ONTARIO: Casinos eye sports betting

[clevfan]

Casinos eye sports betting

Province asks Ottawa to allow 'sportsbooks' that would lure U.S. gamblers across border

July 03, 2008

Robert Benzie In Toronto
Richard Brennan In Ottawa
TORONTO STAR

The federal and Ontario governments are moving toward allowing Las Vegas-style sports gambling in provincial casinos, the Toronto Star has learned.

In a plan to help boost sagging casino revenues in Niagara Falls and Windsor, where the high Canadian dollar and increased border security mean fewer American visitors, Queen's Park is urging Ottawa to amend the Criminal Code of Canada and create casino "sportsbooks."

Ontario casinos already have sportsbook infrastructure in place with TV screens, scoreboards and seating, but betting is limited to Pro-Line, in which bettors select the outcomes of three or more sports contests on a "parlay" ticket.

The new proposal would allow gamblers to wager the outcome of individual football, baseball, hockey, basketball, soccer and other games as opposed to the multiple "parlay" betting that exists under Pro-Line, the government-run lottery.

While the province is specifically interested in sportsbooks at the two Niagara Falls casinos, the new Caesars Windsor facility and the existing Casino Rama, any legal change could apply to racetracks, such as Woodbine.

Sources say former provincial infrastructure minister David Caplan, who has since moved to the health ministry and been replaced by George Smitherman, made the request in writing to federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson last year.

Nicholson, who represents Niagara Falls, has been receptive to Caplan's suggestion and insiders say the two levels of government are quietly co-operating. However no timetable is yet set for the sportsbooks.

The new sportsbook would give Ontario casinos a huge advantage over their American competitors. Sportsbook betting is only allowed in Las Vegas in the U.S., largely because professional sports leagues are opposed to them being in cities that have football, baseball, basketball and hockey teams.

One problem in getting approval to change the Criminal Code is that the federal Conservatives, who have a minority government, are worried the federal Liberals or the New Democrats might oppose the change for political purposes.

But NDP MP Joe Comartin (Windsor-Tecumseh) said he has approached Nicholson several times – including as recently as last month – to express his support.

Comartin said sports betting would give the casinos in Windsor and Niagara Falls "a major competitive advantage" since it is not allowed in Michigan or New York and is only available in 150 Nevada gaming houses.

"What it would do is generate traffic into the casino for that particular type of betting and then you also pick up additional business," he said, adding other provinces are also lobbying Ottawa for the change.

With provincial gambling revenues projected to drop to $1.77 billion this year – down from $2.02 billion in 2005-06 – Comartin said casino communities need help.

Progressive Conservative MPP Tim Hudak (Niagara West-Glanbrook) yesterday wrote to both Nicholson and Smitherman, urging them to move quickly.

"Unfortunately, Niagara residents have experienced recent layoffs at Niagara's casinos and a significant decline in patronage at the Fort Erie racetrack due to increased competition in New York state, a less favourable exchange rate and other border issues," Hudak wrote.

"Furthermore, a properly regulated, trusted and professional sportsbook would help reduce the growing illegal sports betting taking place in Ontario and by Ontario residents on offshore and unregulated Internet sites."

Hudak, who was minister responsible for casinos and lotteries under former Tory premier Mike Harris, noted that in 1999 a similar federal amendment permitted casino dice games.

The Harris government made the request to then Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien's administration, which passed the changes on March 11, 1999 with the first craps tables opening a month later.

Jim Warren, a former senior official at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission who is currently building a new casino in Moncton, N.B., said sports betting, which is not allowed anywhere in Canada, is a good tourist draw.

"In order to attract Americans to the border casinos in Windsor and Niagara Falls, you have to provide them with exciting entertainment opportunities and no one loves sports more than Americans," said Warren.

"You also want to better compete with the Internet and you would actually give a legal outlet for activities that are happening illegally," he said.

Currently, Canadian gamblers skirt the law by betting with sportsbooks located in the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, and a slew of other countries. As well, underground betting brings in untold millions for illegal operators at home.

North American professional sports leagues have traditionally opposed sportsbooks, which is one reason why Las Vegas is not home to any major league teams.

