The single sports betting bill has made it out of the Justice Committee in the House of Commons and is ready for final debate.
Windsor-West MP Brian Masse tells The Afternoon News the bill was unanimously passed by the committee Thursday.
Current legislation prohibits Canadians from betting on an individual sporting event. The New Democrat says people are placing those bets with offshore and illegal operations that pump up to $14-billion a year into organized crime.
Masse says clearing committee is a huge step towards ensuring that money is used to support government programs instead.
"We had our witnesses, the testimony and we went through clause by clause," he says. "So the recommendation from all political parties is to pass this."
He hopes the committee's decision sends a clear message for the final debate on Parliament Hill.
"We just essentially agreed to what the house had done before through the passage at committee," he says. "Hopefully it goes back with even stronger support than before because now committee has done its job and there has been no objections."
Final approval will create jobs for Caesars Windsor almost immediately, according to Masse.
"Even during this time [the COVID-19 pandemic] they've suggested that there could be some supports that they could do for workers in terms of online gaming," he added.
The bill returns to the House of Commons for final debate in April.