Before 2021, Canadian law prohibited betting on single sporting events. The federal Criminal Code only allowed parlay bets, where wagers had to be placed on multiple events at once. This was meant to curb match-fixing but also pushed much of the single-game wagering market to offshore operators, also known as the “grey market.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That changed on August 27, 2021, when Bill C-218<\/strong>—the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act—came into effect. This amendment to the Criminal Code removed the prohibition on single-game sports betting, giving provinces and territories the power to regulate and license it. Ontario was the first to launch a competitive, regulated market in April 2022, with other provinces offering it through their provincial lottery corporations. The change allowed Canadians to legally place single-game wagers with regulated operators, keeping revenue within the country and adding consumer protections.<\/p>