Because Niagara, Windsor and Rama do not have big-league hockey, football, baseball or soccer teams, sportsbook supporters do not foresee problems with the leagues. "What are the Toronto Maple Leafs going to do – move if there's a sportsbook in Niagara Falls?" said one backer.

[clevfan]

Casinos looking for a new jackpot, expert says

Niagara Falls, Windsor hit hard by strong dollar, tighter border security

July 03, 2008
Tony Wong
Business Reporter
TORONTO STAR

Gambling on sports is a potentially lucrative market that Canadian casinos haven't been allowed to fully cash their chips on – at least not yet.

Once thought of as a shadowy, backroom form of wagering best left to bookies, sports gambling has long been a part of the mainstream in Nevada.

In Las Vegas casinos, massive sport lounges and big-screen plasma televisions greet gamblers who are betting on everything from NHL games to Wimbledon.

"The shady image of sports betting goes back to boxing matches being fixed and a fighter potentially throwing the fight," says Ivan Sack, former editor of Canadian Gaming News, and an industry analyst.

Sack says news that the provincial government is considering getting into the sports gambling arena isn't a surprise, given the economic downturn in the casino industry.

"Casinos across North America are trading at all-time lows and revenues are being hurt. Sports gambling is something that's been around for years, but we've refused to do it in the past," says Sack.

Canadian border casinos are especially hard hit.

Americans are making far fewer single-day car trips to Canada, hitting 730,000 in March, compared to 2.3 million in March 2001, according to Statistics Canada.

The high Canadian dollar, along with increased border security and a weak American economy, is contributing to the weakness in casino revenues, says Sack.

"There is too much capacity for the market with two casinos in Niagara and a third in New York. And in Windsor you have a depressed auto industry in (nearby) Detroit.

"This looks like an attempt to broaden the gaming market," says Sack.

In addition to legal gambling at casinos, there is a big pool of illegal gambling in the online universe, which has captured the greatest market share.

According to U.S.-based Christiansen Capital Advisors LLC, $12 billion was spent on online gambling in 2005, with more than one-third of that, or $4.3 billion, spent on sports gambling. By 2010, online gambling revenues are forecast to hit $24.5 billion – with potentially one-third of that going to sports gambling.

Placing sports gambling in casinos can be lucrative. In Nevada, about $100 million was wagered on the last Super Bowl alone.

Ontario, meanwhile, does have a form of sports gambling, but unlike Nevada, it is illegal to bet on just one outcome.

Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. has sports booths set up in casinos in Windsor and Niagara Falls, but betters must wager on several separate outcomes (say three football games, or a football game, hockey game and a baseball game) in order to place their bets.

"It's an important part of what we do," says OLG spokesperson Don Pister.

Sports wagering, which includes the OLG's Pro-Line lottery as well as casino lounges, brought in $257 million in the 2006 to 2007 fiscal year, according to OLG.

That is still only a small part of OLG's revenues of more than $6 billion, but Pister says sports lotteries tend to attract a demographic of sports enthusiasts who may not normally be attracted to other lotteries.

[howid]

from out of nowhere, wow


would be something!

[clevfan]

Opposition blasts push for casino sports gambling

July 03, 2008
Maria Babbage
THE CANADIAN PRESS

Ontario's push to allow Las Vegas-style sports gambling in casinos in a bid to boost sagging revenues is an irresponsible move that could deepen a troubling trend of gambling addiction in the province, critics said Thursday.

Ontario casinos do have some sports betting but it's limited to the government-run Pro-Line lottery in which gamblers select the outcomes of three or more contests on a "parlay" ticket.

The province is urging Ottawa to amend the Criminal Code to allow casino "sportsbooks" – a section of the facility where gamblers could make bets on individual games, government officials confirmed.

Former Infrastructure Minister David Caplan – who was recently shuffled to the Health and Long-Term Care file – made the request last year in a letter to federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson, said Caplan's former spokeswoman Amy Tang.

"There was a letter that came back from Minister Nicholson's office, saying 'Thank you for the letter' and that was it," said Tang, who works for newly-minted Energy and Infrastructure Minister George Smitherman.

"(He said) he was going to give it some consideration."

The Toronto Star has reported that Nicholson, who represents Niagara Falls, is receptive to the idea and the two levels of government are quietly co-operating, although no timeline has been set.

