Tuesday June 2,2015 : CANADIAN SPORTS BETTING BILL IN A RACE AGAINST TIME (Update)
Senate stalled bill needs approval before summer recess, says lobbying group.
Canada's attempt to modernise sports betting, Bill C290 is seemingly running out of time having stalled in the Canadian Senate for the past three years, legal firm Dickinson-Wright warns.
“Championed by Joe Comartin, M.P. for Windsor-Tecumseh, the bill passed third reading with all-party support and is sitting with the Senate for consideration,” added C290NOW, a lobbying organisation established by the Canadian Gaming Association. “The Senate needs to finalize debate on this bill and approve it before the summer recess arrives”.
If the private member’s bill fails to pass through the Senate prior to the Canadian elections, it must be reintroduced into the House of Commons, effectively pushing its progress back to square one.
“The Senate needs to make sure it isn't standing in the way of a small change in law that combats organized crime and match fixing, creates jobs and new revenue and catches up with technology and what much of what the rest of the world is already doing,” Bill Rutsey, chief executive officer of the Canadian Gaming Association said.