Sports betting will not be available in California until at least 2028, leaders from the state’s most powerful gaming Tribes have asserted.
There is a profound “lack of public support” to legalise sports betting in the Golden State, the Indian gambling leaders told attendees at ICE’s Tribal Partnerships Seminar in Barcelona this week.
Catalina Chacon, representing the Pechanga Band of Indians; James Siva, Chairman of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians; and Johnny Hernandez, Vice Chairman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, joined Jason Giles, Executive Director of the Indian Gaming Association, for a spirited panel discussion titled “The State of Gambling in California: Current Trends and Future Prospects.”
No Public Support
According to Siva, there isn’t enough public support to pass sports betting in 2026, making 2028 the earliest realistic timeframe.
Siva’s conclusion is based on polling data collected by the Tribes since 2018, which reveals that the public remains unconvinced about the rollout of sports betting in California.
Support has actually dropped rather than increased since the disastrous 2022 public Californian sports betting referendum, which remains the most expensive ballot measure fight in U.S. history, with US$450 million (£364.5 m) spent on campaigning.
It pitted California’s Tribes against iGaming heavy-hitters DraftKings, FanDuel, and other interested parties, in two opposing ballot measures — neither of which passed.
Siva, Chacon and Hernandez agreed that change could be possible in 2028.
But, they asserted, it would only happen as a “Tribal-led” initiative.
And the Tribes, it seems, are more than happy to take their time and make sure they get it right.
Slow and Steady
California has the fifth-largest economy in the world and is the third-largest state in the USA. With 87 Tribal gaming locations, it is a major player in the U.S. gambling industry.
The Pechanga and San Manuel Tribes operate California’s largest gaming enterprises: the Yaamava’ Resort & Casino and Pechanga Resort Casino.
Each casino features over 5,000 slot machines, making them larger than most venues in gilded Macau or Las Vegas.
In comparison, the entire U.S. commercial gambling industry generated US$66.65 billion (£39.88 bn) in 2023.
California’s gambling industry is an economic powerhouse built from scratch by the state’s Tribes.
Siva, Hernandez, and Chacon emphasised that the Tribes have “come too far to rush into sports betting” and risk making missteps that could damage the foundations of what they have achieved.
Florida Model
Their current focus is on building consensus among the state’s 109 Tribes on what gambling expansion should look like, waiting for public support to grow, and taking a measured approach to ensure the development of a responsible, sustainable expansion model.
A key question during the panel discussion was what should sports betting in California look like if it is greenlighted.
Chacon pointed to Florida’s Hub-and-Spoke model, which promotes Tribal exclusivity, as servers are located on reservation land and bets are allowed across the state, as a good fit for the state over alternatives like Michigan’s approach, which promotes an open market, allowing both Tribal and commercial parties to operate sports betting.
Tribal Terms
Throughout the seminar, a recurring theme was Tribal openness to partnerships with commercial entities.
But Indian gambling leaders were quick to point out that this possibility comes with strict conditions.
Any partnerships formed with commercial entities would be heavily regulated and require full transparency because, for the Tribes, gaming isn’t just about making money; it’s about economic and social development and Tribal sustainability.
And unless commercial partners understand and respect that, the message is simple:
Get on your horse and ride out of town.