However, Tang said she wasn't aware of any talks.

"We're hopeful that they're going to make that change," she added. "That would then allow us to investigate this as a possibility for an overall provincial gaming strategy."

Darren Eke, a spokesman for Nicholson, wouldn't confirm whether talks were underway.

"The minister is aware of the views of the Province of Ontario with respect to single sport event betting," Eke wrote in an email.

"This government has put forth an extensive legislative justice agenda of which some legislation still remains in Parliament; we intend on continuing to take action on issues within the Justice portfolio in due course."

Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory slammed the proposal as just another distraction concocted by the governing Liberals to draw attention away from the province's current economic troubles.

"We should have a discussion about sportsbooks at our casinos because they're in trouble," he said.

"But at the end of the day, what problem is this going to solve? Is it going to fix the economy? Will it fix C. difficile or long-term care, or will it fix even the government's revenues? No, it won't."

But Conservative finance critic Tim Hudak said he's urged Nicholson and Smitherman to move quickly on the proposal.

"I do believe that this would be helpful to our casinos, to bring patrons back," said Hudak, who represents the riding of Niagara Falls-Glanbrook.

Expanding gambling at a time when the government barely has a handle on its problem gamblers is an "incredibly irresponsible" move, said NDP critic Peter Kormos.

"What this does illustrate is that it's the province who has the real gambling addiction, the real gambling dependency, because it's looking forward to those new revenues," he said.

If Ottawa agrees to the changes, the province could see sportsbooks in two Niagara Falls casinos, Casino Rama near Orillia and the new Caesars Windsor facility, as well as racetracks.

Currently, Canadian gamblers skirt the law by betting with sportsbooks in the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, and a slew of other countries.

North American sports leagues have traditionally opposed sportsbooks – one reason why Las Vegas is not home to a major league team.

[howid]

Currently, Canadian gamblers skirt the law by betting with sportsbooks in the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, and a slew of other countries.

makes sense to have the money stay at home.


hopefully this gets far enough in the process that the fixer david stern gets to do some moral squacking.

[Don Eagleston]

I'm guessing that Canada will beat Delaware in this race. With gas probably about 5 bucks a gallon in Canada, not sure this will beat gambling on-line. Nonetheless, it is always good to have another out and the ability to collect at game's end.

[howid]

very unlikely any such betting would see reduced juice pinny et al lines, but nothing beats collecting on the spot!

for me it is 2 hrs each way to windsor, 2.5 to niagara so not likely to give up online gambling but would be great for the odd road trip or two.

[clevfan]

EDITORIAL

The spread of gambling

TORONTO STAR
July 04, 2008

Addicted as governments are to revenues from gambling, it is not surprising to learn that Queen's Park and Ottawa are looking at expansion of casino mandates to allow betting on sports teams.

As reported in yesterday's Star by Robert Benzie and Richard Brennan, the proposal comes in the form of a letter from the province to the federal government asking for a change in the Criminal Code to permit Las Vegas-style "sportsbooks" where casino patrons could bet on individual football, baseball, hockey, soccer and basketball games.

The request is reportedly being given serious consideration by Ottawa as it would provide a boost to our border city casinos (Windsor and Niagara Falls), which have been hard hit by the rising dollar and other deterrents to American tourists. Until, that is, the casinos' competitors on the U.S. side of the border follow suit, which they surely will.

It might also help recapture some business from illegal Internet gambling, based either offshore or on First Nations reserves.

If Ottawa and Queen's Park decide to allow sportsbooks at casinos, they should simultaneously crack down on this Internet gambling, which is draining dollars from government coffers – up to $500 million a year in Ontario, by some estimates.

The province has passed legislation banning advertising of gambling websites, but it is evidently ineffective as the ads are still ubiquitous.

As for Ottawa, federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson has asked his officials to examine measures that could be used against the websites, said a spokesperson yesterday. "Our office has also indicated to stakeholders that we are willing to listen to their suggestions as to how we could best address this issue." Translation: they haven't got a clue.

It is time for both governments not only to contemplate new ways of making money from bettors but also to start taking the issue of illegal gambling seriously and do something about it.

