If there is one thing that California’s tribes don’t like, it’s being told what to do. They made that clear in 250 million ways in 2022, when they spent about that much to kill a sports betting proposal backed by a consortium of seven commercial operators.
A year later, a businessman with previous ties to one California tribe is walking down the same pathway. Kasey Thompson, co-founder of Pala Interactive and a former owner of a poker magazine, in late October was the man behind a pair of initiative proposals that would give the state’s tribes a monopoly on sports betting'and begin to lay the groundwork for online casino. The proposals were signed by Ryan Tyler Walz, who according to LinkedIn is the vice president of business development for Enshored, a company that works with startups. The listed contact is Reeve Collins, founder of SmartMedia Technologies and other tech startups. Collins co-founded Pala Interactive, which was purchased by Boyd Gaming last year, with Thompson.
What, exactly, tribal leaders think of the actual proposals is unclear. What some of them think of Thompson’s group and its methods is.
“They say they are going to give us [betting technology] for free, and that just brings up narratives that we’ve dealt with in all of our history,” Morongo Band of Mission Indians Vice Chairman and California Nations Indian Gaming Association President James Siva said. “You have that first opportunity to build a relationship with respect and integrity. If you get in good with the tribes, you’ll be in forever. We’re loyal.
“If you come in with this ‘we know what’s good for Indian Country’ kind of attitude, you’ll be done forever. We’ve dealt with this kind of derogatory, parental kind of thoughts before. It’s going to fail. That’s how I feel.”
Potentially good idea, flawed presentation
Siva made his comments Wednesday during , a weekly webinar hosted by Victor Rocha, founder of Pechanga.net and conference chair for the Indian Gaming Association. His thoughts were echoed by Rocha and Jason Giles, executive director of the Indian Gaming Association.
“There was no respect, the whole thing has been very chaotic with no rhyme or reason other than someone feels like we have to rush sports betting here,” said Rocha, who has served as the voice of Indian Country on Twitter since rumors of the proposals surfaced in October. “Everybody has been insulted. Every tribal leader I have talked to says, ‘No, it’s not going to move.’ But I do believe this begins the conversation for 2026. Whether these guys are involved, I can’t say, but if they want to spend half a billion dollars on our behalf, that could change things. But I really don’t see a path for this.”
Sign Up For The Sports Handle Newsletter!