California Card Rooms Spar With Tribes Over Sports Betting Initiative

From a broader scope, states like Florida, Colorado, and New York have recently made the front page due to all the attention from the passing and legalization of sports betting. This new wave has sprung up and moved to different states since 2018. 

It continues to open debates with state government’s legislative bodies about sports wagering and how to approach its ratification.

However, this time it is California that made the front page. 

As sports gambling gets legalized around the country, California’s card rooms and tribal leaders are at a standstill.

A series of card rooms have already brought a lawsuit against tribal casinos to impose varying interpretations on constitutional technicalities.

According to the card rooms, the accusers point to the tribe’s intention of pushing more than one matter under a consolidated legal proposal. This leads to an infraction that needs to be addressed under a legal scope.  

Sports Betting and Casino Game Proposals to Be Kept Separate

Card rooms claim that any proposed initiatives need to focus on only one subject under the California state constitution. Card rooms added that tribal interests to intertwine sports betting with an expansion of different table games under one proposal are simply inconsistent by constitutional terms. 

For tribal groups, the proposal would open wagering to be legal at tribal-owned casinos and allow betting on a specific list of horse tracks. In May of 2021, the proposal was submitted and acknowledged by state authorities. 

As a result, the proposal was given the green light to move into the final stage to reach ballots by 2022. 

The opposition thinks tribal groups take advantage of minor legislative flexibility with high stakes on potential outcomes resulting in huge earnings for just a small, represented group.  

Card Rooms’ Have Alternative Sports Wagering Proposal 

It’s clear that all eyes are on sports betting and how states decide to approach the matter at hand. For card rooms, an alternative proposal would allow sports betting to be permitted at different sites, including sports arenas, stadiums, racetracks, and card rooms alike. 

By allowing more venues to indulge in the benefits of sports betting, card room reps claim more independent businesses could take part in a growing industry. This will, in turn, lead to more jobs and an economic spark in the local economy. 

To bring this proposal to the ballot, California state law demands a total of 997,139 verified signatures to push the intended piece of the legislation through the various processes that could set it in place. 

Card rooms must be aware that tribal proposals have been modified to justify tax revenue alternatives that would devote earnings from commercial sports betting activities to funding mental health awareness and social initiatives. 

The cards are now in the hands of the California state government and their ultimate take on approaching the technicalities sparking controversy in the state.