[clevfan]

Odds lean in favour of gambling

City would reap benefit of Gardens sports book

By JOE WARMINGTON
TORONTO SUN
JULY 4, 2008

You bet you had a good time at the Argo home opener last night.

The beer was cold, the hotdogs were hot, the Hamilton Tiger Cats were tough and the Rogers Centre was 30,822 strong for another season of Argos football.

The only thing missing was the ability to lay down a legal wager on the game.

But Sunday shopping and abortions were illegal once, too. And like those things, despite being outlawed, gambling still goes on. Law or no law.

So are times about to change in Ontario?

Fans at the game were buzzing at the proposed concept of allowing legal sports wagering. "Didn't the NFL become the most famous league in the world because of betting?" asked fan Howard Kideckel, who with pals David Caine and Alan Reisler were -- ironically -- in the Casino Rama SkyBox.

"It would certainly get more people interested in the games," he said.

Meanwhile, all anybody who thinks sports betting is not alive and well and living in Ontario needs to do is look down on the football field between the 40 and 50 yard line at the Rogers Centre to see how off they are.

Right there, not far from the on-field advertisement from Wendy's, Rogers, Rona, Pizza Pizza, CAA, President's Choice and the CAW, it sits -- bowmans.net.

In the south end zone at last night's raucous home opener, there were two banners that also said bowmans.net -- one with a subhead that said "Sportsbook Zone" and the other that said "Play for Free. Win Cash."

Smart advertising. And an appropriate place to do it, too -- where the sports fans are.

If you don't know what Bowmans is, the government certainly does. It's who it competes with. Well, hardly.

But it's the highly popular offshore service that can take any wager on any game anywhere and load you up for some pretty good poker playing and other games, too. That they are a sponsor on a professional sports field gives a pretty good indication of just how mainstream this whole sports betting industry is. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

The moral of the story? Time to grow up, properly legalize sports betting in Canada and properly run it.

And perhaps Ontario and the federal government is getting ready to do just that, with media reports indicating there is more than discussion ongoing about introducing sports books into Ontario's casinos.

Think bigger. It's time for Toronto to get a piece of this gambling action and it's time for Toronto to take the lead. For too long have we been sending people to Rama, Niagara or even Woodbine.

The solution? The biggest and best sports book in the world. The location?

Well, at Maple Leaf Gardens, of course.

"I love it," says George Bigliardi, who has run a nearby steakhouse. "The Gardens has been sitting there vacant for 10 years and how has that paid off for us? This would be a perfect spot because such a thing would bring midtown alive once again."

A renovated Gardens, complete with a first-class world-wide sports book, casino and hotel would be better than leaving it to rot away, sadly losing its prestige as the national icon that it is.

It would bring more people down there than a grocery store that Loblaws never seems to get around to build -- and no $57 cab ride to Woodbine.

But first things first. The legalization of sports betting would have to happen first.

Not Ontario Lottery's Pro-Line and its poor payoff system and rules that you must bet on three games at once, making it almost impossible to win longshots. Straight sports wagering, where you can bet on an individual game and on players and plays inside the game, too.

"You are barking up the wrong tree with the Gardens idea," Bob McCown of The FAN 590 said last night.

FLOWING OFFSHORE

But the whole idea of making sports betting legal he not only agrees with but has been a proponent of for more than 15 years. "You could have the national debt paid off in two years," he laughed. "This is a billion-dollar business."

Not could be. Is. Bowmans understands that. The money is already flowing -- offshore.

McCown made a presentation to the Mills Commission in the early 1990s that would see responsible sports betting permitted to registered players that would create jobs and raise money for amateur sports and for all sorts of other needs. He also worked with Toronto real-estate legend Eddie Cogan and Vegas legend Steve Wynn on the idea of bringing a Vegas-style casino to the CNE grounds but was shut down by municipal dynamiters.

He's not holding his breath on this happening this time.

But, he said, if done right, if it's not completely run by government, he's in favour of giving it a shot, understanding that there are billions of dollars being siphoned out of the economy, some to illegal operators.

"But I think it should be in the format of having special sports bars that are licensed for sports betting," he said. "I think for this to work it shouldn't be in a big place like the Gardens idea but at every corner like McDonald's."

Something has to happen to bring our city alive again. Will we one day have a sports book? Want to bet on it?

