Senator Bill Dodd: CA To “Invest The Revenue” From Sports Betting

• SCA-6 is a bill in California that would put sports betting legalization to a public vote in November 2020.
• Senator Bill Dodd, the sponsor of SCA-6 believes now is the time for California to make sports betting legal as they are in critical need of alternate forms of funding since the COVID-19 outbreak.
• Estimates show that California could see near a billion dollars annually from a seasoned sports betting industry if the pastime were made legal.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – If ever there was a time to legalize sports betting in California, it’s now. The Golden State has sustained insurmountable debt with the Coronavirus pandemic and is in a financial crisis.

A sports betting bill known as SCA-6 could help with that.

During SCA-6’s initial hearing in the Senate last Tuesday, over four hours of testimony was heard from parties both in favor and opposed to the bill moving forward.

SCA-6 would put the subject of legal sports betting to a public vote by allowing it on the November 2020 ballot. A number of professional sports organizations favored legalization on sporting events while many Tribal organizations opposed it.

Once a final tally on the numbers is calculated, California will be $54 billion in the red with their budget deficit.

It’s at a time like this that any and all viable options for new revenue streams are being discussed and sports betting is one of those options.

Lawmakers, like the primary sponsor for SCA-6 Senator Bill Dodd, would like the California State Legislature to seriously consider a legal sports betting market before going to any extremes and cutting funding to programs like that of the education system.

Senator Bill Dodd On SCA-6

On Friday, Senator Dodd (D-Napa) spoke with LegalSportsBetting about gambling on sports matchups and what a legal market could mean for California.

“The timing is critical because the coronavirus pandemic has caused a multi-billion state budget deficit that threatens funding for things like schools and public safety,” said Dodd.

It’s a well-known fact that California is home to many sports bettors because they have several teams that could be dubbed as some of the best in the nation.

With die-hard fans in the Golden State, many gamblers place bets on the games through outside sources. That can not only be unsafe for residents but it’s also money lost in what could be potential revenue for a state that is in dire need of it.

“I don’t gamble but I know many people do, so it seems prudent to me to legalize sports betting, regulate it and invest the revenue from it to support things that are important to the people of California,” said Dodd.

What’s Coming Up Next

The next hearing for SCA-6 is set for Tuesday at noon EST. where it will be presented to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

From that hearing, the California State Legislature will have exactly 16 days to pass the bill through all of the proper channels in time for it to land on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk for approval.

Should it pass and be signed by the Governor, constituents in California will be seeing the subject of sports betting legalization on their November 2020 ballots.

While the time frame is short, Dodd will continue to work tirelessly to get his bill passed by its June 25 deadline.

He said that over the next and final few weeks left how he will be working with stakeholders to continue to make tweaks to the bill to get it to advance through the legislative process for approval.

“Our hope is to put it before California voters on the November 2020 ballot,” said Dodd.

News tags: Bill Dodd | California | California State Legislature | Coronavirus | COVID-19 | Gavin Newsom | SCA-6 | Senate Appropriations Committee