California tribes are putting up $100 million to block sports betting

Chris BolineChris Boline | February 14, 2022
California tribes drop $100 million to block sports betting

The battle for California sports betting continues to get more interesting by the day. On one hand, you’ve got millions of folks who are ready to see things finally be made legal. On the other hand, though, not everyone is too fired up about sports betting being an option for California citizens. That’s because California tribes are putting up $100 million to block sports betting from going down in the future.

This news just dropped late last week and folks can’t believe what’s going on. It should come as a major surprise that multiple California tribes are against the idea of sports betting coming to the state, as it would provide major competition for their casinos. That’s because multiple out-of-state sportsbook companies are ready to try and take the charge here for things.

According to a local report, this $100 million campaign to block the sports betting is officially being backed by The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, The Rincon Band of Luisueño Indians and Wilton Rancheria. These three tribes are teaming up to make sure that no initiatives get done and voted on in terms of California sports betting being legalized for everyone to enjoy here.

“In 2000, Californians voted to give sovereign Indian nations the exclusive right to operate gaming in California,” spokesperson Roger Salazar said. “The online sports betting measure sponsored by out-of-state corporations violates that promise of sovereignty, which has worked exceptionally well now for over two decades to the benefit of the tribes and California.”

Multiple sports betting ballot propositions are on the table in California

Despite the tribes being against things, multiple sports betting ballot propositions are on the table in California to be voted on in November of 2022. Once November rolls around, there are loads of people who are ready to try and vote things into place. As things stand, there are four measures in place that could be voted on come November. With that said, the tribes are still trying to stop this from happening.

There’s one measure that has already been approved for the ballot, and that’s the one where sports betting would be officially allowed to go down on Native American land. Another ballot that’s picking up steam is one that would allow for mobile sports betting to get done anywhere in California. More signatures are still needed for that to be on the ballot come November of 2022. We’ll see what happens.

“It will help create jobs and it will provide 10s of millions of dollars to the state for the general fund to pay for state priorities like education and transportation, and things like that,” local spokeswoman Kathy Fairbanks said recently. “Now you’ve got the legislature involved in discussions between tribes. And that undermines tribal sovereignty.”

Right now, things really are up in the air if people in California will end up voting for sports betting or not. With that, there are multiple different options that could be on the table for them to vote on. The tribes will continue to have everything wiped away first, though, so it will be interesting to see if they’re successful or not. Regardless, we could see multiple lawsuits on the way for California sports betting.

California lost millions in betting with the Super Bowl in Los Angeles

It goes without saying, but California lost millions in betting with the Super Bowl in Los Angeles on Sunday. Fans across the globe saw the LA Rams and Cincinnati Bengals take the field for the big game, with so many folks out there checking out the Super Bowl odds and making bets. However, with sports betting still illegal in California, the state missed out big on people placing wagers for this unreal meeting.

According to a local report, the Super Bowl betting, paired with mobile options, could have generated anywhere between $300-400 million in the betting handle. Again, though, with California sports betting being illegal, that meant that local citizens would have needed to make their way out of town to make their bets. Obviously, countless folks went to Nevada to take advantage of the Las Vegas sports betting.

Sin City is always a popular place for people to visit, but things are basically multiplied by two for the Super Bowl. This is something officials in California understand fully, which is why they’re hoping that sports betting can be given the green light for 2023. All of this just adds to the sting of betting being illegal right now. With so many people in LA for the Super Bowl, this would have been huge for wagers.

Imagine had people in Los Angeles been able to visit a local sportsbook or simply just make a bet through an online app. This would have made the experience in Los Angeles even more exciting for the Super Bowl. Instead, that wasn’t able to get done and now people are just waiting for changes to come. California needs to figure this all out, but the tribes won’t be going down without putting up a fight.

Chris Boline

Chris Boline is an avid sports fan and currently works within the sports industry. He has previously written for outlets covering the NBA G League, Los Angeles Chargers, Mountain West Conference football and basketball and has been a writer for over 10 years. Chris is very involved within his local community and spends his free time working with community organizations, sitting on boards, and spending time with friends and family.