Should California’s Sports Betting Timeline Be Accelerated by Increasing Competition?

Tribes in California had previously intended to postpone discussions about sports betting until 2028 or later. However, leaders are under pressure to review those plans much sooner than expected due to the rise of illegal and alternative betting platforms.

Tribes felt in control of when internet sports betting will start after California sports betting was decisively defeated in the 2022 election.

That is undoubtedly the case with traditional, regulated online sports betting companies. However, new competition is filling the gap, making some question if the California sports betting push has to come sooner rather than later.

At an SBC Americas panel, Jason Ramos, the chairman of the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribal, stated, “There was a conversation that we weren’t going to talk about sports wagering until ’28 or ’30.” “I think we need to get together and really have that conversation now that some of the other players are already operating illegally in the state.”

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Tribal chiefs said earlier this year at ICE in Barcelona that California voters would not be considering sports betting in 2026.

Options for sports betting in California

Even without taking into account the well-known offshore options, California sports bettors may place the majority of wager kinds.

The dual-currency concept used by sweepstakes casinos is also used by certain sweepstakes sportsbooks. These accept props and parlays that can result in real-money payouts in addition to standard pre-game wagers.

Sports predictions via exchanges governed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission are a little more recent than those sweepstakes operators. For instance, Kalshi received over $500 million in handle from this spring’s March Madness basketball competitions for both men and women.

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