Province moving toward Vegas-style sports betting

[Qbins Missile Crisis]

Updated: Thu Jul. 03 2008 12:20:33 PM

Ontario casinos may be moving toward Las Vegas-style sports gambling.

Sagging casino revenues in border cities Niagara Falls and Windsor led to the provincial government's proposed measure, which is meant to draw more Americans across the border.

Sports betting in provincial casinos is currently limited to Pro-Line, in which bettors choose the outcomes of numerous matches at once, with a minimum of three. The proposed system would allow for betting on individual games.

Called "sportsbook" betting, the system would be tested at both Niagara Falls casinos, Caesars Windsor and Casino Rama, near Orillia. Many of these casinos already have infrastructure for such betting, including TV screens, scoreboards and seating.

However, changes to the current legislation could also apply to racetracks.

North American major sports leagues have stood in long-standing opposition to sportsbooks in cities that have professional league teams. Neither Niagara Falls nor Windsor have major league outfits.

Currently, Canadians who wish to place such bets do so through sportsbooks in the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and various other countries.

The shift was being pushed by former infrastructure minister David Caplan before his recent move the health portfolio, according to a Thursday report in The Toronto Star.

Last year, Caplan asked federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson to amend the criminal code to allow sportsbooks in a written request.

Statistics Canada says there were 730,000 single-day car trips from the United States to Canada in March, down from 2.3 million single-day trips in March of 2001. The high Canadian dollar, competition from American casinos and slowdowns at the border are both said to have played a role.

Premier Dalton McGuinty has admitted the Ontario government is dependent on gambling revenue, which has dropped notably over recent years. Provincial revenues from gambling are expected to drop from $2 million to $1.8 billion this year.