2024 California Sports Betting Initiative Already Pulled

• Efforts to get a California sports betting initiative on the 2024 ballot stopped due to tribal opposition.
• Proponents of the initiative wanted to gain signatures in support, but never collected a single one.
• Regulated California sports betting hopes are dead for 2024 and the foreseeable future.

LOS ANGELES – Advocates stopped their push for getting a California sports betting initiative on the 2024 ballot. Strong tribal opposition caused Kasey Thompson, the main proponent of the initiative, to call it quits on this year’s legalization effort.

The push to bring legal sports betting to California didn’t last long in 2024. Thompson decided that since tribal opposition caused an unwanted divide, he would not move forward with the initiative until there was unity.

California Tribes Didn’t Want Sports Betting In 2024

Thompson and the rest of Pala Interactive got off on the wrong foot with California tribes after they introduced the initiative and then asked for support. That gave the tribes limited time to consider the initiative, so they decided against supporting the initiative.

Although an estimated 1.2 million legal California sports betting petitions were scheduled to print, Thompson decided against investing in the expensive signature gathering without a clear path to legalization. No petitions were printed meaning there wasn’t a single signature in support of the initiative.

California Sports Betting Possible For 2026 In-Person

Although the near future of in-state California sports betting is bleak, there’s a chance in-person sports betting at tribal casinos could start as early as 2026. California Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) James Siva and Indian Gaming Association conference chair Victor Rocha discussed a possible progressive sports betting introduction beginning in 2026.

The discussion took place in a Indian Gaming Association webcast, where Siva said any successful proposal would come from the tribes and not proponents. It would start with brick and mortar sportsbooks at tribal locations but online sports betting would be considered.

Until then, California residents can use legal online sportsbooks like Bovada to bet in California. Bovada accepts California players that are at least 18 years old.

News tags: California | California Nations Indian Gaming Association | Indian Gaming Association | James Civa | Kasey Thompson