The ballot measure would legalize sports wagering at tribal casinos and licensed racetracks while excluding card rooms. Sports betting would be taxed 10% at racetracks.
The measure would also allow tribes to offer roulette and dice games.
Sponsored by the Coalition to Authorize Regulated Sports Wagering, the measure is supported by 18 tribes who expect to earn up to tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue. The coalition has reported more than $11.5m in contributions according to BallotPedia.
“This is an important step toward giving Californians the opportunity to participate in sports wagering while also establishing safeguards and protections against underage gambling,” said Mark Macarro, tribal chairman of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians.
The initiative received more than one million valid signatures, verified ahead of a June 30 deadline.
Opponents of the measure say it would give California tribes a monopoly over the state’s gaming revenue. Among the most prominent critics are Hollywood Park Casino and Hawaiian Gardens Casino, two of the biggest card clubs in Los Angeles.
Kyle Kirkland, president of the California Gaming Association, told the Los Angeles Times, "This initiative does nothing to advance sports wagering, and instead expands the tribal casinos’ tax-free monopoly on gaming and rewards those operators for prioritizing their own wealth over public health and safety."
