California is taking center stage in the sports betting world. Here’s why. Top sportsbooks such as FanDuel are licking their chops at the prospect of being allowed to operate in California.
Sports betting still is not legal in the state. It’s not just the sportsbooks that are hoping for legalization to happen.
The revenue that sports betting would help a state in dire need of improvements in important areas such as education. So, the question is crucial: will legal sports betting come to California?
Support
A lot of support exists for the legalization of sports betting in the state. Polls show that almost half of Californians support its legalization.
Since some Californians were apparently undecided, supporters of the legalization of sports betting form the majority.
This level of support is consistent with what we’ve seen in other states and in other bipartisan crowds in general.
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The problem, then, is hardly a moral one. There is rather a twofold problem: legalization of sports betting involves a lot of considerations related to crucial details like revenue.
These need to be worked out. Also, the legalization of sports betting involves a tremendous power shift from the current gatekeepers of legal gambling in the state to the sports betting big-names like FanDuel which would operate in the state.
Three Referendums
Three referendums are now on the table. All three would allow for the legalization of sports betting in the state.
However, there are important differences between them ranging from the availability of online sports betting, the exclusion of gaming tribes from the betting landscape, and so forth.
The most promising one seems to be the California Solutions to Homelessness and Mental Health Support Act.
This initiative enjoys strong financial support. Its social relevance is also blatant given California’s problem with homelessness. It will be interesting to see, to say the least, what voters in the state decide on.
