Thank you very much.
Good morning, Madam Chair and members of the committee.
The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport is pleased to be here today with the Canadian Olympic Committee with whom we've been collaborating to examine the impact of Bill C-218 on Canadian sport.
Through this short presentation the CCES will share with you concerns around the increased risk of match manipulation and ways to mitigate that risk. The COC will comment on the potential for revenue generation to support sport development in Canada.
The CCES supports Bill C-218 as we believe a regulated framework is needed to appropriately manage single event sport betting in Canada.
Technology and organized crime have combined over the years to render Canada's current laws regarding prohibition of single event betting all but meaningless. Single event betting on Canadian sports, including by Canadian residents, is already a multi-billion dollar a year business but most of the revenue is going to organized crime. Legalizing and regulating single event betting in Canada would be an effective harm reduction strategy. However, it also comes with associated risk to the safety of athletes and the integrity of Canadian sport.
If Bill C-218 is to move forward, the committee should be aware of the increased risk to athletes' safety and the integrity of sporting competitions posed by match manipulation. Legalized single event betting in Canada will increase the risk of match manipulation. Match manipulation is linked to organized crime, which takes advantage of vulnerable athletes, officials, coaches and other support staff to fix the outcome of sporting competitions.
This is a global issue, and it's already occurring in Canada. Many countries, such as Australia, Great Britain and Germany, are actively addressing match manipulation through legislation designed to prevent, detect and punish match fixing in sport. No such legislation, no such legislative framework, currently exists in Canada. The CCES therefore recommends that the passing of the bill be accompanied by the following specific actions to reduce the risk of match manipulation.
Canada should ratify the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions, which is open to non-European nations. Australia has done so.
The Government of Canada should require all federally funded sport organizations to: one, demonstrate they have rules in place to manage the risk of match manipulation, including disciplining those engaged in match fixing; and, two, demonstrate that all participants within their sport are educated about the risk.
Incremental costs to the Government of Canada and to federally funded sport organizations associated with the above two recommendations should be covered through the incremental revenue associated with single sport betting.
I will now turn it over to David.