Chris Boline
Here we go again. When it comes to negative updates for California sports betting, this is something that people have gotten used to in recent years. At this point last year, it seemed like the legalization of sports wagers would arrive, but then neither of the propositions were voted in – that was brutal to see. Now, the latest word is that California sports betting may not arrive until 2025 and people are not happy about this at all.
As things stand, no new sports bills have been pre-filed or even mentioned as possibilities for the Golden State. Again, last year there were several options on the table, with the tribes and major sportsbooks putting together separate bills for people to vote on last November. As soon as both of those bills failed in the voting process, it was back to square one for California and people couldn’t believe it.
There are no plans in place to try and get things flipped, which is a big issue for lawmakers and officials. With so much uncertainty, illegal activity is only getting higher. Two of the biggest sporting events of the year are the Super Bowl and March Madness. Both of those sports showcases took place in November, and just a few weeks ago, respectively. California missed out on major revenue opportunities here.
However, people still found ways to place bets through off-shore accounts and illegal bookies. Rings continue to get shut down, but this problem is still present. Nothing is going to change there unless the sports betting rules do. Unfortunately for citizens who were ready to see sports betting in 2024, that’s feeling quite unlikely right now. This is a major disappointment and people can’t stand the fact that they may have to wait another year, if not longer, for the laws to be lifted.
California, Texas, Florida and Georgia seem unlikely to have a legal online sports betting option until 2025 (if not later). Combined, the four states make up more than 30% of the US population.
— Ryan Butler (@ButlerBets) April 3, 2023
California’s betting laws must change as soon as possible
It goes without saying, but California’s betting laws must change as soon as possible. All of the illegal activity continues to be alarming, but the state is also missing out on a ton of money. Right now, if things were legal, countless people would be checking the MLB betting odds and putting money down on their favorite area teams. Over in Los Angeles, the Angels and Dodgers are two electric teams, there’s no doubt about that.
With the Angels, the club is led by the strong play of star pitcher/hitter Shohei Ohtani, while slugger Mike Trout is one of the best hitters in the game. The Angels missed out on the playoffs last year, but they’ve got high hopes to potentially grab an AL Wild Card spot this season. For them to get that job done, they’ll need both Ohtani and Trout to play at an All-Star level from start to finish in ’23.
Meanwhile for the Dodgers, the NL West powerhouse has strong World Series betting odds and rightfully so. This team is always going to be electric when guys like Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urias, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, J.D. Martinez and others are featured. All over California, people would have loved to place legal bets on the Dodgers to win the Fall Classic this year, but as you know, that’s not allowed.
With things looking unlikely for 2024, that means that people are going to have to miss at least two full MLB campaigns before they can potentially place their Major League Baseball bets in a legal fashion. This is so frustrating, as people are forced to travel to outside states to get their bets in. This is taking away money from local businesses as well, which should never be the case. It’s time for people to realize the big problem here.
"Swing feels good." @will_smith30 (.421 AVG, 3 HR, 10 RBI) is locked in through the first six games of the season. @kirsten_watson pic.twitter.com/L03cJfKvFb
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) April 5, 2023
Governor Gavin Newsom is on the fence about sports betting
What has a lot of sports fans in the state worried is that it seems that Governor Gavin Newsom is on the fence about sports betting. That’s not good at all. Last fall, Newsom openly opposed the proposition that was backed by the major sportsbooks. This opened up plenty of eyes, as Newsom made it clear that he wasn’t a fan of the project’s main ideas. In the end, that bill didn’t pass as we all know. Newsom must have been all smiles.
However, what gives people some hope here is that Newsom isn’t against sports betting as a whole. There have been several times where he has spoken about the economic impact that would be provided if the legalization were to arrive one day. However, whenever it feels like California could be closing in on legal sports betting, something happens to prevent that.
Right now, there are probably millions of people who want to see California sports betting arrive in the near future, but all signs are pointing to things being delayed once again. This isn’t the news anyone wanted to see, but unfortunately, it’s something that people probably aren’t surprised to see at this point. Change is needed, but no one knows when it will arrive.
