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California is the biggest state in the United States. With its size comes considerable population and money. For the sports betting industry, that makes California a natural target for legalization. And while there has been no luck on that front yet, the tide may finally be turning. The latest in California includes a call for signatures to introduce sports betting legislation for a vote in the 2020 election. And while the eyes of the world will be on the Presidential election in 2020, the eyes of California could be on potential sports betting bill as well.
Sports betting initiative launched
The first step toward sports betting in California was taken by the Attorney General of the state. The AG, Xavier Becerra, allowed for tribal groups to begin collecting signatures to get a measure on the ballot for the next election in nearly 10 months. The initiative would allow for sports betting to take place at the 65 Native American casinos in California, as well as four racetracks. It would not include the ability to wager on sports online or via mobile device. This measure would also allow for games like craps and roulette to be played at those facilities.
In order to bring this legislative effort to a vote, nearly one million signatures would need to be collected. Once signatures are collected, they are vetted to make sure that those signatures are valid and that there are enough valid signatures to push the bill to a vote.
Analysis of sports betting bill
The thing that sticks out the most about California’s sports betting bill is the lack of mobile wagering. Nevada sports betting and New Jersey sports betting both feature that ability heavily. As a result, they have become the leading states in the industry. While it is possible that this ability is added in California in the future, not having it at the beginning could make it difficult for bettors in some areas to benefit from legal sports betting.
With that said, the passage of this legislation would certainly be better than nothing. If California were to get legalized sports betting, the industry as a whole would benefit, as would bettors in California. And with 69 potential locations to choose from, Californians would have a decent array of options at their disposal anyway.
Source: Los Angeles Times