Sports betting on live events is a huge deal across the United States that have already greenlighted their unique set of rules guiding it. Canada has yet to legalize single-event sports wagering, something many officials support. Liberal candidate for Windsor West, Sandra Pupatello, made it clear that making sports wagering legal would be her main goal, once she is elected.
Canadians are interested in wagering on sports events. This has become more evident over the past couple of years, especially since the United States Supreme Court overturned PASPA preventing wagering on sports events. As a result, many of the states worked hard and introduced their unique set of rules. New York State recently greenlighted its own in-person sports wagering, becoming an accessible gaming destination for many Canadians.
Sandra Pupatello Wants Legal Sports Betting
The Canadian Gaming Association claims that about CA$40 billion is poured into the illegal sports wagering field of Canada and this is a rough estimation. Due to its underground nature, sports betting’s true magnitude would be hard to pinpoint. Liberal candidate Sandra Pupatello wants to see a change, as the negative impact of lack of modernization is already visible across the provinces.
She highlighted the issue in comparison to American states such as Ohio and Michigan, already ahead in their gaming offerings development. Remaining competitive and being able to keep up with the rival markets is essential for the Canadian gambling field. Mrs. Pupatello made it clear that working towards a regulation amendment would be her primary goal.
She argued that greenlighting legal sports wagering at Caesars Windsor would be a healthy boost for the local employment market. Projections are that it is going to create 150 new positions, as well as about 100 in Niagara Falls. The latter location already sees the flocks of sports betting enthusiasts making their way south for a legal wagering experience in Niagara Falls, New York.
Windsor Could See 150 New Jobs
On a national scale, the introduction of sports betting is expected to create a total of 1,500 new job positions across sports bars and gaming venues. When it comes to the gaming revenue, projections are that allocations to the host communities could generate up to CA$1 billion on an annual basis. Mrs. Pupatello managed to stir the pot with a reference to Brian Masse, running for the NDP in Windsor West.
In 2015, he launched a campaign towards legalized sports wagering, but the bill could not make it past the Senate. In response, Mr. Masse noted that in the past, Liberals have had the opportunity to support the proposed bill before it hit the wall. As he put it, Canada had a significant upper hand when it came to sports wagering, while the United States was still under the PASPA influence.
Apparently, this was exactly what stopped the Liberals from giving their support to the proposed bill back in 2015. Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government made obvious its intention with the help of the blueprint for the 2019 budget. It includes language for legalized single-event sports betting. Meanwhile, Jim Lawson, Chief Executive Officer of Woodbine Entertainment Group, had previously made it clear that the location is willing to explore sports betting.