Many of the current Canadian government regulations and rules for sport betting have not yet been set in stone. Even so, the likelihood of a person being convicted of Sport Betting Regulations violation is very high as they have not been enforced to the letter of the law. This leaves the door wide open for any individual, or sportsbook to engage in illegal conduct. There are still a number of government officials who would like to see stricter regulation prior to betting on sport events in Canada.
There is some resistance from Canadian organizations to sport betting in their country. The main opposition to legalized sport betting in Canada seems to come from the Canadian Football League. This National Hockey League team strongly opposed any changes to the rules and regulation of the sport of football in Canada. Even though they were successful in blocking these changes, there are still many Canadians who are very passionate about this sport. This group of individuals would like to see the entire concept of sport betting regulated by the Canadian government.
The business of sport betting in Canada has seen some recent legal issues. Two weeks ago there was an expose of a Canadian Sport Bureau that was conducting secret investigations of prominent sport betting in Canada. The bureau had gathered information on the offshore betting activities of prominent Canadians including Houghton Packages owner George Hobler and his associates.
In response to this, the Canadian government has stated that they will be reviewing all current laws related to sports betting and would take any appropriate action in order to protect Canadian players and promote legitimate betting. There have been attempts in the past to introduce legislation regarding the involvement of Canadian sportsbooks in sport-related activities that would ban them from participating in such activities. These attempts would most likely never become legislation worthy of the attention and support of the Canadian government. It would be difficult for such a law to pass the House of Commons and would most likely face opposition from Canadians both directly and indirectly.
The best solution for sport betting regulation in Canada is to develop an independent third party organization that could help regulate the activities of sport books across the country. Such an organization could take the jurisdiction of the different betting organizations within the Canadian provinces and allow them to operate according to the same set of regulations. The association could also monitor and report on the activities of the different bookmakers and provide reports to the Federal government with regards to sport betting regulation in Canada. The establishment of such an organization would guarantee that betting activities are conducted legally by members that meet the standard standards set by the Canadian law and the requirements of the betting industry in general.
As a result of developing this type of sport betting regulation in Canada the odds for winning at the bookmakers’ table would increase. This would encourage more people to participate in sport betting and create more reliable income stream for Canadian sportsbooks. For this reason the industry would thrive and grow into a new and thriving industry in Canada. This would set the stage for a bright future for Canadian sport betting.
