What Happened
On June 22, 2021, Bill C-218, the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, received Royal Assent after a years-long legislative push that united an unusual coalition of professional sports leagues, provincial lottery corporations, and Indigenous gaming advocates. The bill amended Section 207 of the Criminal Code of Canada, removing the prohibition on single-event sports betting and transferring regulatory authority to the provinces.
Prior to this change, Canadian law only permitted parlay-style sports wagers, requiring bettors to correctly predict the outcomes of multiple events on a single ticket. This restriction had been in place since the Criminal Code was last substantially amended on gambling matters and was widely regarded as outdated, particularly as the United States began legalizing single-event sports betting state by state following the 2018 Supreme Court ruling in Murphy v. NCAA.
The Legislative Path
The road to legalization was not straightforward. Multiple private member's bills had been introduced in previous parliamentary sessions, including Bill C-221 and Bill S-228, none of which advanced far enough to become law. Bill C-218, introduced by Conservative MP Kevin Waugh, succeeded in part because it attracted cross-party support and benefited from a growing consensus that the existing law was ineffective.
Key arguments in favour of the bill included the need to redirect billions of dollars in sports betting activity from unregulated offshore operators and illegal bookmakers to legal, provincially regulated channels. The Canadian Gaming Association estimated that Canadians wagered approximately $14 billion annually on sports through illegal markets before legalization.
- Professional sports leagues including the NHL, NBA, CFL, and MLS publicly supported the bill
- Provincial lottery corporations lobbied for the change to expand their product offerings
- Public safety advocates argued that regulation would provide better consumer protections
- Critics raised concerns about the potential for increased problem gambling and the integrity of sporting events
Provincial Implementation
Because gambling regulation in Canada falls under provincial jurisdiction, Bill C-218 did not create a national sports betting framework. Instead, it empowered each province to decide how, when, and whether to offer single-event sports betting to its residents.
Ontario moved the most aggressively, integrating single-event sports betting into its regulated iGaming market that launched in April 2022. Through iGaming Ontario, the province allowed private operators to offer sports betting alongside casino-style games, creating the most competitive sports wagering market in the country.
Other provinces took more conservative approaches. British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the Atlantic provinces added single-event sports betting to their existing provincial lottery corporation platforms. Loto-Québec incorporated single-event wagering into its Mise-o-jeu product, maintaining the province's government-operated model.
Comparison with the US Model
Canada's approach to single-event sports betting differs from the United States in several important ways. While the US has seen a patchwork of state-level regulations with widely varying tax rates, licensing structures, and market access rules, Canada's provincial model has produced a smaller number of distinct regulatory frameworks.
The US market has been characterized by aggressive competition among operators, massive marketing expenditures, and a rapid proliferation of mobile sports betting apps. Canada's market, while also competitive in Ontario, has generally seen less marketing saturation and a more measured approach to market development in other provinces.
Industry analysts have noted that Canada's provincial lottery corporations entered the single-event sports betting market with established customer bases and distribution networks, giving them an advantage that US state lotteries did not always enjoy when sports betting was introduced.
Market Response and Revenue Impact
The market response to single-event sports betting legalization has been significant, though it has varied considerably across provinces. Ontario has generated the largest share of regulated sports betting revenue, driven by its open-market model and the presence of numerous private operators competing for market share.
According to iGaming Ontario's quarterly financial reports, sports betting has become a substantial revenue category within the province's regulated market. Total gaming revenue in Ontario's iGaming market surpassed $2 billion in the 2024-2025 fiscal year, with sports betting accounting for a meaningful portion of that figure.
- Ontario's open-market model has attracted dozens of licensed sports betting operators
- British Columbia and Alberta have seen steady growth in sports wagering through their provincial platforms
- Loto-Québec reported increased sports betting handle following the introduction of single-event wagering on Mise-o-jeu
- Atlantic Lottery has expanded its sports betting offerings across the four Atlantic provinces
However, the grey market remains a persistent challenge. Despite legalization, a significant volume of sports betting activity continues to flow through unregulated offshore websites that are accessible to Canadian bettors. Regulators and industry stakeholders have called for stronger enforcement measures, including internet service provider blocking and payment processing restrictions, to address this issue.
Impact on Sports Integrity
One of the key concerns raised during the debate over Bill C-218 was the potential impact on sports integrity. Critics worried that the expansion of legal sports betting could increase the risk of match-fixing, insider betting, and other corruption in sporting events.
To address these concerns, provincial regulators have implemented integrity monitoring requirements for licensed operators. In Ontario, the AGCO requires operators to participate in integrity monitoring programs and report suspicious betting activity. Sport governing bodies have also strengthened their own integrity units, working in collaboration with regulators and law enforcement agencies.
The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport and various league integrity departments have expanded their monitoring capabilities since legalization. While no major integrity scandals have been directly attributed to the legalization of single-event sports betting in Canada, vigilance remains a priority for all stakeholders.
Why It Matters
The legalization of single-event sports betting represents one of the most significant changes to Canadian gambling law in decades. It has fundamentally altered the competitive landscape for provincial lottery corporations, created new revenue streams for provincial governments, and given Canadian bettors legal access to a product that was previously only available through unregulated channels.
The decision to delegate implementation to the provinces has resulted in a diversity of regulatory approaches, with Ontario's open market serving as a testing ground for a model that other provinces may eventually consider adopting. The experience of the first several years of legal single-event sports betting will inform future policy decisions across the country.
What's Next
Several developments are expected to shape the single-event sports betting landscape in 2026 and beyond. Provincial regulators are continuing to evaluate the effectiveness of their respective models, with some provinces exploring whether to open their markets to private operators following Ontario's example.
Federal discussions around advertising standards for sports betting are also ongoing, with some lawmakers advocating for national guidelines similar to those adopted in other jurisdictions. The question of how to address the persistent grey market remains a top priority for both regulators and the legal industry.
Additionally, the growth of in-play or live betting, where wagers are placed during the course of a sporting event, presents both opportunities and regulatory challenges. Regulators are expected to provide further guidance on the technical and responsible gambling standards that apply to this rapidly growing product category.