Chris Boline
Now what? That’s what people who have been hoping for California sports betting have been asking themselves over the past week. In case you missed it, both of the sports betting propositions that were present on the November ballot didn’t even come close to being voted in by citizens of the state. Just a couple of months ago, it felt like a lock that the legalization of betting was on the way, which is why California citizens are furious that sports betting has failed again.
Instead, people are now left even more confused about the future of legal betting for California. According to a report, folks are beyond furious with the way things have shaped out. It’s easy to see and understand why people have had this kind of a reaction. For years now, people have been calling for sports betting to become legal. The revenue opportunities are at an all-time high and we’re seeing the kind of success betting has had in other states across the USA.
With California being one of the biggest markets in the country, it only makes sense for sports betting to be present. That’s why so many fans of the idea were excited when it was announced that not one, but two propositions were going to be present on this year’s November ballot. However, rather than these propositions instilling optimism to the voters, the sportsbooks and tribes clashed from the start and it turned people off.
With all the negative publicity and advertisements, it only makes sense that people didn’t want to be in the middle of things, so they shot down both propositions. On one hand, yes, that makes sense, but on the other side of things, it brought down the plan for sports betting to arrive. This is infuriating because it all looked so good on paper. We felt like California sports betting was on the way. Now, everything couldn’t be less clear.
Sports betting is legalized in over 30 states. California will not be one of those states for the foreseeable future after tonight. Both of California’s sports betting propositions will lose handily.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) November 9, 2022
No one knows what’s next for California sports betting
As things stand, no one knows what’s next for California sports betting. If anything, Californians are ready to give up on their dreams of it ever happening. Can you blame people for having this kind of a feeling? Time and time again, it looks like things are in motion and the laws are going to be changed. Then, it’s back to square one for everyone involved. There simply is no reason for betting to be illegal.
As we’ve written about before, more than 30 states in the USA have legalized sports betting. Why in the world is California not on that list? This is not only one of the largest states in the country, but California also features some of the top talent both at the collegiate and professional level across the board. People are always going to be checking the NFL betting odds for the powerhouses in California.
Last year, football fans everywhere were looking at the Super Bowl betting odds for the Los Angeles Rams ahead of the big game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Rams went on to win the Super Bowl, which was amazing for not only the city of Los Angeles, but the entire state of California as well. Millions and millions of dollars was waged on that Super Bowl, but not a single (legal) cent was wagered in California.
Just like Texas and Florida, California is missing out on an incredible amount of potential revenue. With the sportsbooks’ proposition, a lot of their supporters were excited about the idea of funds being taken from the sports betting to help out with mental health issues and homelessness across the state. The intention was fantastic, as the money would be going toward resources in need of help. However, that proposition indeed failed.
The fact California can't get their act together and find a way to legalize sports betting in some capacity remains one of the bigger mysteries in our space
— Todd Fuhrman (@ToddFuhrman) November 9, 2022
Expect illegal activity to grow in California
Unfortunately, you can fully expect illegal activity to grow in California moving forward. This shouldn’t be a surprise. Recently, people were given all that hope that sports betting would arrive on the table. With it being shut down, people are going to be desperate to make their wagers and they’re also sick and tired of having to travel to outside states to make that go down. So, what’s the fix?
Illegal betting. We’ve already seen countless bookies take in wagers over the years. We’ve also seen plenty of illegal betting houses be shut down. People are getting more creative on how they record their bets as well. People use offshore accounts, and they often place bets illegally through friends in states where it is legal.
When will this madness end? The good folks of California deserve the chance to make their bets from their home state and do so with a smile on their faces. Both these news propositions that failed were hoping to deliver. They hoped to bring happiness to everyone in California. Now, people have only become more angry and frustrated. The future of California sports betting looks bleak at best.
