The battle between tribes and operators for California sports betting supremacy is waging in full force, and now both sides’ initiatives will be featured on this year’s ballot, with the possibility of both passing.
Operators’ offering, known as the “California Solutions to Homeless and Mental Health Solutions Act” has been reclassified as an “eligible statewide ballot measure” by the California Secretary of State’s Office (CSSO), officially solidifying its spot ahead of upcoming elections.
The measure, which would make mobile sports betting legal statewide with platforms affiliated with tribal casinos, is backed by seven of the nation’s largest sports betting providers. According to the language of the bill, the majority of tax revenue would go towards homeless services, which has long been a hot-button issue around the state.
The move is being endorsed by various homeless organizations—Tamera Kohler, CEO of San Diego’s Regional Task Force on Homelessness, called the measure a “win-win” for the state, something that would “provide an ongoing funding source of hundreds of millions of dollars each year to fight homelessness and provide mental health services to those most in need.”
The operators have put up $100 million thus far to bolster its passing, and have pledged to contribute more if need be.
The state’s tribes have had a monopoly on its gaming industry for decades, and are vigorously opposed to the initiative, for fear of losing that control. That being said, their proposal would make sports betting legal only in person at tribal casinos—it makes no mention of mobile betting. Conversely, operators’ proposal does not address in-person betting, meaning that both could potentially pass.
Shortly after news of the CSSO’s ruling broke, Cody Martinez, tribal chairman of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, said in a statement that operators’ proposal would increase “the risks of underage and problem gaming” by “turning virtually every cellphone, laptop, tablet, and gaming console into a gambling device.”
Tribal-backed advertisements with similar motifs have already been running in the state for weeks. Other organizations, including the NAACP and various law enforcement agencies, have also voiced their opposition to the operators’ measure.
California is the only state with sports betting initiatives on this year’s ballot. A proposal in Florida was in the works, but was eventually withdrawn earlier this year.
