Canada Closer Than Ever to Approving Single-Game Wagering?
Updated October 21, 2026
Updated October 21, 2026
Canada's push to legalize single-game sports betting gained serious momentum in June 2020, with major professional sports leagues backing a change to federal law. The country had discussed the issue for years, but growing competition from regulated US sportsbooks and the economic impact of COVID-19 added urgency to the debate.
The question at the time was whether lawmakers could act quickly enough. As it turned out, Canada needed another year to get the legislation across the finish line.
Before 2021, Canada's federal gambling laws generally restricted provincial sports betting products to parlays involving multiple events. Provincial lotteries could offer sports wagering, but bettors couldn't simply place a legal, regulated wager on the outcome of one game.
Ontario's Proline was among the best-known examples. Sports wagering was also available at certain casino properties, including Caesars Windsor, Casino Niagara, and Fallsview Casino, under the restrictions in place at the time.
The limitations created an obvious problem. Canadians interested in individual-game wagers frequently turned to offshore sportsbooks, leaving provincial governments without the same oversight or potential revenue.
Legalizing single-game sports betting in Canada offered a way to bring more of that activity into regulated provincial markets.
The issue became particularly relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic, when governments were facing economic disruption and substantial budget pressures.
One of the most important developments came on June 8, 2020, when the commissioners of five professional sports leagues signed a joint statement supporting single-event wagering in Canada.
The NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, and CFL called for changes to federal law that would permit provinces to offer regulated betting on individual sporting events.
That represented a significant shift in the relationship between professional sports and the gambling industry.
Sports leagues had historically raised concerns about gambling's potential impact on competitive integrity. By 2020, however, the expansion of regulated sports betting in the United States had changed the conversation.
The leagues argued that a regulated Canadian market could provide stronger consumer protections and safeguards against suspicious betting activity.
Their endorsement also gave Canadian lawmakers additional support at a critical stage of the legislative debate.
In February 2020, lawmakers introduced the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, a proposal aimed at removing the federal restriction on single-event sports wagering.
The Canadian Gaming Association supported the measure, arguing that Canada needed a legal framework capable of competing with offshore operators and the growing US market.
Progress slowed as Parliament shifted its attention to the COVID-19 crisis.
By June, the proposal faced a difficult legislative calendar. The parliamentary session was approaching a key deadline, and there was little time left to complete the process.
Similar efforts had failed in previous years, but the combination of industry support, provincial interest, and pressure from neighboring US markets made this attempt particularly significant.
Canada's debate also reflected developments south of the border.
Following the US Supreme Court's 2018 decision to overturn PASPA, individual states began establishing their own regulated sports betting markets.
By June 2020, legal wagering was already available in neighboring states such as New York and Pennsylvania, although their markets operated under different rules.
Michigan had also legalized sports betting, with retail wagering beginning in March 2020.
Other states were moving toward legalization. Ohio, for example, would eventually launch regulated sports betting in January 2023.
For Canadian lawmakers, the concern was straightforward: bettors who wanted single-game wagers had alternatives outside Canada's existing provincial lottery products.
Border communities and casino operators had a particular interest in keeping that spending within Canada.
The legislation discussed in June 2020 did not become law before that summer's deadline. However, the broader effort continued.
A subsequent bill, C-218, ultimately succeeded.
On June 29, 2021, the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act received Royal Assent, amending Canada's Criminal Code to permit provinces and territories to conduct and manage betting on individual sporting events.
The amendments took effect on August 27, 2021.
This was the breakthrough supporters had been seeking. Provincial governments could now introduce regulated single-event sports betting under their own rules, while horse-race betting remained subject to separate federal regulation.
The change also resolved the central question raised in 2020: single-game sports betting could become a legal part of Canada's regulated gambling industry.
The federal law change was only the beginning.
Individual provinces still needed to determine how their regulated markets would operate.
Ontario took a particularly significant step on April 4, 2022, when it launched a regulated online gaming market that included approved private sportsbook operators.
Companies such as BetMGM, FanDuel, BetRivers, and theScore Bet were among the operators entering Ontario's new market.
This answered another major question from the original 2020 debate. At least in Ontario, single-game wagering would extend beyond traditional provincial lottery products to include private operators operating under provincial oversight.
The market quickly demonstrated substantial demand. According to iGaming Ontario, its regulated private-operator market recorded approximately C$35.5 billion in total wagers during its first year, across all covered gaming activities.
That figure included more than sports betting alone, but it illustrated the scale of Ontario's new regulated industry.
Looking back, the June 2020 push was an important turning point for Canadian sports betting.
Support from the major professional leagues helped strengthen the case for reform, while competition from US sportsbooks and offshore operators increased the pressure on lawmakers.
The eventual legislation changed the legal framework nationwide, but it did not create one uniform Canadian sportsbook market. Provinces and territories retained responsibility for conducting and managing wagering within their jurisdictions.
Ontario's approach also demonstrated that regulated private operators could become part of the Canadian market, alongside established provincial lottery products.
The concerns raised in 2020 about consumer protection, market oversight, and keeping wagering activity within regulated channels remain relevant to the industry's development.
→ Our Take: Canada's move toward single-game wagering took longer than supporters hoped in June 2020, but the legislative momentum was real. The 2021 law change and Ontario's subsequent market launch transformed Canadian sports betting. What began as a debate over outdated parlay restrictions became one of the most consequential regulatory shifts in North American sports gambling.
Updated October 21, 2026