Any hope for California sports betting legalization in 2026 lost quite a bit of air this week.
During a Tuesday panel at ICE in Barcelona, tribal leads said they will not put California sports betting on the ballot in 2026.
According to iGaming Business, James Siva, chairman of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association, said the tribes have “come too far and have too far to go to rush into this complex sports betting which is tied to iGaming.”
Need to get it right
While California tribal leaders are concerned about the rise of sweepstakes casinos, they are still weary after the massive effort to defeat commercial interests on the ballot in 2022.
Rather than 2026, they appear to be looking toward 2028.
“The data is telling us that the time is not right,” said Catalina Chacon, council member of the Pechanga Band of Mission Indians, according to iGB. “Definitely not 2026; we’re looking more like 2028, but it has to include all tribal communities in California.”
California sports betting waiting for all tribes
Chacon and Johnny Hernandez, vice chairman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, said the more than 100 California tribes all need to be on board. That includes the non-gaming tribes that receive revenue sharing from gambling.
Tribes have Class III gambling exclusivity in the state.
There appears to be a consensus among the top tribal leaders regarding sports betting, but also a clear desire to ensure all tribes are on board with any legalization effort and that it is done well. The ICE comments also show the tribes are clearly thinking about the path to online casino gambling, as well.
2022 sports betting push
The 2022 ballot battle has kept California hopes tempered.
In 2022, the tribes wanted voters to legalize in-person sports betting at tribal casinos through Proposition 26. Meanwhile, seven commercial operators put forth a ballot initiative, Proposition 27, to legalize online sportsbooks.
Prop 27 received just 16% of votes in support, while Prop 26 received less than 30%. The two sides spent more than $400 million in their campaigns.