Gov. Gavin Newsom opposes California's dying sports betting Prop 27
Proposition 27, which would have brought legal sports betting to California, was already in a lot of trouble. Then, with polls showing the prop was almost certain to lose in November, Gov. Gavin Newsom weighed in.
Newsom opposed Prop 27, as reported by Politico.
“Proposition 27 is bad for California," Newsom said, via Politico. "It would hurt California's Indian Tribes, increase the risks of underage gambling, and push billions of dollars out of California and into the pockets of out-of-state corporations. Vote No on 27.”
In mid-September, a Public Policy Institute of California poll said only 34 percent of likely voters said they would vote yes on Prop 27. In that PPIC poll, only 29 percent of likely voters said Prop 27 passing is "very important" to them.
Prop 27 would allow sports betting online, including apps. Those in favor of Prop 27, including sites like BetMGM (which has a partnership with Yahoo Sports), FanDuel and DraftKings, spent $170 million to get the prop passes according to Politico. Opposing groups, including a coalition of Native American tribes, have spent $180 million trying to get it rejected.
Another proposition on the ballot, Prop 26, would allow sports betting in person at reservation casinos and horse-racing tracks.
There have been many issues with Prop 27. The prop itself is titled “California Solutions to Homelessness and Mental Health Support Act," which outlines where the money from taxes on sports betting revenue would go, but not the sports betting itself. CEOs of DraftKings and FanDuel said earlier this month that 2024 might be more realistic for a sports betting measure to pass in California, via Bloomberg. Television ads in favor of Prop 27 have been pulled recently, with the measure doing poorly in polls.
Since the United States Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that states could decide whether to allow legal sports betting, more than half of states have adopted some form of sports betting. California is a huge market, and especially attractive after sports betting companies saw the massive success of sports betting in New York after it became available early this year.
It appears Californians will have to wait a while to have access to legal sports betting online.
