CA bill proposes exclusive betting rights for tribes & tracks

A constitutional amendment that would allow sports betting in California has been referred to the committee on governmental organisation, after details were added to the bill outlining how sports betting in the state would function, including allowing online betting.

The amendment, SCA 6 was proposed by Senator Bill Dodd and is complementary to Assemblymember Adam Gray’s ACA 16. Both bills were first introduced in June 2019. At the time the bill only set out plans to allow for a statewide referendum on the issue, which would have to be backed by two-thirds of voters before it could come into law.

It has now been significantly expanded, and covers retail betting, which may be offered by racetracks and North American tribes, similar to the proposed ballot measure put forward by a tribal coalition in November last year.

Unlike that ballot measure, however, SCA 6 and ACA 16 would allow each licensee to offer one mobile skin alongside the retail offering. Tribal sources have previously told iGB North America that they were unwilling to include mobile betting in their proposal, as they did not believe it would be supported by California citizens.

Read more on iGB North America.