Bill C-218, the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, made single-event sports betting legal in Canada from 27 August 2021. It removed the Criminal Code exclusion that had kept provinces from offering bets on a single game, so provinces can now conduct and manage single game betting themselves or through licensed operators. It did not create a federal sportsbook licence or open the market to private sites by itself.
What the law changed
Before the amendment, paragraph 207(4)(b) of the Criminal Code excluded betting on any race or fight or on a single sport event from the lottery schemes a province could run. The Act, now S.C. 2021, c. 20, removed that exclusion. It came into force on 27 August 2021 by order SI/2021-56, published in the Canada Gazette.
Before 2021, provincial sports lotteries sold multi-event tickets, which is why products such as PROLINE were built around parlays. Since the change, the same corporations also sell bets on a single game.
What stayed the same
- Provinces stay in charge. Section 207 still says only a province, alone or with another province, may conduct and manage a lottery scheme. Bill C-218 widened what a province may offer, not who may offer it.
- Horse racing stays federal. Pari-mutuel betting on horse races remains under federal rules and is not part of the provincial sports lottery.
- Offshore sites gained no licence. A site licensed in Kahnawake, Malta or Curacao is no more provincially licensed than it was before 2021.
How provinces put single game betting in place
OLG launched PROLINE+ online on 27 August 2021, the day the law took effect, with single-event wagers. Atlantic Lottery introduced single-event betting on Pro-Line in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island soon after, and Nova Scotia followed on 11 February 2022, according to trade press reports. BCLC’s PlayNow, Play Alberta and Loto-Quebec’s Mise-o-jeu also offer single-event bets.
Ontario later went a step further. Using the same section 207 power, it created iGaming Ontario to conduct and manage online gambling with private operators registered by the AGCO, and that market opened on 4 April 2022. Alberta followed with the iGaming Alberta Act and a private market that launched on 13 July 2026. Both models depend on the province remaining the operator in law. Our guide to iGaming Ontario explains how the Ontario structure works.
What single game betting means for you
You can now back one team in one game at a crown sportsbook or a licensed private book, and you can still build a parlay if you want one. Single bets carry one margin, while parlays multiply the margins of every leg, so the change gave bettors a cheaper way to bet. Our odds calculator shows the difference with worked examples.
The age rules did not change with the bill: online sports betting is 19+ in most provinces and 18+ in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec. The legal options in each province are set out in our sports betting guide, and support is listed on our responsible gambling page.
Questions readers ask
- What is Bill C-218?
It is the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, which amended the Criminal Code so provinces may offer betting on a single sporting event.
- When did single game betting become legal in Canada?
On 27 August 2021, when the Act came into force by order SI/2021-56.
- Did Bill C-218 legalize private sportsbooks?
No. Provinces still conduct and manage betting. Ontario and Alberta later opened private markets under their own provincial structures.
- Does Bill C-218 cover horse racing?
No. Pari-mutuel betting on horse races stays under federal rules.