Paging the federal government re: Bill C-218

If the coming into force of Bill C-218 was a hockey game, players and officials on the ice, coaches behind the bench, derrieres in the seats and. . . . . where the H-E double hockey sticks is the puck??

More than a month after Royal Assent was given to the amendment to the Criminal Code to make single-event sports betting legal, the Liberal Cabinet has yet to take the final action to put the law into practice. And that has everyone lining up to participate in Canada’s new gaming industry, in the words of Canadian Gaming Association president Paul Burns “puzzled, surprised and growing more frustrated by the day”.

After waiting and more waiting, Burns and the members of the CGA took to the Twitterverse last week to amplify their frustration with the feds’ feet dragging.

https://twitter.com/CanadianGaming/status/1422229818507157505

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https://twitter.com/CanadianGaming/status/1422543715671937025

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https://twitter.com/CanadianGaming/status/1422543714715582484

https://twitter.com/CanadianGaming/status/1422905982833811457

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“There’s no reason why this bill shouldn’t be enacted,” Burns told The Parleh yesterday. “There have been Cabinet meetings since Royal Assent, so they’ve had opportunities.”

When Burns has reached out to the office of Justice Minister David Lametti, the answer to his question about when the bill will be put into force is “soon”.

Conservative MP Kevin Waugh, who sponsored the private member’s bill to get the ball rolling in 2020, is also wondering what’s going on.

“While I understand the need for discussions between the federal government, the provinces and Indigenous communities, the delay is very frustrating,” Waugh said in a statement to The Parleh this week. “The provinces are anxious to get their systems implemented and legalized betting underway. As the government knows, Bill C-218 received nearly unanimous support in the House of Commons and passed the Senate by a considerable margin.

“It’s time to bring the change into force and allow the provinces to begin implementing their systems.”

The provinces and their provincial lottery corporations are ready - bringing back the hockey analogy - for the puck to drop. Last week, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission released its draft regulatory standards for sports and event betting while the Ontario Lottery Corporation began an advertising campaign for its new ProLine+ online product. On Tuesday, the B.C. Lottery Corporation announced that Genius Sports will be the official data provider for its expanded sports betting offering. The acting president and CEO of the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis said Wednesday that the province is also awaiting the green light.

“The provincial lottery sites want to be ready to go for the fall sports season with the start of the NFL season, with the start of the NHL and NBA seasons just around the corner, the MLB playoffs, the Premier League underway, (and the CFL regular season into its second month),” Burns said.

“No one ever expected the federal government to stand in the way. Meanwhile, offshore operators continue to make money.”

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