Legalized Sports Gambling In California
- Legalized Sports Gambling In California County
- Legalized Sports Gambling In California State
- Gambling Laws In California
- Legalized Sports Betting In California
- Morongo Casino
Don’t look now, but the country’s most populous state is eying up legal sports betting.
For the second year in a row, a pair of California lawmakers introduced a sports betting bill on Thursday. Last year’s bill did not move out of committee, but a recent change in the state’s gambling landscape presents a fresh stage for 2019.
While Nevada and New Jersey lead the industry in their respective halves of the country, the California market would be the Holy Grail of US sports betting,
The bill’s introduction comes in the wake of a failed private attempt to garner signatures in support of a referendum. This proposal, however, would be subject to two-thirds approval from the legislature before a majority vote at the ballot box in November 2020.
- It’s assumed that sports betting won’t be legalized until 2021 at this rate with the COVID-19 pandemic slowing down much of the world, so Californian sports bettors still have a little way to go before they can legally bet on sports in Californian casinos or sportsbooks.
- That the Legislature declares the purpose of this act is to regulate and tax sports wagering in California, including sports wagering offered over the internet, and to strengthen California’s gambling regulations and safeguards as follows.
- Supporters say legalized sports gambling could generate $200 million in new revenue in the first year with the potential for $500 million or more in additional years as more sportsbooks go live. California is by far the biggest chip of the 28 states that have yet to legalize sports betting.
The California Constitution regulates what types of gambling are permitted in the state, hence a constitutional amendment is required to legalize sports betting. Bill Dodd introduced a related amendment in the state Legislature, but his proposal did not receive a floor vote and did not go on the ballot.
The referendum itself figures to be a relatively small hurdle to clear given the overall appetite for gambling in the state.
California sports betting bill appears!
The bill (ACA 16) was not yet filed on the state legislature’s website at the time of writing, so there’s not much to work with so far. What is clear is that lawmakers have plenty of time to sculpt the bill into a perfect posture.
Assemblyman Adam Gray and Senator Bill Dodd, the chairmen of their respective Governmental Organization committees, serve as the joint sponsors of the effort to bring sports betting to California. And encouragingly, their first words on the topic show all the best intentions.
Here’s Dodd highlighting the black market and problem gambling in a press release:
“I look forward to working with stakeholders in a collaborative effort to help bring this out of the shadows. By legalizing sports wagering we can avoid some of the problems associated with an underground market such as fraud and tax evasion while investing in problem gambling education.”
And here’s Gray on consumer protections:
“It’s time to shine a light on this multibillion-dollar industry. We need to crack down on illegal and unregulated online gaming and replace it with a safe and responsible option which includes safeguards against compulsive and underage gambling, money laundering and fraud. All other gaming activities in California are subject to regulations that ensure the safety of consumers. Sports wagering should be treated no differently.”
How likely is California sports betting?
Anyone who’s followed gambling for any length of time knows that California is among the most complicated, intricate US markets.
The tribes control gambling in the state, though private companies have pushed right up against the legal boundaries of that exclusivity. In addition to fully approved poker rooms, a number of licensed cardrooms also offer player-banked versions of some casino games.
This clever interpretation of the law has been a source of longstanding tension between the tribes and the state, and the subject of a recent lawsuit. It was the tribes’ recent loss in federal court, in fact, that seemingly paved the path toward legalization.
In a way-too-early look at a potential CA sports betting market, it’s worth mentioning that Caesars is the only large commercial casino operator with a presence in the state. It manages Harrah’s Southern California for the Luiseno Indians outside of San Diego.
More than 60 tribal casinos dot the enormous California landmass.
| California Legalize Sports Betting Amendment | |
|---|---|
| Election date November 3, 2020 | |
| Topic Gambling | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin State legislature |
The California Legalize Sports Betting Amendment was not on the ballot in California as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 3, 2020.
Legalized Sports Gambling In California County
The ballot measure would have authorized sports betting, including online or mobile sports betting, in California. The ballot measure would have allowed tribal casinos and licensed horseracing tracks to operate sports betting. The ballot measure would have also authorized licensed gambling establishments to offer games played with cards or tiles in which participants wager against each other.[1]
The ballot measure would have taxed on-site sports betting at 10 percent of gross revenue and online sports betting at 15 percent of gross revenue.[1]
- 1Text of measure
Text of measure
Constitutional changes
- See also: Article IV, California Constitution
The measure would have amended Section 19 of Article IV of the California Constitution.[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the California Constitution
In California, a two-thirds vote is needed in each chamber of the California State Legislature to refer a constitutional amendment to the ballot for voter consideration.
The constitutional amendment was introduced into the California State Legislature as Senate Constitutional Amendment 6 (SCA 6) on June 27, 2019. On June 22, 2020, Sen. Bill Dodd, the amendment's lead legislative sponsor, requested that hearings on SCA 6 be canceled.[1] Sen. Dodd said, 'Given the deadlines for getting a measure on the November ballot and the impact of COVID-19 on the public’s ability to weigh in, we were not able to get the bill across the finish line this year. It remains important that we lift this widespread practice out of the shadows to make it safer and to generate money for the people of California. I will continue to be engaged in the issue as we work toward 2022.'[2]
Legalized Sports Gambling In California State
See also
External links
Gambling Laws In California
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.01.11.21.3California State Legislature, 'Senate Concurrent Resolution 6,' accessed June 8, 2020
- ↑SBC Americas, 'California sports betting bill pulled over tribal opposition,' June 23, 2020
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Legalized Sports Betting In California
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