Regarding Bill C-290 from Windsor-area NDP MP Joe Comartin that would strike the section from the Criminal Code that prohibits betting on a single sporting event:

We do not need more gambling. We need to abolish it altogether. Gambling threatens the moral fabric of our society. It leads to increased bankruptcies, crime, gambling addictions, broken families, and increased poverty.

Gambling is a seductive activity, giving out the illusion that one can get rich quick by placing a small wager on the outcome of an unpredictable event. If only it were so simple. We all know that in the betting shop there are always more "paying in" windows than those that pay out. Unfortunately, it is the very people who can least afford it who plough what little money they have into the coffers of our bookmakers.

As times get harder, desperation grows stronger and the bets become more speculative, resulting in the punter losing even more money. A depressing cycle indeed.

Parliamentary Bill reference: http://www.parl.gc.ca/legisinfo/BillDetails.aspx?billId=5084868&Language=E&Mode=1