After many years of lobbying and sportsbetting afficionados across Canada may reportedly soon be able to legitimately place single-game wagers after the vast nation’s Senate passed legislation yesterday to legalize such activities.

According to a Tuesday report from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) news service, the 105-seat body has followed up a February move from the House of Commons in ratifying Bill C-218, which would allow punters to lodge legal bets on single football, baseball and ice hockey events as well as action from other sports. Also known as the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, the legislation was purportedly introduced into the chamber as a private members bill and subsequently ratified via a 57-to-20 margin with five abstentions.

Adjacent appeal:

The news service reported that the passage of Bill C-218 has been many years in the making and could go a long way towards helping casinos across Canada to attract customers living in American states where sportsbetting remains illegal despite the 2018 invalidation of that nation’s Professional and Amateur Sports Protections Act (PASPA). The new legislation, which still needs to be put through the largely ceremonial royal ascent stage before becoming law, will purportedly amend Criminal Code provisions in order to make it legal for operators from British Columbia to Newfoundland to accept and process wagers on single sporting events.

Citizen concern:

The CBC reported that only single-game wagers on horseracing are currently legal in Canada but that the passage of Bill C-218 could permit the giant nation’s casino industry to begin clawing back some of the millions of dollars that are annually spent via a slew of illicit offshore sportsbetting sites. One of the legislation’s sponsors, Senator David Wells (pictured), purportedly asserted that legalizing such activities will allow some of this black-market cash to be redirected into the public coffers of Canada’s ten provinces and three territories.

Associate approval:

The 59-year-old Conservative politician reportedly furthermore disclosed that Bill C-218 has already been tentatively embraced by the North American nation’s tight-knit equestrian community as well as the Canadian Football League and the National Hockey League and could lead to billions of dollars of investment for health care, addiction research and educational programs.

Wells reportedly told the CBC…

“Canadians are placing billions of dollars in bets annually through these offshore sites that go entirely unregulated in Canada.”

Operator optimism:

For her part and Lynda Cavanaugh, Interim President for the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC), reportedly told Gambling Insider that she welcomed the passage of Bill C-218. The executive purportedly proclaimed that the news represented ‘a huge win’ and that her organization will now be looking towards bringing single-game sportsbetting to its online casino at PlayNow.com.

Important intervention:

The boss for the Crown corporation purportedly pronounced that her organization intends to carry on prioritizing the health of its players by endeavoring to identify behaviors that are often seen as a sign of problem gambling. She reportedly finished by contending that PlayNow.com will additionally continue to offer punters the chance to connect via telephone or online chat with health professionals that can refer them to a wide range of external treatment and support services.

Cavanaugh reportedly told this source…

“We are excited to soon provide our players these new offerings on PlayNow.com, which is the only legal gambling website in British Columbia and delivers important revenue back to the province to support things like healthcare, education and community programs.”