Legal sports betting won’t be coming to California via ballot initiative this year, but a decision to hold off on pushing for a voter decision could ultimately speed up the timeline for legalization.
Wagering initiative proponent Kasey Thompson said Monday night that although he was “fighting like crazy” for broad tribal support for this statewide digital wagering initiative, that support did not materialize. He had previously promised that unless he gained that support, he would not pursue the initiative. Thompson said his Eagle 1 group will not move forward with signature gathering, meaning there will be no gambling-related initiatives on the November ballot.
“We are pleased that in the face of widespread tribal opposition, the backers of two initiatives have kept their word and withdrawn what we could only regard as a cynical attempt to legalize sports wagering and online betting in California,” California Nations Indian Gaming Association President James Siva said in a statement. “These initiatives attempted to the use the tribes’ good names to cleanse off-shore, online gambling corporations with an appalling record of malfeasance.
“Let this failure also be a warning to others that seek to dubiously enter the California gaming market. Using tribes for your own gain will get you nowhere.”