Sports betting stakeholders suffered a significant defeat as Californians voted against sports betting. They shot down measures from the wagering industry and Native American tribes.
Months before the elections, supporters of Prop 26 and Prop 27 spent around $460 million to campaign for the measures. Officials are still tallying the final contributions.
Measures that would have legalized sports wagering by permitting it at tribal casinos and horse tracks or through mobile and internet wagering were the subject of a barrage of commercials from supporters and opponents of the competing proposals presented to voters.
State Voted Against Sports Betting
Nevertheless, pre-election surveys indicated that both initiatives would have difficulty garnering a majority. Sports betting is legal in more than 30 other states, but there are currently only Native American casinos, racetracks, card rooms, gambling products, and the state lottery in California.
According to casino pay per head services providers, the two initiatives’ supporters made various suggestions for how to conduct sports betting, and each highlighted additional advantages they said would accrue to the state if their proposal were to pass.
Sports betting in person would have been permitted at casinos and the four main horse racetracks in the state under Proposition 26. A consortium of tribes funded the effort, including casino roulette and dice games. The enforcement of gaming regulations and initiatives to assist gambling addicts would have been financed with a 10% levy.
Adults may have accessed sportsbooks online and on mobile devices, according to Proposition 27. Large gaming businesses would have had to collaborate with a gambling-friendly tribe, or tribes may have independently joined the market. FanDuel, BetMGM, DraftKings, several major national sports betting companies, a few Native American tribes, gambling software providers, and FanDuel, all supported that proposition.