Is Sports Betting Online Legal In California

With 40 million people, another 40+ million annual tourists and more professional sports teams than any other state, California would be a gold rush for legal sports wagering in the US.

Two attempts are ongoing to legalize sports betting in California. A proposed tribal initiative would legalize sports wagering at land-based Indian casinos and horse racing tracks. A legislative effort would also authorize online and mobile wagering through platforms affiliated with the tribal casinos and racetracks.

Both CA sports betting efforts have until June 25 to qualify for the ballot. The legalization of sports betting in California requires a constitutional amendment approved by voters.

The future of California sports betting

There's a building pressure to legalize sports betting in California. With a budget deficit of$54 billion as a result of economic impacts from the coronavirus, California can use all new revenue sources to lessen cuts in important areas.

California has attempted to legalize online gambling in the state multiple times. California has legalized daily fantasy sports, however, DFS has the distinction of not being classified as online betting. Despite some progress on the issue, the attempts to legalize online sports betting hasn't become reality.

Eilers & Krejcik projects that CA sports betting under the legislative amendment would produce $503 million in revenue for the state at market maturity. The firm projected $282 million in the first six months including initial license fees.

But like all gambling issues in California, hostility between the tribes and cardrooms makes it difficult to make any progress.

Eilers & Krejcik projects that CA sports betting under the legislative amendment would produce $503 million in revenue for the state at market maturity. The firm projected $282 million in the first six months including initial license fees.

But like all gambling issues in California, hostility between the tribes and cardrooms makes it difficult to make any progress.

California's legal sports betting age is 18. In order to partake in sports betting at online sportsbooks, you must be at least 18 years of age or older. Online sportsbooks will not allow sports bettors to wager without legal identification that proves they are at least the required legal sports betting age. There are no legal physical sports betting venues in California, yet. It's easy to hop over to Nevada and place a wager in the neighboring state, but there is another option for bettors that requires no travel time. Current Online Sports Betting Situation in the USA. Right now, full-on sports betting is available legally in Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey, West Virginia, Mississippi, New Mexico, and more states (see our map above to check your home state). More states are introducing it all the time now that the federal ban has been lifted, and, in this section, we'll explain why.

Ironically, the legislative effort is opposed by the tribes, which would get top billing for offering California sports betting, and supported by the cardrooms, which would be locked out of CA sports betting all together.

This is because SCA 6 and ACA 16 would also allow cardrooms to continue their workaround for offering house-banked card games as consolation for giving up sports betting in California.

To reach the ballot, the legislative referendum needs approval from two-thirds of members in each chamber before lawmakers go on summer recess on June 19.

Tribes also haven't given up on their own initiative, which seemed on the way to gathering enough valid signatures to make the ballot before the coronavirus shut down signature gathering. Although the deadline to submit signatures for count has passed, the tribes plan to challenge the deadline by legal means.

There's the possibility of both making the ballot, though the better odds are on neither. Measures on the ballot in November must pass by majority vote.

If neither make the ballot, Californians will need to wait for the next election in 2022 for another run at a constitutional amendment.

When will online sports betting launch in California?

If the legislative effort is successful this year, online sports betting is likely to begin in California by the end of 2021 or early in 2022.

If the tribal initiative passes, sports betting will start without online wagering. After a few years, the tribes may reassess and pursue online sports betting in California.

However, a tribal leader at a June 2020 hearing spoke of tribal concerns about online wagering's cannibalization of their brick-and-mortar investments.

Without online wagering, Eilers & Krejcik projects state revenue from sports betting to shrink to $200 million a year.

Recent California sports betting news

Is Sports Betting Online Legal In California Right Now