California Sports Betting Not Supported By Tribes

Despite proposals to legalize sports betting in California, tribes are staunchly unsupportive of these efforts. After a recent meeting with industry stakeholders on Wednesday this week, James Siva, Chairman of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA), revealed that tribes voted 18-0 against the two California sports betting proposals, with five abstentions.

During the meeting, tribes had a chance to voice their concerns and opinions about the proposed legislation. Siva described the experience, saying, “We went into that meeting, eyes wide open, knowing exactly the kinds of people we were going to be speaking with. Mostly, they did all the talking. It was very much what we expected, ‘we’re gonna come in and do this for you and no one else can do this and then we’re just gonna walk away’… if It sounds too good to be true, it most likely actually is”.

One of the main reasons tribes voted against the proposals is the lack of tribal support. Siva pointed out that despite claims of tribes sending amendments, he has not seen any tribe publicly express support for the proposals. In fact, 21 out of CNIGA’s 52 member tribes signed a letter opposing the legislation.

The proponents of the California sports betting proposals argue that legalizing sports betting would help eliminate the state’s illegal sports betting market. However, Siva questions the feasibility of this approach. He states, “They keep talking about we’re going to be able to eliminate all this grey market in sports betting, all the illegal operations in California, but they never actually say how they’re going to do it”. Siva believes that the only way to accomplish this would be through backroom deals to buy up illegal operators, which he sees as a potential threat to tribal sovereignty.

Another point of contention for tribes is the lack of time given to evaluate the proposals. Siva argues that the backers did not provide enough time for tribes to come together, discuss the issues, and reach a consensus. He emphasizes the difficulty of getting tribes to unite on a gaming issue and criticizes the limited time frame given for tribes to review and evaluate the initiatives.

Reeve Collins and Kasey Thompson, cofounders of Pala Interactive, are the masterminds behind the California sports betting proposals. They are seeking the support of tribes and have promised to incorporate tribal feedback into the proposals by a December 1 deadline¹. However, Siva dismisses the notion of tribal support, stating that he has not seen any tribes stand up in support of the proposals.

Conclusion

The road to legalizing sports betting in California remains challenging, primarily due to the lack of tribal support. Tribes have raised concerns about the proposals, including the grey-market approach and the insufficient time given for tribal evaluation. While the backers of the legislation continue to seek tribal input, tribal representatives remain sceptical and unsupportive of the current proposals. Only time will tell whether a consensus can be reached and if sports betting will become a reality in California.