Single-Event Sports Betting in Canada: What Changed in 2021

For decades Canadians could only bet legally on parlays: a wager had to combine at least two outcomes. That changed in August 2021, when an amendment to the Criminal Code allowed provinces to offer bets on a single game, race or match.

What the amendment actually did

Bill C-218 removed the clause that prohibited betting on a single sporting event. It did not create a national betting market. Gambling remains a provincial responsibility, so each province decides how, and through whom, single-event bets are offered to its residents.

How provinces responded

• Most provinces added single-event markets to their existing lottery-run betting platforms within weeks.
• Ontario went further and opened a regulated market for private operators in April 2022.
• Horse racing stayed under its own federal framework and was never part of the parlay restriction.

What it means for a bettor in British Columbia

In BC, single-game betting is available through the provincial platform, with the same account used for lottery and casino play. Private sportsbooks that advertise to Canadian audiences are generally licensed in Ontario or offshore, and a BC resident using them is outside the provincial system.

The practical difference

Single-event betting lowers the house edge compared with forced parlays, because a bettor no longer has to be right about several outcomes at once to collect. The trade-off is that odds on single markets are tighter, and the margin is now built into each individual line rather than into the combination.