Top Sportsbooks Engaged in Sports Betting Battle in California

Dodger Stadium Los Angeles California
A general view of Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images/AFP

The battle over sports betting in California is heated. Read ahead for the current information. Top sportsbooks are itching to gain a foothold in the opening legal sports betting market in California.

Among other sports betting sites, FanDuel and BetMGM could get to operate in California. But right now, things are uncertain.

California Politicians Support

What is certain is the support of California politicians and other Californians for sports betting to be legal in their state.

While sports betting still isn’t legal in this state, it seems like only a matter of time until the legal status of sports betting changes here.

There are so many professional and college teams in this state, which means that California bettors would be more likely to be active because people are more likely to bet on local teams.

Sports Betting Would Be Source of Revenue

With this multiplicity of pro and college California teams extending across all major sports, sports betting would form a tremendous source of revenue throughout the whole year.

The outlook for the state, which sorely needs extra revenue, could be immeasurably positive. What is uncertain, though, is what legal sports betting will look like in the state.

California’s Legal Battle

There are two competing sports betting initiatives in California. One is backed by the tribes. Their initiative is easily the weaker option.

Legal Battle Against the Tribes

It is retail-only, which means that bettors would have to get off their couch and enter an area designated for legal sports betting in order to place wagers,

Plus, they would not be allowed to bet on college teams based in California. This would be awful throughout the whole year.

USC and UCL Huge in Sports

USC and UCLA, for example, are huge names in various sports, and their high-profile status ensures strong betting interest in their games.

However, there is another sports betting initiative that has collected sufficient support to land on the ballot. This is the initiative backed by the pros, the likes of FanDuel and BetMGM.

They would permit online sports betting to take place. Hopefully, for the state, the latter sports betting initiative will receive more voting support than the inferior option.