Were you hoping for the first California sports betting hearing of 2020 to resemble the food-fight scene in Animal House with potentially more mean spirit behind each fling, you’re likely to be disappointed.
The Joint Assembly and Senate Governmental Organization Committees‘ informational hearing won’t feature anyone from California’s Indian gaming tribes, cardrooms or racetracks. It also will not feature online operators who would like to enter the state.
Instead, the hearing, which takes place today at 1:30 p.m. in Sacramento, will focus on an overview of regulated sports betting in America.
The California sports betting hearing is a couple of months later than originally expected. The chairmen previously tried to schedule the hearing for last November at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Agenda for California sports betting hearing
Following opening remarks from committee chairmen Sen. Bill Dodd and Assemblyman Adam Gray, the hearing will include the following panels:
Overview of Regulated Sports Betting in the United States and What it Could Mean for California
- Chris Grove, managing director of sports and emerging verticals, Eilers & Krejcik Gaming
- Daniel Wallach, founder, Wallach Legal, LLC
The Essentials of Sports Betting and Keys to a Successful Sports Betting Market
- Daniel Shapiro, vice president of strategy and business development, William Hill US
- Jay Kornegay, vice president of race and sportsbook, Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino
- Marc Nelson, corporate director of race and sportsbook, Atlantis Casino
- Matt Shelby, public information manager, Oregon Lottery
Transparency and Integrity in Sports Betting and the Bettor Experience
- Todd Fuhrman, an analyst for Fox Sports and host of Bet the Board Podcast
- Jake Williams, vice president of legal and regulatory affairs, Sportradar
The Impact of Sports Betting on Professional Sports Leagues
- Dan Spillane, vice president and assistant general counsel, NBA
- Bryan Seeley, deputy general counsel for investigations, compliance and security, MLB
Background on California sports betting
Here’s an update on what happened in California relating to sports betting in 2019 and what to expect in 2020.
With this hearing, Sen. Bill Dodd and Rep. Adam Gray begin to explore what they want to include in a constitutional amendment to authorize CA sports betting. They are trying to put it on the ballot in November.
However, the state’s key Indian gaming tribes already have broken off to file their own ballot measure that would limit sports betting to brick-and-mortar tribal casinos and racetracks. This has fueled the war between California tribes and cardrooms.
Dodd told Legal Sports Report he favors a more inclusive sports betting model that would include mobile CA sports betting to maximize revenues and capture the black market for sports betting that already exists in the state.
The public comment period at the conclusion of the hearing provides the opportunity for California’s gaming industry stakeholders to provide their input. Animal House fans might want to keep watching until the end.