[clevfan]

Ontario MP pushes for single-game sports betting

Craig Pearson, Canwest News Service
Published: Thursday, July 03, 2008

WINDSOR, Ont. -- Betting on individual sports games may become legal in Canadian casinos if Joe Comartin has his way.

The Windsor-Tecumseh MP estimates such a thing could generate as much as $3 billion in gross wagering a year. "It's very important for Windsor and Niagara Falls, in particular, because it will give us a significant competitive advantage over the casinos on the other side of the border," Comartin said Wednesday. "Given our current economic situation here, there's a potential for a reasonable number of additional jobs, both at the casino and elsewhere in the city."

Las Vegas-style sports gambling is only an idea at this point and a bill has yet to be introduced. It would require an amendment to the federal Criminal Code, which prohibits betting on individual games.

Ontario casinos already have sports-book infrastructure, thanks to TV screens and scoreboards. But betting is limited to the government-run lottery Pro-Line, where bettors select the outcomes of three or more sport contests, known as a "parlay" ticket.

This proposal would allow betting on individual hockey, baseball, football, basketball, soccer and other games, at casinos and race tracks.

Comartin said that he and others are lobbying the federal government to make the legal change - as it did to allow dice games in casinos - in part to help border cities hurt by a strong loonie and a tight border,

Comartin, who has considered introducing a private member's bill on the idea, first approached federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson last year. "When I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago, he seemed favourably disposed to the idea," Comartin said. "But there is some opposition somewhere, either in cabinet or the Prime Minister's Office."

"But it seems more political than it is in principal. Some in the Conservative party may be worried about the impact it would have on their core vote."

Though Comartin does not know how much business expanded sports betting might attract, he notes that the Canadian Gaming Association says at least $700 million was wagered on online gaming in Canada last year. He also said the CGA shows $100 million was bet on the Super Bowl alone in Canada and the in U.S., and pegs the illegal gaming industry in North America at about $380 billion.

Expanded sports betting would take a bite out of that, Comartin said, and provide governments with a share. "If all the provinces take it up, it's going to be well in excess of $1-billion," Comartin said. "I would have to say if it were actively promoted by the casinos, it would probably be in the $2-billion to $3-billion range."

In the U.S., sports-book betting is currently only allowed in Nevada. In Las Vegas, bettors wager on everything from golf to tennis. Professional sports leagues oppose sports-book betting in cities with professional teams, which is one of the reasons why Las Vegas does not have a pro sports franchise.

Though Toronto has professional sports teams, it does not have a casino. Niagara Falls, Orillia and Windsor all have casinos, but no pro sports teams.

[clevfan]

Duncan supports sports betting


Finance minister says sports wagering could help boost province's declining gambling revenues

TORONTO STAR
July 04, 2008
Robert Benzie
Rob Ferguson
Queen's Park Bureau

Ontario casinos, which put much-needed money into provincial coffers, are struggling and would benefit from sports betting, says Finance Minister Dwight Duncan.

As first revealed yesterday by the Toronto Star, Queen's Park is urging Ottawa to amend the Criminal Code to allow casino "sportsbooks."

The change being discussed by provincial Infrastructure Minister George Smitherman and federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson would enable gamblers to bet on individual football, baseball, hockey, soccer and other games instead of just the existing multi-game "parlay" betting under the government-run Pro-Line lottery.

Both the provincial and federal governments hope Las Vegas-style sportsbooks – now only available in 150 Nevada casinos – will help ailing communities such as Niagara Falls and Windsor.

"The tourism industry's very competitive, as is the casino gaming industry today, so every amenity that you have within a casino theoretically will help benefit," Duncan (Windsor-Tecumseh) told reporters yesterday.

"All of these various gaming opportunities are potential revenue sources, but, again, the challenges we're facing at the border go beyond the mix of products within our casinos," he said.

Provincial gambling revenues are projected to decline to $1.77 billion this year – down from $2.02 billion in 2005-06 – and Duncan noted the high Canadian dollar and restrictive U.S. border regulations are especially tough on Windsor and Niagara Falls.

Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory said he is not rejecting the idea of sportsbook gambling but called it a "sideshow" by Premier Dalton McGuinty, given the slowing economy and lost manufacturing jobs.

