalizing, the main sports leagues and other stakeholders who had previously opposed it now back the bipartisan legislative initiatives in Parliament.

C-218 was the most recent legislative initiative to allow single-game wagering in the state of New York. Provinces would be allowed to manage and oversee single-game sports betting under new legislation that would amend the criminal code. Almost every major stakeholder group supported it, with the notable exception of the horse racing business. However, it was not until June 23, 2021, a day that Canadian sports bettors will always remember, that the law was finally enacted by Canada’s Senate, the country’s counterpart to the United States Senate.

Before the Senate’s intended summer break, there had been weeks of discussion and deliberation on C-218. An election might potentially thwart the bill’s progress and put its backers back at the drawing board. For those who believe in legalized sports betting in Canada, these and other factors created some uneasy feelings. Despite this, a vote was taken on the bill on June 23rd, and everything worked out in favour of the law. 57-20 with 5 abstentions were the final numbers, after a few hours of discussion.

Is sports betting safe?

The safety of a new sports betting industry is one of the most pressing concerns. As a result, sportsbooks have made a concerted effort to design and use impregnable encryption technology. One complaint of a security breach might knock a sportsbook to its knees.

Because of the country’s long history of regulation, the Canadian market is likely to remain that way for the foreseeable future. There have been no problems with online sports betting security at the two largest companies, the Ontario Lottery Commission and Play Now in British Columbia. We anticipate this trend to continue, as well as the importance of player safety, for any sportsbook doing business in Canada. Online sportsbooks in Canada can be trusted.

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