Californians for Solutions to Homelessness and Mental Health Support (CA Solutions), a group pushing to legalize online sports betting in California has announced that it has received enough signatures to place a proposition on the electoral ballot.
If approved, the proposal will legalize online sports betting in the state
The group, which is primarily funded by casino groups including Bally’s, Wynn, and BetMGM, alongside sports betting giants FanDuel and DraftKings, has now collected over 1.6 million signatures. This comfortable beats the required number of signatures for a ballot measure by about half a million.
There have been many attempts in the past to push through legislation but all have failed to win enough support in the state legislature. Proponents of the most recent attempts have estimated that the California market could generate as much as $3 billion in revenue and $500 million in state taxes each year.
Recent polls funded by gambling companies have shown that as many as 59% of Californians favor online sports betting. As a result, of this public support, they pushed for voter signature initiatives throughout 2021 and it now seems that the gamble has paid off.
Tribal-backed measure still on the table
Last year, a constitutional amendment proposal that would allows sports betting in casinos along with an expansion of the table games available garnered enough signatures to be put on this year’s electoral ballot. The tribes that are supporting this particular measure have stated that they will spend somewhere in the region of $100 million to defeat the online sports betting measure brought forward by CA Solutions.
Tribal Sovereignty and Safe Gaming spokesman Rob Stutzman said of the CA Solutions measure:
“Our concern with their measure is that it violates the historical decades-old sovereignty granted to tribes by California voters to be the operators of gaming in the state of California.”
However, the fact that the CA Solutions measure would directly fund mental health and homelessness programs in the state has struck a nerve with lawmakers and political leaders.
When asked about the online measure, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said:
“Instead of leaving funding for homelessness and mental health services up to the whims of the economy, this initiative will create a stable and reliable funding source to tackle these immense challenges. If passed, this initiative will help countless Californians in times of crisis.”
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer has also offered his support to the measure, explaining:
“We need to think both creatively and long term to address California’s homelessness crisis. This initiative helps do that by generating hundreds of millions of dollars in badly needed revenue — without raising taxes on residents. Here in Fresno, and in communities across the state who are looking for ways to house their most vulnerable residents, this ongoing revenue stream will help us craft the critical long-term solutions needed to end homelessness.”
However, it remains to be seen if the public will be swayed by such promises. Supporters of the tribal-backed bill believe that the desire to keep money in the state could see their proposal receive public backing.
Both measures are due to be on the ballot this November, 2022.
An experienced iGaming commentator and analyst based in New York City - Jenny reports on regulation and gambling industry news and events.