by
Who in the world saw this coming? Over the last six months, much of the focus on California sports betting news had been the assumption that there’d be no kind of push next year. Instead, a lot of folks believed that the earliest sports betting would be on the ballot would be in 2025. That may not be the case, however. In stunning fashion, two California sports betting initiatives could be on the 2024 ballot? Wow!
According to a report, this is exactly what could be the case, as two new bills are in the works. Both initiatives have been presented to the Attorney General and now there’s hope that the next steps will be taken to try and get things moving in the right direction. It’s important to note here that for now, the two new bills that are being produced would be in control by the local tribes.
In November of 2022, there were two bills on the ballot for the California citizens to vote on. In that case, though, there was one bill run by the tribes, but then the other one was brought in by the major sportsbooks. Because of this, there was a major division among the voters, as the tribes and sportsbooks were consistently going after one another. We saw hateful ads run quite a bit, which was disappointing to see.
Because of this, both bills failed and California was left without legal sports betting once again. The results from the polls last year were terrible and it opened the eyes of lawmakers and officials that something needed to be done to try and get things back on the right course for the next attempt. If the tribes are taking charge here and they don’t have major competition from the sportsbooks, then it could help things out tremendously.
California’s sports betting revenue potential is incredible
With the way things are set up right now, there’s no question that California’s sports betting revenue potential is incredible. This is something that the local tribes are paying close attention to, as they know that people in the state are dying to make legal bets. Illegal activity has been a big-time problem in recent years and the local government wants it to be eliminated as soon as possible.
There’s always going to be illegal betting going on, but with legal options, it will allow for regulated bets to come in constantly. With so many pro teams and fantastic college teams too, sports betting all over California is expected to be sky-high once things are given the green light. In-person betting would be great to see, but the local tribes also understand that online betting is going to be a huge moneymaker too.
A man on a mission 😤#FTTB pic.twitter.com/slo8QpaDb8
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 8, 2023
We have seen incredible results for online betting across the USA, especially this time of year. As you have probably done yourself, people are checking the NFL betting odds passionately this fall. It’s hard to believe that we’re already getting ready for the second half of the season. The Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens have top Super Bowl betting odds, but other teams are looking to make a splash too.
This includes the Bills, Bengals, Eagles, Cowboys and more. In California specifically, people love the San Francisco 49ers and LA Chargers, plus the LA Rams. Of those three teams, the 49ers have the best odds to bring home the Lombardi Trophy. If Kyle Shanahan can deliver for this team, then people will be ready to build a statue for him. This season, no legal NFL bets are allowed, but everyone is hoping that will change next year.
When will we find out more about the California sports betting push?
When will we find out more about the California sports betting push? This is something that people are going to be asking themselves in the coming weeks. The first process was the bills getting set and being presented to the Attorney General. Now, though, these bills need to get in front of the eyes of the decision-makers. Just because these bills were produced, that doesn’t mean that they’ll for sure be on the next ballot.
The hope, though, is that at least one of these new bills will get the go-ahead and people in the state will be able to vote on it next November. That’s easier said than done, but if the right bill is presented and there’s no division among different groups in the lead-up of things, then it feels like there’s a strong chance that things could be legalized.
With that said, there’s still a lot that can happen in the next few months. Things even being discussed right now for late 2024 is a shocker, but it has given people a lot of optimism about the future of sports betting in the state. Only time will tell if there’s a happy ending to this latest chapter in the fight for sports betting, but again, things appear to be trending in a positive manner here.
keenan alexander allen pic.twitter.com/QW8E8fXEgH
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) November 8, 2023
