From now until November, residents of California can expect a landslide of sports betting ads.
Viewers of sports events like the Super Bowl have become inured to sports betting ads, even in California, where sports betting is not yet legal. Now the NFL season is history, but the ads will continue, this time for sports betting measures.
The supporters of four different proposals intend to make sure that every possibly changeable mind is exposed to their arguments. So far, only one of those proposals has made it to the ballot. This tribal-sponsored measure would only allow retail sports betting, and only at tribal casinos and racetracks—not card clubs. It would also not legalize mobile sportsbooks.
Several gaming tribes—under the umbrella of Californians for Tribal Sovereignty and Safe Gaming Committee—have announced they will spend hundreds of millions of dollars to sway hearts and minds—and preserve the monopoly that tribes have on most forms of gaming in the state. This is the first true challenge to that exclusivity since California voters legalized tribal gaming in 2000.
Sports betting operators that include DraftKings and FanDuel have pledged to spend $100 million pushing their ballot measure, which would allow mobile sports betting and earmark a large percentage of tax receipts to fight homelessness. It doesn’t necessarily conflict with the tribal measure, they say, but merely complements it. It also doesn’t set a place at the table for card clubs. The out-of-state operators know they will need a huge war chest to contend with the gaming tribes.
Another proposal, this one promoted by the host cities of several card rooms, would give them a cut of the action. It too is gathering signatures aiming at November.
