Published
Land-BasedLegal & RegulatorySports Betting

Initiative to legalise sports betting in California approved for ballot, but some operators aren't happy

The California Legalize Sports Betting on American Indian Lands Initiative has qualified for the ballot in the Golden State.  This measure would legalise sports betting at American Indian casinos and licensed racetracks in California.

CaliforniaPic

Sports betting is defined as wagering on the results of professional, college or amateur sport and athletic events; the ballot measure also refers to legalising roulette and dice games at amended tribal casinos.To engage in legal betting activities, individuals need to be 21 years of age.

To pass, it requires signatures from 8% of the number of people who voted for the Governor in the last election. If the signatures are obtained (almost one million), the measure would appear as a referendum in the November 2022 ballot.

If it passes, the ballot will render a 10% tax on all profits that come from sports betting. The revenue will be distributed to the California Department of Health, to the Bureau of Gambling Control, and to the General Fund.

Steve Stallings, Chairman of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association, said: "A strong, well-regulated gaming industry is of utmost importance to California’s tribal governments and the public. This initiative allows sports wagering in a responsible manner and provides for transparency and strict regulation."

Corporations such as Bicycle Casino, Hawaiian Gardens Casino, and Hollywood Park Casino aren’t thrilled about this opportunity because, as Kyle Kirkland, President of the California Gaming Associations says: "This initiative does nothing to advance sports wagering, and instead expands the tribal casinos’ tax-free monopoly on gaming and rewards those operators for prioritising their own wealth over public health and safety."

Premium+ Connections
Premium

Galaxsys

 
Premium

Lynon

 
Premium

Imagine Live

 
Premium

Sport Generate

 
 
Premium

Digitain

 
Premium

PIN-UP Partners

 
Premium

GammaStack

 
Premium

Revsharks

 
Premium

1xBet Partners

 
Premium

RISK

 
Premium Connections
Consultancy

SCCG Management

Executive Profiles
Zeal Network SE

Stefan Tweraser

VIP Play

Les Ottolenghi

Scientific Games

Keshav Pitani

Social & App

Spribe CEO exclusive: Simplicity is the foundation

Spribe CEO David Natroshvili speaks to Gambling Insider abou...

Redefining iGaming: A history of crash games

Crash games is a growing vertical that has taken gambling by...

A certain something: What makes crash games special?

Crash games. They’re simple, they’re easy to learn and,...

Smarter innovation to shape the future

Spribe CCO Giorgi Tsutskiridze discusses the past, present a...

Facing Facts: The corner of quarterly contemplation

With Q1 reports out across the industry, Gambling Insider co...

Taking Stock: A guide to key stock prices across the industry

Gambling Insider tracks prices from some of the industry’s...

15 years of Gambling Insider: From the Founders

Over the last 15 years, Gambling Insider magazine has interv...

15 years of Gambling Insider: The Awards over time

Global Gaming Awards Event Manager Mariya Savova gives us he...