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How long is it going to take for some good California sports betting news to come in for people to enjoy? Folks are sick and tired of nothing but negative talk rolling in. California is one of the biggest states in the USA, with some of the top teams to match. However, no sports betting bills have crossed the line, even though things have gotten close. With that said, another negative update has come in: the Indian Tribes Gaming Chairman doesn’t expect California sports betting in 2024.
Seriously? At the Indian Gaming Association Mid-Year Conference recently in Connecticut, Chairman James Siva indeed said that he’s not expecting any late bills to be put on the table for California legislators to take a look at. At this point last year, there were two different sports betting initiatives ready to be present on the November ballot. Now, though, nothing is set for this upcoming ballot and Siva’s new update means nothing is likely coming for next fall either.
This is another major setback for the state. California has been eyeing sports betting for a while, but the sportsbooks and tribes can’t seem to get on the same page. Last year, the sportsbooks had a big-time bill present on the ballot, while the tribes also had one. This led to some nasty advertisements being showcased online and through television commercials. This caused the voters to be split.
Ultimately, both sports betting bills failed to get the votes to pass. It brought the California sports betting push back to square one. Now, it feels like we’re going to have to wait until November of 2025 for the people of California to try and vote legal betting in. That’s more than two years from today, which is terrible to think about. Barring a last-minute change of things, folks in California are going to have to wait for an extended period for betting to come in.
NFL betting in California in an illegal fashion continues to be a problem
With Week 2 of the regular season getting here, it has been made clear that NFL betting in California in an illegal fashion continues to be a problem. This is something that’s not going away, especially with the teams in the state having so much promise for this season. Everyone knows that the San Francisco 49ers are the best team in California right now, as they hold strong NFL betting odds to win the NFC West this season.
Interestingly enough, the Los Angeles Rams, who are in the middle of a rebuild, posted one of the biggest surprises from last weekend, taking down the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. The Seahawks signed Geno Smith to a massive extension, and they were expected to post a convincing win over the Rams. Instead, Matthew Stafford and Co. were able to turn heads with their fantastic performance.
As for the 49ers, they posted a dominant win in Week 1, with quarterback Brock Purdy and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk hooking up twice for touchdowns. In addition to that, star running back Christian McCaffrey was fantastic once again, really setting the tone for the ground game. With the way the 49ers have been playing, fans are loving their Super Bowl betting odds and they think the team has a great chance to play in Las Vegas come February.
Sights and sounds from the Steel City 🎥 pic.twitter.com/amnVSPVRvi
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 14, 2023
While this is all exciting for the state, the fact of the matter is that the high number of illegal bets in California on the NFL teams is something that no one wants to see. People continue to use either illegal bookies or off-shore accounts to put money on their favorite teams. The only thing that will change this is for legal options to arrive. However, thanks to Siva’s latest update, November of 2025 may be the date when we learn more about the future of sports betting in California.
The Tribes and sportsbooks must unite for the right betting bill
With the way voting has gone in the past, it has been made quite clear that the tribes and sportsbooks must unite for the right betting bill. Siva informing everyone that things haven’t been going well for the sports betting efforts tells you all you need to know about the current situation surrounding the process. During last year’s ballot, the division between the two sides was too much to overcome for the sports betting push. That’s why we’re currently in this current position.
The only way that things are going to change is if the two sides can come together and provide the people in the state with a unified sports betting bill that will make everyone happy. The longer the tribes and sportsbooks wait to draw up the correct plan, the longer everyone is going to have to wait for sports betting to arrive in The Golden State. If we do indeed have to wait until the fall of 2025, then California is going to continue to lose out on millions of dollars each month in potential revenue.
NINERS WEEK. 😤 pic.twitter.com/PA0ygFM6G0
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 14, 2023
