Illegal California Sports Betting Sites Keep Popping Up

Peter Lewisby Peter Lewis
Updated: June 9, 2023
Illegal California Sports Betting Sites Keep Popping Up

In a problem that is only going to get worse until some changes for California sports betting arrive, illegal activity remains at an all-time high for the state. Things have only been going up since November, when two separate sports betting props were voted against during the California ballot. This was a major bummer for so many different folks. With that, though, illegal California sports betting sites keep popping up.

According to a report, the company ‘Fliff’ is being accused of operating an illegal sports betting site for local citizens to take part in. While Fliff isn’t technically a sports betting site, its sweepstakes-type activity has officials upset that it very much mirrors the exact kind of activity you would find on a regular sportsbook. Fliff is arguing that it hasn’t broken any laws, but it remains to be seen how things will play out there.

This is just another example of authorities trying to shut things down in California as a whole. Elsewhere, bookies continue to operate at a high level, while people won’t stop using off-shore accounts to try and get their bets in. While California has done a fine job of catching sports betting rings and shutting them down, there’s no denying that countless other remains open out there and millions of dollars are being exchanged in an unregulated fashion.

This is something that needs to come to a stop, but it surely won’t until the laws in California are changed. There was promise that things would be flipped last fall, but again, neither of the sports betting props were voted in. Now, no changes in California are expected to arrive until 2025 at the earliest. This is a big-time disappointment and it’s only going to lead to more illegal activity until then.

No sports betting bills are in the works for California

Despite there being more than 30 states who have legalized betting, no sports betting bills are in the works for California. This actually doesn’t come as a huge surprise, as the expectation is that officials and legislators want to get on the same page to come up with one that will make people happy. Last November, the two different bills caused people to be divided, which was rough from the start.

There were plenty of folks who didn’t like how the top-rated sportsbook and local tribes were going at one another to try and win over the voters. Moving forward, California is hoping that only one sports betting proposition can be written up and that it will win over people getting ready to vote. As things stand, though, nothing is expected to get finalized until 2025 at the earliest. A lot of people are worried that a delay until 2026 could happen too.

This would be the worst-case scenario for California. Everyone would have loved to see sports betting come next year, but that’s incredibly unlikely. However, things being integrated by early 2025 would be fantastic to see. This would give people a chance to check out the NFL betting odds in January as everyone gets ready for the Super Bowl to arrive. California is missing out on a boatload of revenue with each football season that passes.

This is something that the local teams understand too. A lot of higher-ups from different organizations have been calling for sports betting to get legalized for quite some time now. They’re trying to be as patient as possible, along with sports fans. Unfortunately, nothing but bad news has been following the California sports betting efforts as of late. Only time will tell if that will change, but things aren’t looking good.

Illegal betting on Major League Baseball is high in California

As we’ve written about in the past, illegal betting on Major League Baseball is high in California right now. A big reason for that is the popularity of both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels. With the Angels, Shohei Ohtani is one of the best players on the planet – and he has a huge following. Ohtani remains the favorite to take home AL MVP, but Aaron Judge will surely hope to prevent that from happening.

With the Dodgers, they have been one of the best teams in recent weeks, leading to fans dreaming of them winning the Fall Classic. Right now, Dave Roberts’ team holds +450 World Series betting odds, which is No. 1 in the bigs. The Atlanta Braves are right behind them, but a lot of people think the Dodgers will be the ones to win the NL and then move on to potentially win the World Series too.

With all of that excitement for those two teams, it makes a ton of sense that people in LA and surrounding areas are reaching out to their bookies to place their bets. There are no legal options in California, so illegal activity is the only way they can place their money on both the Angels and Dodgers. Who knows when that will no longer be the case, but things aren’t looking good for California right now.

Peter Lewis

Peter Lewis Jr. comes from Mississippi where he and his family spend their days discussing college football, baseball and basketball. He's written sports journalism for years after studying journalism at a local university. Over time, Peter has cultivated extensive knowledge covering sports betting legislation across the country. He closely tracks the latest regulatory developments and provides key insights into their impacts. Peter also offers sharp MLB betting analysis, leveraging stats and trends to identify value on matchups.

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