2 ballot measures would OK sports betting in California tribal casinos. Why are tribes opposed?

The combat implicit who controls what promises to beryllium a lucrative sports betting marketplace took a caller crook Friday, Oct. 29, with California Indian tribes officially opposing 2 ballot measures that would let wagering connected diversion events extracurricular of tribal casinos and racetracks.

Two tribal coalitions, whose members see the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians and San Manuel Band of Mission Indians — each person casinos successful Riverside County oregon San Bernardino County — issued a connection opposing the measures, for which supporters are trying to get capable elector signatures to marque the November 2022 ballot.

Another measure, backed by the tribes, is already eligible for adjacent November’s ballot. It would licence in-person betting astatine casinos and racetracks.

That measurement could look contention from 2 different ballot initiatives. One measure, backed by respective cities with paper rooms, would let tribes, licensed equine racetracks, paper rooms and nonrecreational sports teams to connection in-person, online and mobile sports betting to customers 21 and older.

That measure, which besides would fto paper rooms connection much types of games, would cod a 15% taxation connected sports betting profits, with taxation gross going toward helping the homeless, nationalist acquisition and intelligence health.

The different measure, supported by online sportsbooks, would let in-person betting astatine tribal casinos, which could connection online betting done partnerships with online betting companies. A 10% taxation connected online betting profits would deposit wealth into a “California Solutions to Homelessness and Mental Health Support Account.”

The measures volition request astir 1 cardinal signatures each to marque the ballot. Supporters of the 1 backed by paper rooms person until April 18, 2022, to get signatures portion backers of the different measurement await support from the California lawyer general’s bureau to stitchery signatures.

In a Friday statement, the California Nations Indian Gaming Association and the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations said the measures backed by paper rooms and online sportsbooks would “seriously (undermine) tribal sovereignty and the voters’ repeated enactment for Indian gaming successful California.”

“These deceptive measures were written by and for the sole fiscal payment of their firm sponsors and funders,” said Anthony Roberts, president of Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation. “These measures would beryllium atrocious for California and atrocious for tribes. We are prepared to wage a vigorous and well-funded run to amended the voters and guarantee the measures are defeated.”

Both measures opposed by the tribes “would authorize the largest enlargement of gaming successful the state’s history, disrupting the committedness that California voters person made to Indian tribes for implicit 2 decades,” the connection read, adding that tribal casinos employment astir 125,000 statewide and make $20 cardinal for California’s economy.

Leaders of the California Gaming Association, a paper country manufacture group, did not instantly respond to requests for remark Friday afternoon.

Three years aft the U.S. Supreme Court opened the doorway to legalized sports betting, California has yet to let the practice, which is ineligible successful much than 20 states.

Since June 2018, ineligible sports wagering has generated $5.4 cardinal successful gross and $733.3 cardinal successful taxation gross successful states that let it, according to the quality tract Legal Sports Report. The sports betting marketplace successful California — the nation’s astir populous authorities and location to much pro sports teams than immoderate different authorities — could beryllium adjacent bigger.

Jake Etienne, a Philadelphia-based gaming lawyer with White and Williams LP who specializes successful the regulatory and licensing scenery of sports betting, said via email that it’s not astonishing the tribal coalitions reason the ballot measures backed by paper rooms and online sportsbooks.

“As we person seen passim the country, the gross from sports betting tin beryllium a golden excavation for tribes, backstage sportsbooks, and states,” helium said.

“They each privation a portion of the enactment and this tendency has lone been exacerbated by the fiscal windfalls caused by COVID-19. Thus, they volition effort their champion to discredit the different ballot initiatives, arsenic those 2 inactive request the required signatures to beryllium placed connected the 2022 ballot.”