Californian Tribes Want Sports Betting to Become Reality in 2026 or 2028

During CNIGA’s last meeting, tribal leaders came together and decided that they were going to push to place a sports betting measure on either the 2026 or 2028 ballot, hoping to pave the way for sports gambling in California before long.

CNIGA Determined to Push Forward with Sports Gambling

A previous measure, which was supposed to go live with the 2024 ballot, was firmly opposed by the tribes, with private sponsors accused of dealing the tribal operators a bad hand and expecting them to support the measure.

The tribes stated that they would outright oppose the measure, which would most likely result in its failure to pass. In doing so, the tribes cautioned, the overall window for introducing sports betting in California would most likely be slowed further down.

The sponsors of the private initiative withdrew in the end, but the difficult conversations surrounding the matter continue, as tribes are also split on how to act in the case of sports betting, which they fear would pave the way for broader iGaming expansion, including online casinos, which could compete with their land-based operations.

However, one point on which everyone agrees at CNIGA is that any attempt to legalize sports gambling ought to be spearheaded by the tribes, and although the tribes are not entirely certain about the regulatory framework, that would not be an issue.

For example, CNIGA is confident that it can iron out any wrinkles in proposed legislation with the help of consultants and attorneys who are better versed in sports gambling law.

Whatever a tribal-led sports betting initiative would look like, it would have to bring together the disparate tribes and rally them around the same goal, convincing individual leaders that they would not get the shorter stick.

Tribes Need to Meet Eye-to-Eye for Any Movement in Sports Gambling

Tribes have been mostly keen to preserve the status quo if any change would not give them some form of exclusivity over a potential sports betting market. Prop 26 and Prop 27, for example, failed over the past years, precisely because the tribes showed reluctance in their support and remained adamant in their determination to ensure that they have a say in what happens with any legalization effort.

Interestingly, operators that previously backed some of the proposals agreed to withdraw, acquiescing that sports gambling in California could only be enacted with the backing of the tribes.

In the meantime, the tribes have been making legislative headway against card rooms, which they want to shut down, alleging that the card rooms are using a legal loophole to operate their “player-bank” games to the detriment of the tribes.