Question Period Note: Sports Betting in Canada

Since the decriminalization of single sport betting in Canada in 2021, there has been a significant increase in the number of Canadians making bets, as well as an increase in the ways in which they can access online betting platforms. Gaps in the current regulatory approach in Canada allows for numerous illegal offshore gambling operations in the country, and the potential for the illegal influencing of the outcomes of sport competitions.

• Illegal sport betting, and related activities to influence the outcome of sport competitions, pose a real risk to Canadians, including athletes, and can erode public confidence in the integrity of sport.
• Our government is committed to collaborating with provincial and territorial partners, and other stakeholders, to address the prevalence and promotion of illegal sport betting in Canada.

• Prior to 2021, most forms of gaming were generally prohibited by Canada’s federal Criminal Code.
• In 2021, updates to Section 207 of the Criminal Code made an exception for provincial and territorial governments to now allow single sport event (match) betting.
• Provinces and territories are responsible to operate, license and regulate legal forms of gaming, including sports betting.
• Online illegal sport betting has expanded because of the massive growth in internet use, the globalization of sports viewing and the consequent popularity of betting on sports in countries with limited legal gambling industries.
• Since the decriminalization of single sport betting in Canada in 2021, advertisements for online gambling and sport betting, particularly during the broadcast of live events has increased exponentially.
• In June 2023, Senator Marty Deacon introduced Bill S-269, calling for the creation of a national framework to regulate sport betting advertising.
• The proposed bill, which as of September 2023 is at second reading in the Senate, would call for limitations on how, where, and when betting could be advertised to Canadians.
• Sport betting is closely linked with match-fixing. According to the European Commission, “Match-fixing is an international phenomenon and is often linked to gambling, with criminal networks exploiting unregulated gambling markets. This presents a major threat to the integrity of sporting events, with sportspeople subject to considerable financial temptations and pressure to influence sporting objectives and outcomes.”
• Canada is currently limited in its ability to prosecute match-fixing as there are no specific provisions in the Criminal Code that prevent such activity.
• As a Host Country of the 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association World Cup of Soccer, with the United States and Mexico, the Government of Canada is exploring how to leverage the event to advance domestic and international initiatives to address match-fixing.

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