California stands as the “crown jewel” of American gambling. Online poker has failed there for years, and the battle for California sports betting is now heating up between state legislators and Tribal Gaming. We also look at new casino closures in Nevada, update the Justice Department online gambling case, and have sad news to report from Las Vegas.   A Superior Court judge made official his tentative ruling to allow a coalition of federally-recognized tribes 90 more days to collect signatures for a legal California sports betting initiative that would go on the November 2022 ballot. The tribes sought an…

You can stop holding your breath now, as California sports betting will once again fail. There has been a small glimmer of hope for the legislation as it was scheduled for a vote with the state’s Senate Appropriations Committee this week, but it was removed at the last moment. Even if it had been included in the vote, it would have needed to advance through both legislative branches by this week’s deadline to earn its place on the November ballot. Its sudden removal now means that advocates could be looking at years instead of months before sports books can legally…

As is usually the case with California sports betting, at least one Tribal casino opposes legislation that would regulate the activity. The Tribe who operate the Cache Creek Casino has told legislators that they do not support the proposed amendment to the state constitution to legalize sports gambling. The central reason for the opposition is that the bill would also allow state card rooms to offer some of the same games as Tribal casinos… a move that Tribal gaming view as illegal. In addition to sports betting, the amendment would also allow tribal casinos new permission to offer roulette and…

It will take a constitutional amendment to get California sports betting, and a Senate Committee in the state has now taken a step in that direction. A bill passed the committee by a partisan vote of 9-3 vote, with all Democrats voting for the bill and all Republicans voting against. Now the bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Appropriations, with a hearing scheduled for next week on 9 June. The bill sets out plans to allow for a statewide referendum on the sports betting, which would have to be backed by two-thirds of voters before it could…

State lawmakers held a preliminary hearing on California sports betting last week. They are just the latest state to consider regulating the activity in 2020, meaning that more than half of the states could have regulated sports betting soon. California is one of nine states exploring legalized sports betting in 2020, according to the American Gaming Association. A total of 20 states have legalized some form of sports betting since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal ban in May 2018. “We will likely approach a total of 30 states with some form of legal sports betting by the…

This week’s show explains the working of the new California sports betting proposal from Native American gaming interests. Tribes in the state have initiated a push for regulated the activity, and the legislature has set up a date to review the idea! Tribal gaming would like the state to legalize betting on sports, so long as the bets are placed in their casinos. We also have sports betting news from the NBA. Hello my friends and welcome to This Week in Gambling our last show before we take a break for the Thanksgiving holiday. This week we find that California…

A coalition of eighteen state tribes have put forth a proposal for legal California sports betting. Calling it the Sports Wagering Regulation and Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act, the measure would be put to voters at the November 2020 elections. It also aims to amend the state constitution to legalize betting on sports at some locations, including Tribal casinos and licensed racetracks, and set a 10% gross revenue tax on licensees. Only in-person wagering would be permitted under the Act, and limited to those aged 21 and above. Minors are further protected by advertising controls, such as a prohibition on advertising…

Don’t hold your breath, but lawmakers have introduced another California sports betting bill. The last one didn’t go so well, but a recent change in the state’s gambling landscape presents a fresh stage for 2019. The bill’s introduction comes in the wake of a failed private attempt to garner signatures in support of a referendum. This proposal, however, would be subject to two-thirds approval from the legislature before a majority vote at the ballot box in November 2020. Since the bill has not yet been filed there’s not much to work with so far. What is clear is that lawmakers have…