Latest Developments In California Sports Betting Quest

Things have been crazy during December in the ‘Golden State,’ with exploding COVID-19 cases and deaths and new health orders.
Despite all the health woes, there have been some new developments on the state’s pending sports betting front. When California does offer sports betting, it will most likely be the largest market in the country and one of the largest in the world. The state has made considerable strides in the last week, with the end game being legalized sports betting in the nation’s most populated state.
The Native American owned casinos in California has put forth a strongly worded petition regarding sports betting. The sports betting measure, slated for the 2022 ballot, has made progress as it moves through the legislative process, meeting all necessary deadlines. This latest news comes only days after a monumental court ruling.
Tribal Leaders Are Now Willing To Negotiate
Piece of terrible news for tribal leaders. The California Supreme Court ruled that the many legal card rooms in the state can continue to allow table card games monetized by the players who play the game. The card rooms versus the various tribes have been an ongoing, highly contentious battle.
Some of the advancement of the sports betting measure may be due to a few that oppose the bill, leaving the state to take positions within the Biden Administration.
Like several other states, California is struggling with severe budget shortfalls. There are new health restrictions that Governor Gavin Newsom has put in place this week, shuttering most non-essential businesses statewide. The state is just about out of hospital beds due to rapidly rising COVID-19 cases.
Lawmakers are being tasked with generating new revenue sources to deal with a deficit in the state budget. The California Secretary of State on Tuesday confirmed to the Action Network that the new petitions for the sports betting measure had been submitted for verification. The next step in the process is that all the signatures must be verified to ensure the signatures are from legally registered voters.
Legalizing Sports Betting Would Be Huge
Sports betting advocates who have been pushing for legalized sports betting since 2018 say allowing legal sports betting is a win for everyone. Tribal leaders who have input in part of the state’s legislative process have dug their heels in the sand to some point. They have been more willing to negotiate but still don’t want to budge on certain details.
The tribal representatives have made it clear that they want sports betting confined to within the walls of casinos, which could be an issue. The reason being many casinos in the state are in very rural areas with very small populations. Sports betting advocates have advised that in order to make headway, online sports betting must be allowed. The tribal leaders consider online sports betting options a direct threat to their profit margin. Sports betting experts say that the majority of sports bets that are made are done online through various online sportsbooks.
California advocates are concerned without online sports betting options they could be missing out on extreme profits. Both sides feel they can continue to work out a solution as the measure advances for voter approval.