A tribal-backed push to legalize sports betting in California could be on its way in 2028.
James Siva, the chair of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association, said this week the organization is preparing to launch an initiative to put in-person and online California sports betting on the 2028 ballot. Siva’s comments came at the opening day of the Indian Gaming Association’s annual conference.
“We’re still walking the path and doing the work,” Siva said, per CDC Gaming. “We’ve been working behind closed doors, a lot of tribal meetings with ideas and concepts. It has taken us a lot of time to get here, and now tribes are more comfortable talking about in it in public.”
The ballot push would come six years following the tribe’s expensive battle to stop an initiative by DraftKings and FanDuel. It also comes as the tribes, and state regulators nationwide, are facing the rise of prediction markets.
Prediction market threats
Several California tribes are in the midst of a lawsuit against prediction market platform Kalshi. In November 2025, a California court denied a tribes request for an injunction against Kalshi.
Siva said Monday the rise of prediction markets do play a role in the new ballot push. Along with Kalshi and Polymarket, sports betting operators like DrafKings and FanDuel are also operating prediction markets in California.
Siva said the potential revenue loss to the platforms is “significant” but they that they also do not add anything to California in terms of employees. He said CNIGA will conduct a study to see how much revenue is lost to the emerging industry.
Previous California sports betting battles
Ahead of the 2022 election, commercial sportsbooks backed Proposition 27 to legalize online California sports betting. The tribes, meanwhile, backed Proposition 26 to legalize in-person sports betting at tribal casinos.
The sides spent more than $400 million combined in their campaigns. Tribes hold exclusive rights to operate Class III gaming in the state, and online sports betting would require a constitutional amendment, meaning the need for the statewide vote.
Voters overwhelmingly denied both measures. Prop 27 received just 16% support, while Prop 26 pulled in 30%.
California sports betting path since 2022
In January 2025, tribal leaders said they were passing on a ballot initiative for 2026, however, in April, they said tribes and commercial sportsbook operators were in constructive talks. That was before the rise of sportsbooks operators launching prediction markets.
California sports betting garnered 60% support from registered voters in a survey from Politico-Citrin Center-Possibility Lab late last year.
In the meantime, the state is battling unregulated gambling. Last year, Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta issued an opinion that daily fantasy sports were illegal in California. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a sweepstakes casino ban into law in October 2025.
