What Gaming and Tribal Leaders are Saying About California’s Sports Betting Defeat

• Both Prop 26 and Prop 27 have been defeated in the Golden State
• The most expensive proposition campaign in U.S. history ended in defeat for both sports betting initiatives
• Sports betting campaigns and backers have plenty to say after election results

California sports betting will have to wait until 2024 at least after the results of this week’s general election.

As we previously reported, California voters roundly rejected both Prop 26 and Prop 27, shutting down the possibility of retail or online sports betting in the state.

What’s Being Said After Prop Defeats?

Prop 27, the “California Solutions to Homelessness and Mental Health Support Act,” only received 16.6% votes in favor of the proposition, well below the necessary 50% for legalization. Prop 27 aimed to legalize California online sports betting for operators partnered with California Tribes.

Prop 26 fared slightly better in the Golden State. Prop 26 received 29.9% yes votes, but again fell well short of what was needed for legalization. Prop 26, “Tribal Sports Wagering Act,” would have legalized retail sports betting for California Tribal Casinos, four state racetracks, and expanded gaming opportunities for tribal casinos.

Despite both propositions failing, campaign backers and proponents have plenty to this week about the results and the future of California sports betting.

2024 will be the next available election cycle for sports betting proposition to appear on a California ballot.

California Online Sports Betting an Uphill Battle

A representative from “Yes on 27”  said in a released statement that the campaign knew that passing Prop 27 would be an uphill climb in the state, but still remains committed to California. The campaign has strengthened the backers of legalized online sports betting in the Golden State.

Californians, the campaign representative said, deserve the benefits of a safe, regulated, and taxed online sports betting market.

“Dozens of states and countless local governments are benefitting from the significant tax revenue that online sports betting provides, and as California faces tax revenue declines and uncertain economic headwinds, online sports betting can provide substantial solutions to fill future budget gaps. Our campaign also demonstrated how the safe and legal online sports betting market in California can provide significant revenue and benefits to California Tribes – both gaming and non-gaming alike. Californians are currently placing billions in bets each year on illicit offshore sport betting websites – unsafe and unregulated enterprises that offer no protections for minors or consumers and generate no support for state priorities.”

No On 27 Campaign Speaks Out

The Californians for Tribal Sovereignty and Safe Gaming, a campaign dedicated to defeated Proposition 27, thanked voters for defeating the online sports betting proposition. The election results affirmed the “mutually beneficial relationship enjoyed by tribes with the State of California,” Dan Little, Chief Intergovernmental Affairs Officer at San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, said in a release.

The Californians for Tribal Sovereignty and Safe Gaming was the only campaign committee dedicated solely to defeating Prop 27.

“The sovereign right of Tribes to exclusively operate casino-style gaming in California, as originally confirmed by the State’s voters over two decades ago, has been preserved from the incursion of out-of-state corporations. Those corporations should be aware that California Tribes will always protect their people and their sovereignty, as well as work with the people of California to improve our collective well-being, now and into the future,” Little said.

California Tribal Leaders Have Plenty to Say

Despite Prop 26 not being passed, many California tribal leaders lauded the election results and voters roundly rejecting the online sports betting proposition at the polls.

Greg Sarris, Tribal Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, said in a released statement that the election results show voters supported tribal self-reliance and rejected “corporate greed.”

“We are grateful to California voters who rejected out-of-state gambling corporations’ deceptive measure and once again stood with California Indian tribes,”

Anthony Roberts, Tribal Chairman of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, said internal polling had been consistent for years leading up to the election. California voters did not support online sports betting in the way it was presented in Prop 27.

Voters have concerns over the access online sports betting would provide to problem gamblers, children, and anyone engaging in the act, Roberts said in a release.

The election results are clear that voters do not want a “massive expansion of online sports betting,” Mark Macarro, Tribal Chairman of the Penchanga Band of Indians, said in release.

“As tribes, we will analyze these results, and collectively have discussions about what the future of sports wagering might look like in California,” he said.