"This is vintage McGuinty. It's place your bets on being able to create the distraction and have people, maybe, think this is an economic strategy or this is a tourism strategy," said Tory.

"We should have a discussion about a sportsbook in our casinos because they're in trouble, but at the end of the day what problem is this going to solve? Is this going to fix the economy? What we certainly don't need in Ontario is gambling within walking distance of every Ontario citizen, and some days it seems like that's what we're trying to create."

NDP MPP Peter Kormos (Welland), who still blames former New Democrat premier Bob Rae for introducing casinos to Ontario in 1994, said the scheme proves "how seriously addicted ... the McGuinty government is to gaming revenues."

"It, in and of itself, isn't going to provide a whole lot of employment and it, in and of itself, has the capacity to create even more grief in communities with families that suffer from gambling addiction," said Kormos.

[Pancho Sanza]

Wonder if they would allow phone accounts.

[clevfan]

Sports teams, leagues take wait-and-see approach to sports betting

By RAY SPITERI
Niagara Falls Review Staff Writer
July 5

Professional sports teams and leagues are taking note of a proposal to allow Las Vegas-style gambling in provincial casinos.

“We’ve talked about this internally, but we don’t see this issue affecting our organization or teams at all,” said John Lashway, senior vice-president of communications for Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment.

MLSE owns the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League, the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association, as well as Major League Soccer's Toronto FC.

Queen’s Park is asking Ottawa for its support to allow gamblers to wager on individual sports games in casinos and racetrack-slots, which is only legal in 150 Nevada gaming houses.

Last year, the province sent a letter to Niagara Falls MP and justice minister Rob Nicholson, urging the federal government to amend the Criminal Code of Canada and create “sportsbooks.”

These would permit people to wager the outcome of individual sports games as opposed to the multiple “parlay” betting that exists under Pro-Line, the government-run lottery.

It’s a plan the province believes will boost sagging casino revenues and give ailing border communities like Niagara Falls and Windsor a leg up on its counterparts in Western New York and Michigan, where sports betting is not allowed.

Major sports leagues have traditionally opposed sportsbooks, which is one reason why Las Vegas is not home to any major league teams.

But because Niagara and Windsor do not have big-league hockey, baseball, basketball or soccer teams, sportsbook supporters do not foresee problems with the leagues.

Jamie Dykstra, manager of communications for the Canadian Football League, said league commissioner Mark Cohon is aware of the Ontario government’s proposal, but has not had time to review it as he has been busy travelling across the country for various home openers.

“This is something the commissioner wants to discuss with the board of governors as it is an important issue,” said Dykstra. “I know he would want to have a discussion with his peers on the board before he comments on a position on it.”

[clevfan]

Feds weigh lifting ban on sports betting in casinos

Janice Tibbetts
Canwest News Service


Wednesday, July 23, 2008


Justice Minister Rob Nicholson says he is receptive to a proposal to lift a criminal ban on betting on individual ...sporting events at the nation's gambling casinos.

The government has been under pressure in recent months from casinos and the province of Ontario to reverse the Criminal Code prohibition to help the dwindling fortunes of gaming establishments, particularly those that are near the Canada-U.S. border and are drawing fewer American gamblers.

"I have encouraged provinces that . . . we have in the past responded to requests to change the laws as they relate to betting," Nicholson said in an interview. "If they want to engage stakeholders, then I am prepared to listen."

Nicholson is the MP for Niagara Falls, Ont., home of two casinos that could benefit from a change in the law.

The justice minister, however, suggested there would have to be consensus among provinces on the issue "because it would affect all of them, of course."

Nicholson also cautioned that allowing sports betting would take a backseat to his current priorities, which include getting tougher on drug dealers and young people in trouble with the law.

Some Canadian casinos are already equipped with sportsbooks, which are lounges equipped with giant TV screens and scoreboards. But gambling is limited to government-run lottery schemes that permit betting on groups of sports, rather than one individual match.

The Criminal Code outlaws bookmaking (accepting wagers), a crime that carries a maximum two-year sentence. The code contains a broad range of exceptions, including government-run sports lotteries such as Pro-Line, Sports Action and Sports Select. There is no exemption for betting on any single sporting event or athletic contest.