Californians will decide whether to legalise sports betting on November’s ballot

Supporters of online sports betting gather 1.6 million signatures to have a legalization measure appear on 2022’s ballot.

US.- A proposition to allow online sports betting in California will appear on the state’s ballot this November. The legalization efforts are led by the Californians for Solutions to Homelessness and Mental Health Support that gather 1.6 million signatures in favour of the measure. 

Californians for Solutions to Homelessness and Mental Health Support’s initiative is backed by some of the biggest names in commercial gambling, including BetMGM, Bally’s, DraftKings, Penn National, Wynn, Fanatics Betting and FanDuel.

85 per cent of tax proceeds will go towards reducing homelessness. Another 15 per cent of the total taxes will go to California’s tribes. Sports wagering will be taxed at 10 per cent under the measure. 

Online sports betting will be open to “qualified gaming entities” and tribal operators, which may partner with online platform providers. Tribal operators and online platform providers must pay a $10m licence fee each, while “qualified gaming entities” must pay $100m. 

“We’re very excited about the Californian situation,” said Flutter chief executive Peter Jackson. “Clearly getting to this stage was not straightforward but we’re very, very happy to be on the ballot.”

The signatures collected must still be verified, though the measure reportedly has enough signatures that this is expected to be a formality. If it appears on the ballot and is approved by a majority of voters, it will become law.

The measure’s most notable opponents are California’s tribal operators which are running a campaign of their own. Their initiative seeks to legalise in-person sports betting at the state’s racetracks and tribal venues. It’s possible for both measures to appear on the ballot.

The California Legalise Sports Betting Initiative has also already garnered enough signatures to make November’s ballot. This measure was proposed by 18 Native American tribes.