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When it comes to California sports betting news, it really feels like things have never been more unclear. At this point last year, there was hope that things would be finalized by now, but California still remains on the outside looking in. A recent attempt for a new sports betting bill failed miserably, only causing more frustration among proponents. As things stand, the future of California sports betting remains quite uncertain and we’re not sure when that’s going to change.
According to a report, the topic of California sports betting was discussed at length at the Indian Gaming Association conference this month. IGA conference chair Victor Rocha reportedly said that ‘everything is up in the air’ and he added by saying that it’s ‘exciting and terrifying.’ These thoughts don’t really give people a ton of hope that things will be able to arrive by next year. We already know nothing will get done in 2024, but what about 2025?
It remains a long shot for California to approve legal sports betting in ’25. Recent rumors have been swirling that California may not be able to get the green light for the project until 2027. If that’s the case, then more people will come out and voice how angry they are with how this whole process has been dragged out. In November of 2022, two different bills were on the ballot for people in California to vote on. The hope was that one would pass.
However, the Indian tribes and the major sportsbooks were pinned against one another and both failed. Ever since then, California has tried to come up with a new plan to get everything done, but everything has been a complete and total waste of time. There’s some pressure on legislators to come up with a new plan by next year, but it doesn’t seem likely things will get done. This is a major bummer for everyone involved.
Baseball fans remain upset that Dodgers bets are illegal this spring
It goes without saying, but baseball fans remain upset that Dodgers bets are illegal this spring. As things stand, Los Angeles holds the top World Series betting odds, as the Dodgers very well could be the ones to win the Fall Classic this year. There’s a ton of attention going to the NL West powerhouse right now thanks to Shohei Ohtani, both for good and bad reasons. The good thing would be that Ohtani is one of the best players in the bigs.
Whenever he has the bat in his hands, he’s a threat to leave the yard. However, MLB has been rocked by the Ohtani betting scandal that has arrived this season. The Dodgers parted ways with Ohtani’s interpreter after it was revealed that he had stolen money from Ohtani’s account and placed huge baseball bets. This obviously is illegal and now Ohtani is under investigation for potentially being involved in an MLB betting operation.
Shohei Ohtani has the most extra base hits (12) through the first 14 games of any Dodger ever.
©️SportsNetLA pic.twitter.com/WmVUAkzExz— James¹⁷¹⁸🎌 (@ShotimeLAD) April 10, 2024
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the investigation, it doesn’t mean that Dodgers fans aren’t still thinking about the legal MLB bets they’re missing out on. Obviously, illegal betting during the season is always going to be a problem. The only way for California to fix this would be to present regulated options for people to take advantage of. The betting revenue alone during baseball season would be electric.
However, that’s not the case and people can’t make the Dodgers season even more fun by betting on their games each night. Fans of course end up traveling to nearby cities, including Las Vegas, to have some sports betting fun. Unfortunately, though, it’s feeling quite unlikely that legal MLB betting will be an option by the time next season rolls around. It will be interesting to see if something changes until then, but we’re not going to hold our breath here.
California tribes want to see sports betting get done
Despite the questions surrounding the project, it’s been made quite clear that California tribes want to see sports betting get done. As we previously mentioned, the tribes had what looked to be a great sports betting bill present for the voters on the ballot, but it really never had a chance because of the issues with the major sportsbooks.
#ITFDB pic.twitter.com/0rSxzbjym7
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 10, 2024
During that ballot, the tribes and sportsbooks were pinned against one another, causing a division among the voters. Ads insulting one another were taken out, which was a bad look for both parties. This was a big reason why the voters decided that they didn’t want to move forward with either of the two sports betting bills that had a chance to get approved.
That’s in the past, however, and now the tribes are hopeful that something can get done in the next year or two. If we do have to wait until 2027, it would be brutal for the California tribes. However, if something can get turned around quickly, then perhaps 2025 could be the year where some history is made for the state. We aren’t feeling too great about things, but we also can’t rule it out in this case.
