Thank you, Madam Chair, and members of the committee.
My name is Keith Wachtel. I'm the chief business officer and senior executive vice-president of global partnerships at the National Hockey League. I'm here today with my colleague, Conal Berberich, a vice-president in our legal department.
We would like to thank you, Madam Chair, and the committee members, for inviting us here today to share with you the NHL's journey and experience on the topic of single-event sport wagering.
First, the National Hockey League supports Bill C-218, the proposed Canadian federal legislation to eliminate the provision in Canada's Criminal Code that prohibits provincial governments from offering wagering on a single sport event. Though the NHL had previously opposed single-event sports wagering, for the reasons we stated publicly on the record, the reality is that the landscape in North America has changed. Our experience in the United States since 2018 has demonstrated that a well-regulated marketplace that both advances and protects the interests of relevant constituencies can be established in a safe and responsible manner.
Since the Supreme Court of the United States' 2018 decision in Murphy v. the NCAA overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, the American Gaming Association reports that 25 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation that permits, or will soon permit, single-event sports wagering. In that regard, we point to the growing number of commercial relationships that are being formed within the NHL, including U.S.-based league-level relationships with currently five, and soon to be more, major sports books.
As part of our league-wide policies that govern these relationships, sports books are required to, among other things, represent and warrant that they are licensed and legally compliant, including enforcing age verification and geo-gating requirements; taking appropriate steps to monitor wagering on the NHL and share information; offering only appropriate bet types; and promoting responsible gaming. As part of the NHL's U.S. efforts, we have partnered with industry trade groups and have committed resources in support of responsible gaming, including public service campaigns.
All interested constituencies are aware that such a change in the law governing sports betting in Canada will present both opportunities and certain challenges, as it has in the United States, as we collectively navigate the new sports betting landscape. Establishing a level playing surface across the North American sports betting landscape will promote transparency, fairness and responsibility for all stakeholders in the space, as well as for the public.
We believe that any sports betting legislation should provide a comprehensive framework that appropriately takes into account and adequately balances the diverse interests of the various constituencies. Accordingly, we strongly believe the key elements of any legislation should, among other things, provide for appropriate consumer protections and technological safeguards, for example, age and geographic restrictions, abuse or addiction hotlines and the like; ensure the protection of intellectual property rights; permit leagues and governing bodies to restrict the types and timing of bets that might be placed on games, for example, certain so-called prop bets that might lend themselves to a perception of inappropriate incentives or behaviour; and appropriately allocate resulting revenues across the various stakeholder groups.
Although the National Hockey League has no concerns regarding the integrity of our game, we take our responsibilities in this regard seriously, as reflected by the extensive, ongoing monitoring we undertake in the normal course, both internally and via leading global experts in the space, such as Sportradar.
The National Hockey League provides family entertainment and has worked tirelessly since its inception in 1917 to earn and maintain a reputation for the absolute integrity of its competition for the good of the sport and our fans, irrespective of any legislative changes across Canada and the United States related to single-event sports wagering. We prohibit, and will continue to prohibit, all National Hockey League employees and players from engaging in any wagering on National Hockey League games.
Madam Chair, thank you again. We look forward to the committee's questions.