Windsor West MP Brian Masse is angry.
The Single Event Sports Betting Bill went up for a vote Wednesday night in the House of Commons and was defeated.
Masse says the Liberal government has chosen organized crime over good governance.
"They are well aware of the massive revenue stream sports wagering is providing organized crime to fund human trafficking, the illegal drug and weapons trade, money laundering and tax evasion," he says.
He estimates organized crime makes about $10-billion a year off illegal wagering.
"Equally disturbing," says Masse, "the Liberal government has ignored an opportunity to create and protect jobs and stimulate economic growth in the entertainment and tourism sector, as well as in data management, fin-tech, web design, journalism and others. This is a huge missed opportunity that perpetuates a completely unacceptable yet entirely correctable status quo."
The vote means the bill won't go to the Justice Committee which would have heard witness testimony from business and labour groups, police, professional sports, the Olympic movement and the provinces.
