NHL Opposes Single Sport Betting in Canada
The National Hockey League joins a growing number of sports groups who are fighting against Bill C-290, which could make single game betting legal in Canada if it is passed by the Senate.
The NHL wants to stop the legislation, which will allow legal betting on the outcome of a hockey game, from passing through the Canadian Senate.
The present criminal code section on gambling prohibits betting on a single sporting event in Canada and C-290 will repeal this.
Should Bill C-290 pass into law, each Canadian province will be allowed to decide whether or not it wants to allow single game betting. This will change the current law that gamblers are only allowed to wager on multiple outcomes on a single ticket.
NHL Fears Threat to Hockey Integrity
One of the main issues that the National Hockey League has with Bill C-290 and single sport betting in Canada, is that it may threaten the integrity of ice hockey in Canada. At present, says the NHL, the game's integrity is paramount to its popularity and if that is threatened, there could be serious and far reaching consequences for hockey.
The Deputy Commissioner of the NHL, Bill Daly was due to appear before the Canadian Senate Committee last week but cancelled at the last minute due to labor negotiations with the players' association which took place in New York.
Canadian Sports Against Gambling Bill
The NHL is the latest in a number of sports which have warned against the passing of the bill. An official for Major League Baseball, as well as the head of the Toronto Blue Jays have all appeared before the Senate Committee to express their opposition.
The President of the Blue Jays, Paul Beetson said: "Losing bettors and fans may in turn become suspicious of every strikeout or error, and the game's integrity would be open to question, play by play, day by day."
One of the bill's most vociferous critics, Conservative MP Michael Chong, said that the bill had the potential to "undermine the integrity of professional and amateur sport in Canada."
"There's a reason why none of the four major sports leagues have moved a franchise to Nevada," he said. "That jurisdiction has legalized single event sports betting."
Supporters of the bill, however, contend that security measures can be used to prevent match fixing, as it is successfully done around the world, and say that it is almost impossible to fix matches today thanks to the transparency of online gambling.
