Sask. 'loser' in single-event sports betting: MP

CBC Saskatchewan is looking at single-event sports betting in the province. This story is part of a series examining its impact.

The Conservative MP who received backing from all parties for his private member's bill to legalize single-event sports betting in Canada is critical of the pace of implementation in his own province.

"There's winners and losers, and unfortunately, the province of Saskatchewan today is a loser," said Saskatoon-Grasswood MP Kevin Waugh.

Waugh's Bill C-218, also known as the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, was passed by the Senate and received Royal Assent in late June 2021 and came into force on Aug. 27.

The legislation amended the Criminal Code to allow provinces and territories to conduct and manage single-event betting on any sporting event except horse racing, which is still maintained by the federal government.

Before the legislation became law, the only sports betting allowed in Canada was parlay betting — wagers that require the bettor to successfully pick outcomes of multiple events.

But Waugh has argued Canadians are spending about $500 million a year on that type of betting — a "mere pittance" compared to an estimated $14 billion spent annually on unregulated black market and offshore sports wagering websites, which offer single-event betting.

He said the latter activity isn't subject to government regulations or taxes, isn't creating jobs or economic opportunities in Canada, and isn't contributing to consumer protection, education, harm reduction initiatives or support services.

Waugh said Saskatchewan government officials "haven't done anything" with the file, other than hand it to the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA).

As part of an amendment to the gaming framework agreement between the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations and the provincial government announced in late September 2021, SIGA was given the authority to develop an online site that, among other things, would offer single-event sports betting.

SIGA has also been granted the authority to create sportsbooks in its casinos, as well as a five-year period where it will have exclusive rights to regulated single-event sports betting in Saskatchewan beyond what is offered through Sport Select.

The website is expected to launch sometime this year. In the meantime, Waugh said you can't place regulated single-event sports wagers in Saskatchewan other than through Sport Select.

"The odds are horrible in Sport Select, I might add," Waugh said. "They are not the same as they are in Ontario or B.C. or Alberta that have single-event sports betting right now."

In November, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) announced that B.C residents had placed more than $25 million in single-event sports bets with BCLC within two months of the legalization of single-event betting in Canada.