The Senate considers C-290

I’m told a vote on C-290 might not come until January, but third reading debate in the Senate began yesterday with a speech from Conservative Senator Bob Runciman, the sponsor of the bill in the red chamber.

Make no mistake: If you vote against this bill, you are not voting to put a stop to single-event sports gambling, but you are voting to ensure it remains in the shadows, with the money going offshore and to organized crime.

No one knows for sure how much money is bet on single sporting events by Canadians, but we know it is in the billions, perhaps the tens of billions of dollars. Voting against this bill will not change it one bit. The testimony from experts at committee was clear: Single-event sports betting is readily available and widely practised by Canadians.