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Cost of Living

Why can't Canadians bet on sports at a casino, anyway?

Millions of North Americans might place a wager or two on the outcome of the Super Bowl. But if you are in Canada, your options are limited to bookies or offshore betting websites.

The ban on single sports betting dates back to the very first Criminal Code

CBC Radio ·
Bettors wait to make wagers on sporting events at the Borgata casino in Atlantic City, N.J., hours after it began accepting sports bets. (Wayne Parry/AP Pohot.)
Cost of Living5:25Why can't Canadians bet on the Super Bowl at a casino, anyway?

Millions of North Americans placed a wager or two on the outcome of the Super Bowl. But if you are in Canada, your options were limited to bookies or offshore betting websites.

Essentially, if you ever hoped to walk into a casino and opt to bet on the Toronto Maple Leafs winning the Stanley Cup, it wasn't just decades of hockey frustration in the way but provisions in the federal Criminal Code.

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Cost of Living producer Anis Heydari explains why single sports betting hasn't been a thing in this country, and why it might not become one in the near future.

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