Although sport betting exists in Canada, it hasn’t been optimized yet. The government is in discussions to legalize single-game sport betting in 2021 and the process is gaining momentum.

The future of sport betting in Canada

The latest attempt at legalizing single-game sport betting in Canada has legs. The movement started in early of this year as a private member bill sponsored by Kevin Waugh, named C-218, which was later picked up as government legislation in November 2020. The legislation suggests the issue is close to settled.

Ending the federal ban on single-game sport betting should change the landscape of sport betting in Canada significantly. It would mean more chances for bettors to bet legally and might lead to provinces opening up licensing to other operators.

When will online sport betting launch in the country?

Online sport betting has already been allowed in six provinces, including Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia,British Columbia, and Quebec. Surely, these legal products all require parlay bets of at least two events. It’s not made clear at this point whether additional provinces would authorize online sport betting.

There are other online alternatives. However, they aren’t regulated. Offshore casinos take advantage of the fact that single-game sport betting is illegal in the country so serve the market for what bettors can’t join legally.

These offshore sportsbooks don’t pay taxes and aren’t regulated at both the provincial and federal level. Bettors are making an additional gamble every time they wager on these offshore operators since no guarantee winning bets will be paid. Some offshore operators have closed without warning and even without returning customer funds.

Legal betting options in Canada

In Canada, there are legal betting options but they all require a parlay of at least two bets.

Lotteries operate sports betting at the provincial level in the country with all provincial lotteries offering sports betting: Loto-Québec, British Columbia Lottery Corporation, Atlantic Lottery Corporation, Western Canada Lottery Corporation, and Ontario Lottery and Gaming.

Sports betting laws in Canada are not straightforward. Placing single bets on sporting events is prohibited by federal law explicitly, so this way of sports betting is not allowed in the whole country.

However, bettors can wager on parlays that are available at lottery dealers in many provinces. But the odds are much lower compared to betting on the single games, which means the Canadians cannot win as much as they would get if they bet on a single event.

On the other hand, online betting laws in Canada are not explicit and remain in the almost the similar zone like the ones related to online casinos. As a result, Canadians tend to bet at different online sportsbooks that allow players from Canada. It is not illegal to place real-money wagers, and offshore online sportsbooks take advantage of a lack of legislation to dip into this lucrative market.

Lottery and Bingo laws in Canada

Casino games and sports betting are the most favorite forms of gambling amongst Canadians. However, there is also a significant number of people who prefer lotteries and bingo games. In Canada, lotteries are regulated on the province level, too. Luckily, thanks to specific exceptions, provincial governments set up a nationwide lottery with eight-figure mark prizes. Canadian gambling laws related to lottery regulations consist of the possibility of using a mobile device or a computer to buy tickets online by. Players can buy a ticket by signing up for an online account and subscribing to many draws in advance and don’t have to go to a retail store.

Like the lottery, bingo games are also regulated on a provincial level. However, an online bingo seemed to be a perfect alternative for the shuttered one. The operators provide different games every couple of minutes, some of which also include slot games or video poker to enrich their offer.