A coalition of 18 Native American tribes in California was "given approval to begin circulating petitions for a statewide ballot initiative that would allow sports betting at tribal casinos and horse racing tracks, but not at rival card clubs or on the internet," according to Patrick McGreevy of the L.A. TIMES. Card clubs "vowed to campaign against the tribal casino proposal and instead support another ballot measure being considered by the California Legislature that would apply to a larger group of gambling interests." A legal sports betting market could bring in $2.5B in "gross revenue annually in California." State Assemblyman Adam Gray said that the market could generate $250-500M in "tax revenue for the state based on whether the tax rate is 10% or 20%." Gray and state Sen. Bill Dodd have each "introduced legislation that would put a constitutional amendment on the statewide ballot as early as November to allow sports betting." To make the ballot, lawmakers have until late June to "overcome the divisions in the state gambling industry over how to allow sports betting." Lawyers for the NBA and MLB have told lawmakers that they are "supportive of the concept of a constitutional amendment, but want to make sure any new system protects consumers and the integrity of the games." League officials also said that California’s system should "seek to allow betting over the internet and smartphones using state-licensed sites" (L.A. TIMES, 1/22).
