After passing a vote in the House of Commons, Bill C-218 that envisages significant changes in the country’s gambling industry has been introduced to the Canadian Senate.
After three votes in the House of Commons, Bill C-218 was recently passed by the lower chamber of Canada’s federal parliament. For it to be enacted into law, the bill also needs to be approved by the parliament’s upper chamber, the Senate, following which it is expected to receive the royal assent.
The bill would allow bets on individual sporting events, and many believe that it will revolutionise the country’s gambling scene. The bill had officially been introduced to the Senate last Friday.
The Road to Senate
Conservative senator, David Wells, is the bill’s sponsor. The bill is expected to pass a vote in the chamber before being forwarded onto the committee where amendments are usually suggested. How quickly the bill takes to reach the committee depends on the number of senators willing to discuss it.
Wells stated that it would not be easy to get the bill processed through the Senate. As a sponsor of the gambling change, Wells will be familiarising the senators with the ramifications of both passing or rejecting the bill. He also insisted that the legislation will not be hurried through the committee before seeking the Senate’s undivided approval.
The Conservative senator also noted no other senator has currently given his verdict on the matter. Even if the bill is supported by most of the legislators, there is a risk of it not getting passed during the time constraints of the seven sitting weeks this spring. This might lead to a delay in the bill’s review as the country could be heading to elections before the senators can further review the matter in autumn.
Wells is concerned that should the bill not be passed this spring, it might have to wait until next year or even 2023. In his words, that would be a huge, missed opportunity for both the gambling industry and the country. He also stated that he sponsored the bill as it presents a chance to enhance Canada’s gambling market segment further and allow the country to compete with the US directly.
