California tribal leaders speaking at the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention in Las Vegas the week of July 19-22 sounded confident that voters will support an initiative next year that would give tribes sports betting at brick and mortar casinos and let them add roulette and craps to the games they can legally offer.
But they fear that competing ballot measures might muddy the waters for their proposal. However, one thing on their side is the high esteem that California voters have held Indian gaming in the two decades since it was approved in the Golden State. Voters have supported tribal gaming measures nine times since 1998. Only once, in 2004 did a tribal measure fail, and that was when there was a competing ballot proposition.
Jacob Mejia, vice president of public and external affairs for the Pechanga Development Corp., which operates the largest casino on the West Coast, told attendees, “The research we’ve done to date says we’re in a very strong position to win, once the voters have the opportunity to vote on this matter.” Mejia added, “We got 1.4 million signatures and that says something. California tribes have a long history with California voters and we won’t put forward anything that’s going to be shot down by voters. We’ve have tracked this, both pre-pandemic and post-pandemic, and feel good about our position. We just did a survey that found almost two-thirds of likely voters are supportive of the tribal measure.”
Mejia noted that tribes have about 75 percent public approval, while the state’s cardrooms have a rating of 20 percent, reflecting recent money-laundering statute violations.
The tribal would allow tribal casinos and racetracks but not card clubs to offers sports betting. As such it might draw a competing measure by the card clubs, and possibly by sports betting providers such as DraftKings because the measure doesn’t allow online sports betting.
California Nations Indian Gaming Association Chairman James Siva, commented that he fears a competing measure. “We saw last year the introduction of a bill that was defeated before it got legs, but even now, we’re hearing rumors and whispers of a potential competing bill that would address the mobile issue that’s intentionally not in the tribal initiative. With the time given to the other side, there’s a very good chance we will see a competing bill.”
Mark Macarro, chairman of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians, referencing rumors of the competing ballot measure, said, “If both measures end up losing, that means the status quo will be preserved and frankly, a lot of tribes would be okay with that.” He added, “But that means no sports betting. I don’t know if there have been competing measures on the ballot where both won.”
