As known from:
VA
Contains commercial content
US Gambling Sites / California Says No to Sports Betting

California Says No to Sports Betting

Publish Date: 14/11/2022
Fact checked by: Drew the DFS Guy

A bitter blow was dealt to sports betting fans in California when an emphatic ‘No’ was the result of two separate ballots relating to the legalization of sports betting in the state.

online casino in California

What happened?

With just shy of 40 million residents, California State is by far the most populous state in the US. That would translate to it becoming the most lucrative sports betting market in the country if sports betting was legalized.

However, despite a massive input of cash, to the tune of $460 million, in support of legalization, two separate State Propositions were put to public ballot and neither even came close to being passed.

What was the voting about?

There were two different State propositions under consideration for voters, Proposition 26 and Proposition 27. Proposition 26 would have legalized in-person sports betting at tribal casinos and horse racing tracks, but that was downvoted by 70.5% of voters.

In addition, a massive 83.3% of voters also rejected Proposition 27, which would have allowed sports gambling companies to operate online sports betting in the state, in partnership with tribal casino operators.

Proposition 26

A coalition of 30 Native American tribes added Proposition 26 to the ballot as a way of ensuring that any legal sports betting in the state would remain under the auspices of existing tribal land-based casinos.

By taking this stance, the tribes received a good deal of criticism. Largely based on the premise that such action would put undue pressure on existing legal card rooms in the state, which compete directly with tribal casinos.

Proposition 27

Unsurprisingly, Proposition 27 was placed on the ballot (and heavily backed) by sports betting giants FanDuel, BetMGM and DraftKings, their sportsbooks being available online across many states already. If Proposition 27 were passed, it would have left the gate wide open for them to partner up with existing tribal casinos to offer their own sports betting services across the state.

The campaign launched by the sportsbooks made claims that taxable profits would be used for fighting the homeless crisis in California, assuming Proposition 27 was approved.  However, many considered that the sportsbooks were only out to feather their own nests and that their style of promotion was misleading.

Bet365
1.
Favicon
4.6/5
Bet $1 & Get $200 in Bonus Bets
Virginia
Players from Virginia accepted
Virginia (US) Lottery Board
Visit Site
Bet $1 and Get $200 in Bonus Bets at bet365. Deposit required. Bonus Bets winnings are added to Bonus Bets balance. Bonus Bet wager excluded from returns. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler 21+
BetMGM Sportsbook
2.
Favicon
4.6/5
100% up to $1000
Virginia
Players from Virginia accepted
PayNearMe
PayPal
Bank Transfer
Virginia (US) Lottery Board
Visit Site
T&Cs apply, 21+
BetRivers.com
3.
Favicon
4.5/5
100% up to $500
Virginia
Players from Virginia accepted
PayNearMe
Bank Transfer
VIP Preferred
Virginia (US) Lottery Board
Visit Site
T&Cs apply, 21+
PointsBet
4.
Favicon
4.5/5
5 x $50Bet Credits
Virginia
Players from Virginia accepted
E-Check
Prepaid Card
PayNearMe
Virginia (US) Lottery Board
Visit Site
T&Cs apply, 21+
FanDuel Sport
5.
Favicon
4.5/5
Get up to $1,000 back in bonus bets
Virginia
Players from Virginia accepted
Prepaid Card
PayNearMe
PayPal
Virginia (US) Lottery Board
Visit Site
T&Cs apply, 21+

Counting the cost

The fact that campaigns for and against the two Propositions raised more than $570 million, the highest spend for any US ballot measure issue in history, speaks volumes. This huge investment reflects the potential for a multibillion-dollar sports betting industry, if it were to be legalized in California.

What next?

For the moment, the losers have quietly slipped away to lick their wounds and gambling in California will remain limited to horse tracks, card rooms, Native American casinos and the state lottery.

However, rumors abound of new Propositions already underway to renew the battle for legal sports betting in the Golden State. Don’t hold your breath though, as the next ballots won’t be up for consideration until at least 2024.

Read Also
Connecticut Sports Betting Handle Soars by 13% in December
Connecticut’s nascent sports betting market continued to show growth in December, according ...
Indiana Sportsbooks Take In $463.7 Million in November to Set New Record
Indiana sports betting was off to another record-breaking month in November as ...
BetMGM Promo
NJ Sportsbooks Set New Record as Handle Hits $1.3 Billion in October
After setting a benchmark for the first state to reach $1 billion ...
Is online sports betting on its way to Florida?
The Seminole Tribe in Flordia has reached provisional partnership deals with five ...
Connecticut online sports wagering is up and running!
On Tuesday October 19, Connecticut made its full launch of online sports ...
Top Betting Sites
Top Betting Promos
Bet365
Bet365
Bet365 Review
4.6/5
BetMGM Sportsbook
BetMGM Sportsbook
BetMGM Sportsbook Review
4.6/5
BetRivers.com
BetRivers.com
BetRivers.com Review
4.5/5
PointsBet
PointsBet
PointsBet Review
4.5/5
FanDuel Sport
FanDuel Sport
FanDuel Sport Review
4.5/5
Bet365
Bet365 Promo
Bet $1 & Get $200 in Bonus Bets
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
Bet $1 and Get $200 in Bonus Bets at bet365. Deposit required. Bonus Bets winnings are added to Bonus Bets balance. Bonus Bet wager excluded from returns. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler 21+
BetMGM Sportsbook
BetMGM Sportsbook Promo
100% up to $1000
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
BetRivers.com
BetRivers.com Promo
100% up to $500
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
PointsBet
PointsBet Promo
5 x $50Bet Credits
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
FanDuel Sport
FanDuel Sport Promo
Get up to $1,000 back in bonus bets
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Get the latest updates in Sports and Casino via our Newsletter
header-hero-image
Our Team
The TSFJ FamMark LewisEddie Maisonet IIIJosh SchwartzDrew the DFS Guy
The TSFJ Fam
The TSFJ Fam
TSFJ Contributor
Mark Lewis
Mark Lewis
Editor
Eddie Maisonet III
Eddie Maisonet III
Chief Editor TSFJ
Josh Schwartz
Josh Schwartz
Editor
Drew the DFS Guy
Drew the DFS Guy
DFS Expert
Get the latest updates in Sports and Casino via our Newsletter

Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.

This site is using Cloudflare and adheres to the Google Safe Browsing Program. We adapted Google's Privacy Guidelines to keep your data safe at all times.

21+NCPG
Move to Top
Close
Stake.us Exclusive Bonus
5% Rakeback
Promo Code
Copy
Visit Site
T&Cs apply, 18+
Payment Methods
Bitcoin
Litecoin
Ethereum
Dogecoin
Highlights
  • Exclusive Bonus Code: GBHSOCIAL
  • Redeem for Crypto
  • Earn Stake Cash for logging in!
Stake Originals
Dice
Crash
Plinko
Mines
×
Your Promo Code:
The bonus offer of was already opened in an additional window. If not, you can open it also by clicking the following link:
Visit Site