California Voters to Have Their Say on Mobile Sports Betting in November Election

The group, which is primarily funded by casino groups including Bally’s, Wynn, and BetMGM, alongside sports betting giants FanDuel and DraftKings, has now collected over 1.6 million signatures. This comfortable beats the required number of signatures for a ballot measure by about half a million.

There have been many attempts in the past to push through legislation but all have failed to win enough support in the state legislature. Proponents of the most recent attempts have estimated that the California market could generate as much as $3 billion in revenue and $500 million in state taxes each year.

Tribal-backed measure still on the table

Last year, a constitutional amendment proposal that would allows sports betting in casinos along with an expansion of the table games available garnered enough signatures to be put on this year’s electoral ballot. The tribes that are supporting this particular measure have stated that they will spend somewhere in the region of $100 million to defeat the online sports betting measure brought forward by CA Solutions.

“Our concern with their measure is that it violates the historical decades-old sovereignty granted to tribes by California voters to be the operators of gaming in the state of California.”

However, the fact that the CA Solutions measure would directly fund mental health and homelessness programs in the state has struck a nerve with lawmakers and political leaders.

However, it remains to be seen if the public will be swayed by such promises. Supporters of the tribal-backed bill believe that the desire to keep money in the state could see their proposal receive public backing.

Both measures are due to be on the ballot this November, 2022.

Jenny Tang

California Voters to Have Their Say on Mobile Sports Betting in November Election