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California Still Trying To Get Sports Betting Legalized

Lawmakers in the state of California had a preliminary hearing on Wednesday to discuss the parameters of sports betting. It appears like the largest populated state in the United States, with nearly 40 million residents, does not want to be left out in the sports betting craze that is taking over the country.

State senators and assembly members oversaw the hearing that included speeches from experts in the sports betting industry about what the expectations are for California once things would be legalized. California state Senator Bill Dodd and Assemblyman Adam Gray, who are both Democrats, plan to use what they heard at the hearing to draft a bill that could very well be on the November ballot.

A total of 20 states have some form of legalized sports betting, with another nine currently looking into it. California is included now in that list of nine states trying to make some headway on the matter.

“We will likely approach a total of 30 states with some form of legal sports betting by the end of 2020,” said Chris Grove, managing director of sports and emerging verticals at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming.

In November 2019, a whopping $1.86 billion was wagered in the United States. That total was a massive 88 percent increase compared to November 2018.

Lots Of Potential

As we mentioned, California’s population of nearly 40 million residents could absolutely set records immediately. Not to be forgotten, there are some major areas like Los Angeles and San Francisco that could really capitalize on the legalization of sports betting.

There are plenty of California residents that make the regular trip to Las Vegas, and having sports betting legalized would probably cut down on a good percentage of those trips.

For those wondering about the integrity of sports betting and how it will be affected, that doesn’t appear to be an issue. In fact, those in favor of the legalization believe just the opposite – that it will give bettors a safer and more responsible experience.

Bettors can sometimes get themselves in trouble with black-market bookies and loan sharks, and those things are not a part of the legalized process.

“By legalizing sports wagering, we can avoid some of the problems associated with an underground market, such as fraud and tax evasion, while investing in problem gambling education,” said Dodd.

Not So Fast

One hurdle in the way is the separate motion put forward by the 18 Native American tribes, who are looking to have live sports betting present at only casinos and racetracks, excluding mobile betting. With this motion in action, it appears that that bill won’t be passed before 2020 does.

“Large states suffer from this dynamic in general,” said Grove. “The states are large, meaning the potential market is large and the relevant stakeholders are many and diverse. Given the size of the prize at stake, those stakeholders are more willing to dig in and less willing to compromise on their preferred vision for legal sports betting. That’s a recipe for legislative status.”

To get sports betting legalized in California, the bill would need two-thirds approval from the state Senate and General Assembly. If that is done, it goes on the ballot and then still needs majority approval from voters.

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