On October 31, PlayUSA confirmed that the Pala Band of Mission Indians’ absence from the mystery California sports betting proposals meant it did not sanction the filings. Doug Elmets, spokesperson for Pala, provided a brief statement:
“The Pala Band of Mission Indians is not involved in either of the initiatives.”
The filing points to a handful of individuals who had prior associations with the tribe through Pala Interactive, an internet gaming platform they helped create in 2013. Boyd Gaming paid $170 million for Pala Interactive last year.
Reeve Collins and Kasey Thompson worked together on Pala Interactive. But they aren’t currently affiliated with the tribe, Pala Interactive or Boyd Gaming.
In a prior report by PlayUSA, Pala acknowledged plans to participate in a sports betting initiative. On October 8, Pala Chairman Robert Smith sent a text to tribal leaders, forwarded to PlayUSA, that read:
“Heads up. Pala Band of Mission Indians is issuing a press release tomorrow on sports wagering initiative for 2024. Looking forward to working with tribes!”
Most tribal leaders, who were attending the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas that week, reacted negatively to the news. This included Mark Macarro, chairman of the influential Pechanga Band of Indians.
Representatives of the state’s other two most influential tribes, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and Morongo Band of Mission Indians, joined Macarro in saying they didn’t expect any California sports betting initiatives filed this election cycle. They didn’t see any such effort as viable following the fierce battle on the 2022 ballot.
Smith ended up not following through with the promised press release at G2E. And when the California Nations Indian Gaming Association invited Smith to present the proposal to its membership last week, he declined.
With time running out to qualify an initiative for the 2024 election, proponents moved forward with the filing with the hope of garnering tribal support in the next month.
Thompson wrote: “We do not plan to proceed unless we have the full support of the California tribes.”
According to sources, proponents of the initiatives met with multiple tribes recently to pitch their proposals. Pala could return to supporting the effort if the proposals show strong support from other tribes.
