California’s Next Big Sports Betting Election Battle

States like Ohio legalized online betting soon before Christmas, and New York approved it shortly after Election Day in 2021.

According to a DraftKings CEO, California is “the holy grail” of sports betting.

There may be four sports betting propositions before November in California. National sports betting and Native American casinos have been lined up to spend $200 million convincing Californians to approve or reject their measure.

A substantial tribes-backed California ballot measure would authorize sports betting, but only at tribal casinos or racetracks. Shortly, online betting will allow bets to be placed from anywhere. Others balance.

That means most Americans will live in states that allow or regulate sports betting. Goldman Sachs estimates that sports betting could grow from $900 million to $40 billion with California and New York on board in a decade.

But competing interests have consistently hindered California’s gambling development. Citing the qualified tribal initiative’s inconsistencies, California’s card clubs recently filed suit to invalidate it.

During a sports betting conference at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, NIGA executive director Jason Giles recently remarked that the US would never understand sports betting unless California joined in.

In 2018, the Supreme Court overruled a federal law prohibiting sports betting in all states except Nevada.

Mobile sports betting is now permitted in New York via Caesars Sportsbook and Bally’s Interactive. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a sports betting bill in late December. Wyoming, AZ, and other states quickly legalized sports.

Look at the massive spread and popularity of sports betting, says Brandt Iden, a former Michigan state politician advocating its legalization. Iden now works for Sportradar, sports betting data collection and analysis organization. But everyone does it, he added.

Tribal gambling in California has been legal for two decades, mostly on slots and blackjack. The state also authorizes gambling at racetracks and card rooms, which started with gold-rush poker players.

Proposed constitutional or legislative changes would need voter approval.

According to Marc Edelman, a Baruch College law professor who has written extensively on sports gambling remarks that California is a leader in progressive legislation at the NIGA summit at Pechanga Resort Casino. He says that if California legalizes sports betting, it is unlikely that another consumer-friendly state would emerge.

A coalition of 18 tribes lobbied for expanded gambling before the pandemic.

Throughout the pandemic, tribal gambling generated $27.8 billion in income. As of 2016, California had 66 federally recognized tribal casinos with nearly $8 billion gross revenues from slot machines.

Internet betting is excluded from the plans because it is a “very cautious, steady step.”

Mark Macarro, NCAI’s first vice president at the National Indian Gaming Association, says that he feels this is suitable for tribal sovereignty and that people are anxious about brick-and-mortar stores.