Canadian Bill C-290 to negatively affect sports in Canada?
Hopefully the third reading is not the charm. In a couple of weeks, the C-290 is expected to pass at Parliament Hill in the capital. If placed into affect, this bill will allow for legal single game betting on sporting events in Canada. On one hand, C-290 may help casinos attract more visitors, not just from Canada, but also from over the Detroit-Windsor border. Sequentially, while many fans hope for new sports franchises to establish themselves in Canada, such as a second hockey team in the GTHA or Quebec, or a new basketball team to Vancouver, the C-290 bill does help solidify such aspirations. Through the advent of betting on single sporting events, the increased likelihood for game-fixing becomes more than possible. One can just look to the soccer pitches in Italy to see how such single game betting is affecting the game. Not only will this make professional sports in Canada lose major integrity, but it may in fact alter the reason why we play these games in the first place. Above all, does this bill negatively deter major sports leagues and their franchises from establishing themselves in Canada?
