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This certainly isn’t good news for people who were hoping that positive California sports betting news would be on the way in the coming months. For a while now, the expectation has been that the next time a sports betting bill or two is present on the November ballot, folks in the state won’t hesitate to make sure things get across the line. However, that may not prove to be the case, as California citizens are fighting back against the sports betting push.
As of this writing, there are 38 states in the USA that have moved forward with legal sports betting. However, California and Texas are easily the two biggest states that haven’t gotten things finalized and lawmakers are facing some opposition in trying to move forward with the project. Last week, the Los Angeles Times posted a column for why sports betting should remain illegal in California and it’s receiving a ton of positive feedback. That’s not good at all, with them using the Ohtani scandal as an example.
“The fact that the bets were done with an illegal bookie are not an argument for legalization, in fact quite the opposite,” The LA Times wrote. ‘The Ohtani scandal should compel us to consider how many more stories like this could happen if sports gambling were legal in California and what a pall it could cast across sport in the state. Legality means easier access and easier access means more temptation, perhaps especially for highly competitive athletes with excessive down time.”
Because of what happened with Ohtani, the main argument for people against legal sports betting is that it could only cause more issues in pro and college sports. Ohtani surely isn’t the only professional player who has been mixed up with the negative side of sports gambling. However, officials want to make sure this never happens again. California remains firm in trying to get things processed in 2025, but there isn’t a ton of optimism there.
We had @TishaESPN join us today to break down the timeline of the Shohei Ohtani/Ippei Mizuhara gambling scandal that's taken over the #baseball world. #MLB pic.twitter.com/AF4pZ2wkvt
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) March 28, 2024
Illegal March Madness betting has been unreal in California
As you might have been able to guess, illegal March Madness betting has been unreal in California. We are now down to the Final Four, with both national semifinals coming on Saturday. On one side of things, we have UConn getting ready to take on Alabama, while Purdue will be taking on NC State. Although no teams from California remain in the hunt, that doesn’t mean that the illegal action hasn’t been sky-high.
This has been a memorable tournament, with a lot of upsets being recorded. While there are no online accounts available to people in California, people are getting their bets in either through bookies on the street or through off-shore accounts. This is an issue for the state around the year, not only in March. That’s why the need for regulated betting is needed – it would get rid of millions of dollars being transferred each year without a trace of where it’s going.
With the Final Four here too, you can expect plenty of illegal wagers to be recorded in the coming days. UConn holds the best March Madness betting odds to win it all, but a lot of people are still putting money down on NC State, Purdue and Alabama. Alabama posted a huge upset in the Sweet Sixteen, taking down North Carolina in dramatic fashion. A lot of folks were hoping to see UConn and UNC meet in the Final Four, but that won’t be happening.
Don’t forget that the women’s National Championship Game is right around the corner too, with Caitlin Clark and Iowa still in the hunt to bring home the title. Iowa will take on UConn in the Final Four, while South Carolina and NC State will be meeting in the other big-time showdown. Between all of those games that are still to be played, there’s a lot of NCAAB betting excitement these days. That’s exciting for fans, but bad news for the fight against illegal activity in California.
FINAL FOUR BOUND‼️#MadeForMarch | #MixForSix pic.twitter.com/5brogsETVP
— UConn Men's Basketball (@UConnMBB) March 31, 2024
Shohei Ohtani is still under investigation for his scandal
One thing we have to remember too, back to baseball, is that Shohei Ohtani is still under investigation for his scandal. In case you missed it, it was found that money from Ohtani’s bank account had been transferred to a bookie, with rumors swirling he was betting on baseball games. However, it was reported that his interpreter and close friend claimed everything was his idea and that he was stealing money from Ohtani. This news raised a ton of eyebrows.
Since then, Ohtani’s interpreter has quit from his post and left the Dodgers. However, Major League Baseball and Commissioner Rob Manfred are still taking a close look at things to make sure Ohtani didn’t have any involvement. If they find out that’s the case, then his name will be cleared. However, regardless of the result, this has been a huge negative for Ohtani and it’s given people even more reason to be against legal sports betting in California. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.
