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When will there be some good news for the California sports betting push? While it looked like things were going to get legalized last year, two different propositions were turned away by the voters. With no legal wagers on the plate for 2023, everyone in the state was hoping that perhaps things would get on the table starting next year. That’s looking unlikely, as a report states that California missed a key deadline for 2024 sports betting to arrive.
Seriously? According to reporter Heather Fletcher, there was a deadline this week for petitions to be submitted to the California Attorney General’s Office in terms of signatures for things to potentially make their way to the 2024 ballot in November. That deadline has come and gone with nothing being mentioned about potential sports betting for Californians to take advantage of.
“If they had done so, they could have requested “a circulating title and summary” as they awaited word from the California Secretary of State (CSS) regarding the proposition’s inclusion on the ballot on Nov. 5, 2024,” Fletcher wrote in her latest piece. “Instead, none of the 25 initiatives listed as “active measures” by the COAG today mentioned sports. There may be submissions that aren’t yet listed yet, as COAG names Oct. 26 as its own deadline to “proponents” to begin campaigning.”
If no proper sports betting bill makes its way through legislation in time, then we may not see sports betting in California until 2025 or 2026. This would be a nightmare for sports fans across the state. California is one of the biggest states in the country, with some of the best talent both in the professional and college ranks. People have been complaining for a while that there is no sports betting, but it doesn’t look like things will be changing soon.
California is missing out on millions worth of revenue right now
One thing that people can’t argue with is the fact that California is missing out on millions worth of revenue right now. With the fall right around the corner, it’s easily one of the busiest times of the year for sportsbooks. In California alone, NFL and MLB teams are taking center stage these days. In the MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers hold strong MLB betting odds to win the World Series.
Every night, Dodger Stadium is packed to the brim with people ready to see their star players in action. Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Clayton Kershaw and others have been nothing short of fantastic this campaign and they have folks believing that another trip to the World Series could be on the way. As things stand, the Dodgers hold the No. 2 World Series betting odds, as they’re only behind the Atlanta Braves.
Dodger Stadium trending? We get it. It looks beautiful this morning. pic.twitter.com/oIrZjndZoZ
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 21, 2023
Should the Braves and Dodgers end up meeting in the NLCS, it would be an amazing series for people to watch. Not only that, but the sports betting action would be sky-high across the globe. This is something that has people quite furious: they want to be able to place bets on their top teams and not have to do so in an illegal fashion (more on that below). The Dodgers are an exciting team.
However, the fact that people aren’t allowed to place legal wagers on them is a joke. With the regular season for the NFL almost here as well, people won’t be able to place bets on USC, UCLA and others in the college ranks, while there’s also going to be a lot of attention on the Chargers, Rams and 49ers in the NFL. We could be 2-3 years away from sports betting landing in California. That’s a depressing thought for people to think about.
Illegal betting is only going to get worse in California moving forward
With all the negative updates, there’s no doubt in our mind that illegal betting is only going to get worse in California moving forward. This has been a growing issue for the state the past decade, as people are going out of their way to try and find ways to place wagers. Countless bookies and illegal rings have been shut down in the past, but people are getting more creative with the way they’re able to get things done.
Using off-shore accounts is certainly one of the top methods to place bets. There are even online sportsbooks that advertise in California, knowing that people will find a way to access them. This would all be forgotten if somehow lawmakers and officials were able to get on the same page with the right kind of betting bill.
This is something that has been worked on for a while, but time and time again nothing is able to get across the line. When will things change for the better? No one knows at this point and the frustration is only going to keep on growing until answers are provided at a high level. Millions of dollars will keep on being exchanged illegally in the state for sports betting. It’s on the government to find a way to prevent that from happening on a consistent basis.
that mike dub special u ordered pic.twitter.com/BcyVfd48PD
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) August 24, 2023
